First Time Judging Experience

[TBoneJack]

I judged my first KCBS contest yesterday, a Backyard event, and I had a great time. I met some really nice people and ate some really good BBQ, and learned a few things about judging. I even ran into two old friends I haven't seen in years. It's a small world.

Some thoughts from the day:

1. I learned that brisket is not normally cooked in Backyard events - we judged chicken, ribs, and pork.

2. I learned I shouldn't wear a white shirt to a BBQ contest.

3. I learned to inspect chicken internally before biting - we got one entry of thighs that dripped blood when bit into. Seriously.

4. The smokey aroma at the event was wonderful. I enjoyed walking around and seeing the smokers in action. There were way more Weber WSMs than any other smoker I saw there.

5. Mushy pork plus too much sauce is a dead giveaway that the meat is overcooked, and that the cook tried to compensate for flavor loss by adding extra sauce. Yuck.

6. One team turned in an entry of salt with just a smidge of pork included (obviously for looks only, since all I could taste was salt).

7. The Backyard competitors had a lot more invested in their setups than I had imagined. They didn't overspend on their smokers, but most had big trucks and temperature-controlled campers with room to sleep at least two people.

8. One judge drove about 200 miles from another state, and stayed in a hotel overnight, just to judge this event - a Backyard event.

9. The circuit of judges is a big circle of good acquaintances and friends. Most of them know one another, and enjoy being at events together. There are a lot of husband-wife judges that are (semi) retired, and enjoy taking day trips a couple times per month to judge BBQ.

10. The Table Captain at my table said this, at least 3 times (paraphrasing): "Remember that this is a Backyard event, and be generous in your scoring". So, Backyard competitors should not compare their scores to those of the Professional competitors, because Backyard scores are at least sometimes artificially inflated by comparison. And this didn't bother me, because the playing field was the same in that regard for everyone, although I know there are pros and cons to this.

I very much enjoyed the day, and am looking forward to my next event in a couple weeks. I plan to cook with a professional team later this year, as part of the KCBS judging recommendations, and I can't wait.

[RonB]

Sounds like a fun day - and that's what counts.

[TBoneJack]

I also learned how important it is for cooks to include 2-3 cuts of pork in their box. By far, the nicest box of pork I saw had sliced money muscle, chopped pork, and pulled pork with nice bark. The bark really makes an entry look good, and adds a taste and texture that can't be duplicated any other way.

[Spinaker]

Nice! Thanks for the write up. I would like to judge a comp some day. But i would really like to help out a professional team. That would be a great time. At least once.

[fuzzydaddy]

I had the pleasure of helping Candy Sue Q this weekend in Pensacola, FL. I had a blast getting to know her, lots of fun, and one of my best days ever. She's an awesome lady!

[PJBowmaster]

Interesting stuff!! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[customtrim]

Really interesting to read your post, glad you are having fun and seem to be enjoying it. Please keep us informed on future comps.

[gaudreaur]

10. The Table Captain at my table said this, at least 3 times (paraphrasing): "Remember that this is a Backyard event, and be generous in your scoring". So, Backyard competitors should not compare their scores to those of the Professional competitors, because Backyard scores are at least sometimes artificially inflated by comparison. And this didn't bother me, because the playing field was the same in that regard for everyone, although I know there are pros and cons to this.

Seems to me if a judge has taken a judging course, he-she should judge the meat as he-she has been trained to do. The fact that it's a backyard event should not matter. Those with low scores will learn to improve their game for the next contest. That's where comment cards are especially important to me as a competitor.

[TBoneJack]

I filled out two comment cards this weekend, both to let the cooks know just how awesome their pork entries were. Both submitted 3 different cuts, with money muscle and wonderful bark on the pulled.

I wanted to submit a comment card on a particularly tough chicken leg entry, but I waited too long.

[kenrobin]

Great post & observations. I am taking a class to become a certified KCBS judge next month.

[TBoneJack]

The judging opportunities are surprisingly plentiful. I just got an email inviting me to judge another event I applied for.

I'm scheduled for 7 more events this year at the present, with more applications yet to be answered.

[PJBowmaster]

I'm familiar with Beer Judging both as a contestant and a judge. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) advises judges in Home Brew Competition to go easy on low end scores. The idea is to give entries positive constructive feedback. And sometimes its a tightrope you have to walk. But the overall idea is to be diplomatic and supportive of people's efforts.

Beer is scored on a 0 to 50 scale. A score of 0 to 13 is considered PROBLEMATIC with major off flavors and flaws making it "Hard to drink". A score of 14 to 20 is considered FAIR with off flavors/aromas or major style deficiencies making it "Unpleasant". A score of 21 to 29 is considered GOOD but misses the mark on style and /or minor flaws. A score of 30 to 37 is considered VERY GOOD generally within style parameters with some minor flaws. A score of 38 to 44 is considered EXCELLENT and exemplifies style well, or requires fine-tuning. And a score of 45 to 50 is considered OUTSTANDING and a World Class example of the style.

Believe it or not most of the craft beer you buy in the store or down at your local brewpub would score between 35 and 42 in competition. The lowest score I have ever assigned in competition is 20 points. By the letter of the law that beer should have received a score between 0 and 13 because it was frankly undrinkable. But most Judges would consider it harsh to award a lower score. And I suspect that BBQ Judges are taking a similar approach to their thought process. We need to keep in mind that Backyard BBQ Competition, like Home Brew Competition, is also about promoting the hobby.....Just the cold hard truth!

[TBoneJack]

In case I didn't mention it somewhere before, make sure you eat a light breakfast 2-3 hours before judging. I didn't on Saturday, and so I was very hungry tended to eat a lot of the meat I was judging, and got kinda full before the last samples were presented for judging. And we didn't even judge brisket.

All in all, our table judged 6 chicken entries, 6 rib entries, and 6 pork entries. So that's a minimum of 18 bites, and we didn't even judge brisket.