Ed Roith's Certified Barbecue Judging Class
By ED ROITH, KCBS Certified Barbecue
Judge Professor
Updated April 21, 2002
Ed Roith founded and leads the
Certified Barbecue Judging ("CBJ") program of the Kansas
City Barbeque Society (KCBS). On December 6, 1996, Ed Roith gave a Certified
Barbecue Judging class at the BBQ Cook Off, which was held at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas,
Nevada. The class was video-taped, and tapes are available for
sale by KCBS.
The following is a transcript of the entire class taught by Ed
Roith, as transcribed and with minor editing by Joe O'Connell. The
beginning of each paragraph of the transcript shows the videotape
counter, which is the time in the format hours-minutes-seconds.
The entire class took approximately two hours, during which Ed Roith
spoke for only 48 minutes (as shown by the counter, below).
The balance of the two-hour class, which was not videotaped,
involved practice judging of several trays in the four categories and in
the areas of appearance, taste and tenderness.
Class to Qualify as
KCBS Certified Barbecue Judge
----------
Taught by Ed Roith
[Editor's Note: the very beginning of the class was not taped but began: "Welcome to the Kansas City
Barbeque Society class to become a Certified Barbecue Judge. Let me begin by
explaining what this class is all about."]
[0:00:00] Often, we have folks who come in, who want to
judge, and they say, "I know how to judge barbecue. I judge
all the time. I know what good barbecue is." You see,
in our process of judging barbecue, it is not knowing just what good
barbecue is to your taste, it is how we judge barbecue to get the best
effect from you and give that cook the best judging that he or she could
possibly get. That is what this is all about.
[0:00:21] You are probably going to hear some things and
see some things today that you probably don't realize or perhaps have
never thought about in judging barbecue. And it's our
procedure.
[0:00:32] There are other organizations that judge
differently. If any of you happen to be Memphis in May judges,
they use a half blind and a half on-site. We use all completely
blind judging system.
[0:00:42] Back to barbecue. The United States government defines barbecue
as and it is:
Barbecue meat, such as a product labeled beef
barbecue or barbecue pork, shall be cooked by the direct action
of dry heat . . .
[0:00:56] Now this is the U.S. government's definition of barbecue:
. . . cooked by the direct action of dry heat resulting from the burning of
hard wood or hot coals thereof for a sufficient period of time to
assume the usual characteristics of a barbecued article, which
includes the formation of a brown crust on the surface and the
rendering of surface fat. The product may be basted with a sauce
during the cooking process. The weight of the cooked meat shall
not exceed 70% of the weight of the fresh, uncooked meat.
[0:01:38] So you will lose 30%. That is by government
standards.
[0:00:42] We will go through the rules with you. We'll' go through the process of what judging is
all about, what KCBS is all about, and a barbecue contest, and far
as judging and such.
[0:01:59] Categories to be judged. There will be four basic categories in our classification.
[0:02:02] Pork ribs. They can either be loin back ribs, referred to as
baby back ribs, or they may be spare ribs. But they must be pork
ribs. That's one of the four basic categories.
[0:02:14] The other is Chicken. We specify chicken only, not
poultry. There are other categories of poultry, but this is
chicken only. The chicken can be turned in either as a half chicken, a
whole chicken, cut up, white meat or dark meat - whatever the cook so
desires.
[0:02:30] The other item that is turned in is pork butt or pork shoulder.
The pork butt of course is the top half of the shoulder and is called
the "blade roast" or the "Boston butt". We
require the cook to cook it in its entirety. It cannot be severed
out by muscle. They can bone it out, if they so desire. But it
must be cooked in its entirety. We do not allow at this time loin
or tenderloins whatsoever.
[0:03:00] The other item that we cook is the beef
brisket, which happens to be one of
the toughest pieces of meat there is to cook and cook right. But
it can be the most tender and most flavorful piece of meat, if properly
cooked. Beef brisket, of course, comes from the fore or front chest area of
the animal. It's a very tight muscle. It has two parts to
it, which is the point end and the flat. A lot of times at the store
you'll find just the flat cut up, which is the solid piece of
meat. The point end has more fat rendering through it. It is the
most tender or tasty piece of meat, the point is, when it is cooked
the right way. It is used a lot, out in our area, where you refer
to "burnt ends" - it's what is used for burnt ends, because it's the most tasty.
