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.
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.
Comment