Received my CBJ last weekend in Bradstown, KY.

[SouthernSmoked]

I decided to become a Certified Barbeque Judge since I'm competing this season.

Maybe a good way to understand what the judges are looking for....
and for me it's a chance to see other turn-in boxes to help with presentation. (Did I say that out loud?)  :o 8) ;D

Instructor Don Harwell....


Samples to judge....


After Pledging the Oath....




Hoping to judge in my first comp....Brick Street BBQ STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Marietta, OH Starts: 06/08/2012 Ends: 06/09/2012

[Keymaster]

Congrats Mark, thats awesome. How were the sample plates?

[SouthernSmoked]

Aaron, I scored the pork in this manner.....


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[Habanero Smoker]

Congratulations. The judging class should help you understand better what the judges are looking for. But I have to say, I've judge quite a few contests, and have assisted with a Judging Class, more often then not those that are cooks on teams tend to be the most critical of the food presented.  ;D

[mikecorn.1]

Congrats. I didn't hear nothing out loud. I was reading it to myself ;D


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[SouthernSmoked]

Congratulations. The judging class should help you understand better what the judges are looking for. But I have to say, I've judge quite a few contests, and have assisted with a Judging Class, more often then not those that are cooks on teams tend to be the most critical of the food presented.  ;D

Hab, so true, a lot of the guys were giving out 2's and 3's. On the pork, the score sheet above, 50% gave it a 3 or lower. Don told them that he couldn't tell them how to score but if he was judging the pork at a comp he would have gave it a 5 with a comment card. They wanted to know why. He explained the cost that the teams have in this and there really were no reason to give anything less than a 5 or 4 unless the Head Judge gave it a 1 or it was DQ'd.

So when the brisket came around.....still low scores. Don once again did a little reminder that the score cards are turned into the KCBS and if you are scoring much lower that the rest of the table at several comps they will request you to take a refresher class again.

[Habanero Smoker]

When you get to judging, the best part is talking with the other judges at the table about the entries. The best indicator of your judging is how it compares with the group, and it seems your judging was right on the mark. Too bad you had average to below average BBQ to judge. You will definitely have fun in June, and you will also see how serious the judges get once the entries come to the table. We all know what's at stake, and the time and money the teams have invested.

The only one that can give an entry a 1 is one of the KCBS representatives. The tracking of the judges is new. KCBS has been working on a data base to track individual judge's scoring. They have been trying to implement in the past 2-3 year, and they were hoping to implement it some time in May. It sounds like they have got it up and running. That new database will start tracking individual judges scores, and compare them with others at the competition and also nationally. That will be an improvement, because I have run across some judges that think they are on the Food Network judging Iron Chef or Chopped. :) Also if Don didn't mention it, the lowest scoring judge at the table for each team's entry is thrown out. So a team's final score is based on the five highest scoring judges.

Have fun in both competing and judging.

[slowpoke]

Congrats,Mums the word.

[TTNuge]

I got mine this spring for the same reasons, to help understand what the judges are looking for.  Unfortuantely our class was a complete waste of time.  We didn't have a decent looking box in the bunch and the food was all horrible.  I don't think any of it was cooked on a smoker, there was no smoke flavor to it what so ever.  Thankfully we have the internet because that helped me more than the class did.  I think at the first contest on my two meats I got 11 9's and 1 8 in presentation which was my biggest concern.

[NePaSmoKer]

WTG Mark

;D

[Habanero Smoker]

I got mine this spring for the same reasons, to help understand what the judges are looking for.  Unfortuantely our class was a complete waste of time.  We didn't have a decent looking box in the bunch and the food was all horrible.  I don't think any of it was cooked on a smoker, there was no smoke flavor to it what so ever.  Thankfully we have the internet because that helped me more than the class did.  I think at the first contest on my two meats I got 11 9's and 1 8 in presentation which was my biggest concern.

The best way to understand what the judges are looking for is to get your feet wet and judge a few contests. That way you will interact with at least a few seasoned judges at your table, and you will know all the food is by cooks who compete. Garnish is over rated in the presentation, at least in the east. As judges we are frequently reminded to judge the meat only, and to look for if there is enough for six, illegal garnish, foreign objects and/or pooling. I have seen boxes with no garnish and most of the table had given 8's & 9's.