However you'll find that most of the cooks will turn in the flat of the
brisket which is the tight part of the meat. And it makes the best
presentation, but it necessarily also at times has the most taste to it,
but it has to be worked so that it does not dry out. One of the
most difficult factors of brisket when it comes to contests is that
brisket has a tendency to dry out quite rapidly. If it is cut too
thin, it will dry out faster than it will if it is thick. And of
course if it is cut too thick and it is not tender, then it will be very
difficult to judge, and the judge is going to give it a low score. So the
cook has to be very careful, when it comes time to turn brisket in.
[0:04:40] You will see a lot of them, if you have had the chance (or perhaps if
you have been to a contest and watched, you will see), where they will
bring the tray in - they've got it wrapped with a towel of some kind of
cloth to keep the heat in and to keep the moisture in there, because there is nothing
worse than tasting a piece of dry brisket. I have cooked brisket a
lot at contests, and there are ways to keep it moist. But that's
something that is the most difficult part for the judge to determine, if
that piece of meat is dried out.
[0:05:10] If there are any problems at the judging table, for example, if you
see something come in that you're not sure about, you call the
Table Captain over and ask the Table Captain for an opinion. The
Table Captain will make the decision. Or, if he or she cannot make the
decision on a particular entry, they will get a hold of the head judge,
whoever is working that area. Usually the head judge is a KCBS
Representative that is in the area and who will make the decision as
such. Now, if the Table Captain sees an entry come in, and it
isn't right, or perhaps there is something in there that shouldn't be in
there, they can make the decision at that time and tell you how to judge
it.
[0:05:56] Table Captains are your head judge at your particular table.
They run that table. And if they see that you're not judging
properly, or they see that you're talking, or they see that you're
motioning or giving some sort of an expression to another judge
at that table, while you're judging a particular entry, they will call
you down on it, because after all, as I said earlier, we want your
opinion and your opinion only.
[0:06:28] Stop and think for a minute. When you look out here and see all
these contestants, no matter which contest you go to, but let's take
this contest for example: It costs them $400 just for an entry fee
to cook. Just for the entry fee. Not the transportation out
here. Not the meat that they bought.
[0:06:44] I do a lot of cooking myself, and I do contest cooking. And I
thought about coming out here to enter the contest. But when I
figured what it would cost me, and this is no kidding, I figured,
including the entry fee, driving out and getting back, and if I didn't
win anything, I was going to spend two grand. And I didn't think that
I could handle that right now.
[0:07:07] The number one pitfall of judging is eating too much when it comes
out there.
We require that the cook puts in - and this is something
to keep track of, because this is part of the judging procedure - we
require that the cook puts into the container a minimum of six
identifiable pieces of meat.
[0:07:29] Now that doesn't mean that four of them can be underneath something
and two showing on top, or vice versa. You have to look at that
container, and there has to be six.
[0:07:39] So one of the pitfalls is not
paying very much attention to that tray when it comes in. You look
at it and say, "Gee, that looks good. I'll give that a score
of so-and-so". (We're going to discuss scoring in a minute.)
[0:07:52] Besides eating too much, if there is more than six in there, is
thinking that your way of tasting meat and looking at it is the only
proper way to judge.
[0:08:02] I've heard many folks say, "I don't need to go to your judging
class. I've judged. I know what barbecue is."
Well, those are usually the ones who give trouble to the cooks, because
they didn't realize what was in that tray and how to judge it.
Knowing barbecue is usually knowing your taste but not knowing how to
judge everybody's food. And that's what is important because, here
again, we're here for the entire cooking crew.
[0:08:36] (I have to cut this down down because of time, so I'm skipping around
a little bit.).
[0:08:38] How do we judge, as far as scoring is concerned?
The scoring system is from 9 (Excellent), 5 (Average),
to 2 (Bad). All numbers between two and nine may be used to score an
entry. A score of one (1) is a disqualification and requires approval by
a Contest Rep. See
John
Ross' comments on the new scoring system.
[0:09:08] When you look at a container, the first thing you are going to do is
judge it for appearance. That is going to be the first item.
Now the Table Captain is going to bring a certain number of trays to the
table. On this particular day, we may only have a couple, but if
you were judging a real contest, you would have six trays on that
table.
[0:09:28] The Table Captain will open one tray at a time, get you to
look at it for appearance, and you mark your score down. They
close the lid. Then they open the next tray. And so
forth. And you judge. We want your honest opinion, the way
you see it, when it comes to the table.
[0:09:50] You cannot change your score by erasing. Even though you have
erasers today, you do not erase.
[0:09:55] On your scorecard, if you had to
change your score, only by an accident, because of the way that you
marked it down in the wrong column, you would draw a line through
it. And then again, you can only score up. You cannot score
down.
[0:10:12] But we want you to be accurate when you score, so you put that score
in there the way you feel it should be, and in the right column.
And we're going to go through score sheets before this is over this
morning, before you get the food and start judging. You're going
to be judging all four categories today.
[0:10:31] When it comes to the table and they open that container and you look
at it, remember that this is a meat contest. You are judging the
meat. If that meat looks so appetizing and looks so mouth-watering
that you cannot wait to get into it, that to me would be a nine.
But if it looks like it was just thrown into the container in no special
order, arranged very sloppily, and you were out at a restaurant,
you'd say "Gee, I've heard so much about this place. They
don't care how they present it," then that way, you would judge
down accordingly. Because if there is no care taken, then
presentation doesn't mean too much, does it?
[0:11:10] So it is in the eye of the beholder, as far as presentation is
concerned.
[0:11:15] Another part about presentation is, we use and allow only leaves -
leaves - of green leaf lettuce. "Leafy lettuce" or
"green leaf lettuce", as it is so called at the grocery store,
is really the best type to use. But if they want to use head
lettuce, there is nothing wrong with that, because it is in the lettuce
family. They can use "Boston Bib" which is a small head
lettuce. But that is all they can use, is in the lettuce
family. No kale, no cabbage, and so forth.
[0:11:50] The only other item we allow in the container is, besides green leaf
lettuce, they can put and/or curly leaf parsley. No flat leaf
parsley. Only curly leaf. Any of those items.
[0:12:00] They cannot use red-tipped lettuce. So this is all on appearance now,
so keep this in mind.
[0:12:10] So when a container is opened and it has anything in it other than
that, they are disqualified and get a 1 in appearance. A 1 in
appearance. It could be red-tipped lettuce. It could be
toothpicks, which we do not allow. It could be foil, which we do
not allow. It could be stuffing of some sort, which we do not
allow. That would all give them a 1. So in appearance they
would be disqualified.
[0:12:45] [If the meat is served with sauce on it, they] want you to judge it
with sauce on it. They may brush the entire piece of meat.
[0:12:52] But if there is so much sauce on that meat that you cannot taste the
meat, you can only taste the sauce, what are you going to do? You
are going to judge down, in your opinion, to whatever you feel it should
be. Because here again, this is a meat contest, not a sauce
contest.
[0:13:05] We've had a stalk of green leaf lettuce and you just cut it off at
the base, and you have a little core down there. Well, they would
hollow it out, because they didn't have containers, and they'd pour a
sauce in there and stick it in there and think they'd get by with
it. That's puddling with cups of sauce in it. You don't do that.
[0:13:25] [Sometimes an entry] is marked. Sometimes I confuse
people with this. But it has been known for some cooks to mark
trays (or containers) when they know they have some friends of theirs
out there judging. And they hope that tray gets to that particular
table. But if you see a bunch of fingerprints in that container,
or if you see an X marked somewhere in the container with a fingernail,
or if you see a little corner, maybe tampered or broken off, check with
the Table Captain.
[0:13:54] Or maybe they have a design on the meat with their
sauce. If that's a design in there that's real evident, make sure
you check with your Table Captain. The Table Captain may even have
to check with one of the Reps of KCBS, because it has been known to
design a certain little way of presenting the meat. Some people
will roll up their brisket and put parsley in it to make little flowers.
That's a no-no, because that can be interpreted as a mark. You
know, it may not be for that particular cook, who may have nothing in
mind. But, to the judges out there, that to me would signify that
somebody is trying to say something to someone, because the majority of
cooks don't do it that way.
[0:14:40] Presentation. So if you're in doubt when it
comes to presenting that particular item for scoring, talk to your Table
Captain. It takes a little clarification and a little studying
that particular piece of meat to get it through.
[0:14:55] At the American Royal this year we had like 324
teams. Two of them were disqualified for doing the wrong
thing. One was not disqualified. The Table Captain brought -
I happened to be working in that area - the Table Captain brought the
product to me, thinking that it was pork loin or tenderloin. And
it really wasn't. It was very evident that it was pork
shoulder. You could tell by some of the muscles in there. So we didn't disqualify them. But these things happen.
[0:15:22] That shouldn't stop you from being artistic, now. It's the things that stand out, that are so different from
anybody else.
[0:15:30] Alright, let's talk about the ribs. The ribs
come in on the side, or the ribs came in all flat, or the ribs came in
laying flat, like they were cut off the bone, and maybe one or two were
on the side. That's fine. Nothing is wrong with any one of
those three presentations.
[0:15:49] Some folks like to cut the ribs off, as they come off
the bone, and lay them nice and neatly in the container, and that's as
far as it goes. Then you have the team that may do it that way
but, in addition to that, turn one rib on its side, or maybe two ribs on
its side. Now, what are they doing this for? They're doing
it for you to see how they were cooked and how they look laying out
flat. But they want you to see that pinkness in the rib, as the
way the smoke penetrated it.
[0:16:20] Now when you see pink, folks, I'm sure most of you
here realize that it's smoked meat. But when you see pink, it is
done. It is not raw. And you'd be surprised - sometimes we
get strange judges, especially someone who says, "Well, I know
barbecue," and then judge it down because they saw a pink rib. I hope
that it's pink, because that shows a good smoking process.
[0:16:44] Now they may glaze that rib with sauce, or they may
not. But as long as you can taste the meat, that's all that
matters.
[0:16:53] Now another thing that you may see in presentation is
when chicken comes in.
[0:17:00] Here is where we may run into a little
problem sometimes, in convincing a cook that there must be six identifiable pieces
in the container.
[0:17:14] I've seen
cooks take half a chicken, lay it in the container, lift up the skin,
cut the breast portion only into six pieces, lay the skin back over it,
put it into the container, because it looks nice as a half a chicken.
[0:17:29] Well remember, you as a judge cannot touch that meat
to turn it, to look at it, or even smell it, until it gets on your
judging plate (which you will have today to put the meat on).
[0:17:45] Cut the breast into six pieces and put the skin back
over it: what would you score it as, on appearance?
Anybody? What would you score it as? One.
Absolutely. Because what did I say? There must be six
identifiable pieces in that container.
[0:18:01] Put half a chicken breast in there, or a whole
chicken - or rather, half a chicken. And then they'll take that
other half of chicken and cut it into six pieces - maybe a thigh, a leg,
a breast cut up, a wing, and so forth. That's fine. But if
they put two chicken breasts in and didn't cut them, what happens?
They get a 1.
[0:18:23] Sometimes they'll turn a - and this is where you find
it a lot of times, in the thigh or in the leg. When you look at
it, it's usually not too evident until you go to pick it up, taste it,
and touch it. You see a lot of redness around the bone. If
the juice is running clear, and when you touch it, it is not bloody,
that chicken is done. The characteristic of smoked chicken is to
get all this redness and darkness around the bone.
[0:18:50] Now I heard a story one time, where a man - in fact a
commercial individual who sells chicken and emphasizes fresh chicken -
he told me that fresh chicken won't do it. It's only frozen
chickens. I've found out that fresh chicken does it too.
Whether the cook is cooking fresh chicken or frozen chicken, it still
has the characteristic of giving you the bloodiness or the blood factor
around the bone.
[0:19:13] And if there are legs in there - you know what
happens too, when there's chicken, you know, there are six of you at a
table, and there may be a chicken breast cut up into six pieces.
There may be two legs in there, and there may be a wing, there may be a
couple of thighs. Well, the reason the cook is doing that is,
number one, there are folks that just like dark meat. And there are
folks that like white meat. So he's giving you a choice. And
you judge what you taste.
[0:19:40] When that tray comes to the table, and there are not
six pieces of meat in that container, the guy sitting next to you, who's
got a dirty old pocket knife, cannot cut it up and hand you any.
That's out. We used to see that happen. Believe me. We
don't want the judge sitting next to you to handle it. I wouldn't
want him to handle anything I have. You just hope that the cook
out there was very careful and very clean, and the cleanliness that he
presents around the area was represented in the tray.
[0:20:13] [There is nothing wrong if you want] to try both the
dark and the light. Judge it as such. Make your
comparison. Make your determination. Okay?
[0:20:24] Now let's talk about looking at pork for a
minute. Remember that you are getting the shoulder or the pork
butt.
[0:20:32] And it can be sliced. In the Midwest, and I'm sure
there are people here from the Midwest, the pork has a tendency to
be sliced more than pulled. Down south, they pull it more than
slice it. To me, there's nothing better than fresh cooked pulled
pork. It just has a different taste than anything
else.
[0:20:50] And I know once around the Kansas City area, where we
originated with this barbecue society and our cooks are . . . .
[0:20:53] But now it's getting to the point where we will maybe just straight pull
it. We may pull it and slice it. We may pull it, slice it,
and chop it. And if you'd like to taste all three, do so.
Make an evaluation when that tray comes in, because I'm sure you're
going to see some of that here, if any of you happen to be judging
tomorrow.
[0:21:21] When you're judging pork, because, when it's sliced,
you're going to judge it for its flavor, its taste. There's going
to be bark put in the container. Do you all of you know what bark
is, on a piece of pork? Anybody that doesn't know what bark
is? Good, because that's the best part of it. That's where
all the flavor is, with the seasoning. When you mix that in with the rest of it you've
got a good piece of pork. You don't want a big piece of fat
or chunk of fat in your mouth. So, these are the things when
you're judging pork.
[0:21:48] Now, what about brisket, when you're judging brisket?
[0:21:52] It's going to come in sliced. 99% of the brisket
that comes into you is going to be sliced.
[0:22:00] In that sliced container, there may be some burnt ends. As I mentioned earlier,
the best burnt ends come from the point end of the brisket. There
are some folks and teams that cook only the point end for burnt ends,
because they feel that there is no such thing as a good burnt end on a
flat.
[0:22:18] But the flat is what is turned in as far as the meat is
concerned for you to judge. When a brisket is turned in, it is usually
sliced. And you're judging it, you take a slice out of the container and lay it on your
judging plate. Now, how do you judge it, as far as tenderness is
concerned?
One of the easy ways to do is, when you pick it up with both hands, if
you can pull on it very slightly, and if it comes apart easily without
having to tug, without it crumbling in your hand, then that's probably a pretty good piece of brisket. But if
you have to stand there and tug on it and it snaps back at you, that's pretty tough.
[0:22:55] Now, what they'll do a lot of times, and you must
keep this in consideration and in your mind: the thinner the
brisket is sliced, usually is the more tender it is - rather, the more
tough it is, I should say. Because, they want you to
try that brisket without thinking that it's too tough. The thicker
it is, usually it's well done. It's real tender. They want
it to stay together until it gets into your hands.
[0:23:20] But then again, pork and brisket can be overcooked. And this
is something you must determine when you're tasting it.
[0:23:25] Now, how
do you determine whether it is overcooked or not? One of the easiest ways that I feel
- now this is my opinion, and I've had others agree with me. I've
had some do it a different way. But I'll take a bite of brisket or
a piece if it crumbles, and put it in my mouth and take my tongue and
press it up against the back of my front teeth. Or the roof of my
mouth. And if it dissolves,
it's overcooked. There's no texture left to it.
[0:23:55] And
especially pork, the same way. If it's properly cooked, it won't do it. It'll
come apart. It'll have texture to it. But it will be
extremely tender.
[0:24:04] Because I like to be able to pick it up, a rib.
I like to be able to pick it
up. And this is something, I'll be honest with you. I've
been doing contests and working the barbecue for almost eleven years
now. But I am a certified Memphis in May judge. And I learned something from those
folks about pork, because they cooked pork long before we did - and
emphasizing it. Like when judging ribs, that when you take a rib
and put it in your mouth and bite on it, it should come off the bone
very easily right where you bit, very easy, very tender. You
should not have to tug. And then the bone should dry white, almost
immediately, where you bit. That is a properly cooked rib.
If the meat comes off the bone and slides off, that is overcooked.
It's so tender, it just slides right off of it. There's nothing to
hold it. And you know, in my travels around the country to verify
this especially down there in the Memphis in May territory, all the
cooks will say, "That's right, That's the way we cook
it." Anybody here disagree with that?
[0:25:04] Presentation. What we look for in taste and
tenderness.
[0:25:08] Taste - I can't tell you how to taste it.
That's your ballgame right there. But what we want you to do is be
fair, when you taste. There are some folks that cook out there
that cook extremely sweet. There are some that cook spicy.
There are some that have a tendency to cook it a little too hot, which I
say is a disadvantage in a contest, because spiciness can irritate your
tongue and your tasting palate, so the next item that comes in you
cannot really justify giving it a true taste. So most of the cooks
stay away from that, although you do find one once in a while that'll do
it. But some cooks, as I say, cook sweet. Some cook less
sweet. Some cook spicy. Some cook right down the middle of
the road.
[0:25:54] So it's up to you what's you're going to do when you
score. Like, for example, when that food it taken out of the
container, when the Table Captain says, "Okay, we're going to take
it out of the container. We're going to place it on our judging
plate." We want you to take that one second, regardless of
which one you judge, you're going to have five, in a regular contest, or
six samples out there. Today, you may have two or three, I'm not
sure what they have here. But look at it. The one you want
to judge first, that's your opinion. Usually, we like to start at
number one and go through. If that's it, at the top left hand
corner. But there's nothing that says that you can't start at the
last one first. If it looks more appetizing to you and you want to
do it. It may look more appetizing, but you go to bite into it,
you're going, "Gosh, what's wrong with this thing." You
know. So, it doesn't matter where to start.
[0:26:39] But where you do start, taste that item for taste and
tenderness, and mark it on the scorecard. Forget about it, and go
to the next one.
[0:26:46] And you use the scorecard to mark it on, not a little
piece of paper tucked under your judging plate and say, "Well, I'm
going to give this, I think, this, and I'm going to give this, I think,
this. And this. And wait till I'm finished, and then I'll
put them on the scorecard." That's comparing. We don't
do that. I've seen it done, and, if I catch it, I correct
it. And if the judge doesn't like it, we replace the judge.
Because we do not want comparing.
[0:27:08] Yes, ma'am. [Question from the audience:
"Can you require a
palate clearer between samples?"] Yes. We have water, and we have crackers and so
forth.
[0:27:21] We do not allow smoking. And thank you for
bringing that up. I'm trying to make this class a little shorter,
to cover the main things, because of the time we have. We do not
allow smoking.
[0:27:25] No alcoholic beverages whatsoever in the judging
area. We prefer that you do not even have soft drinks, because of
the sweetness. They could change it.
[0:27:35] [It has happened.] It's not based on a lot of
times. But there are times when we've walked into the judging
area, and the judges are all placed. There's a judge sitting there
that reeks the smell of alcohol to no end. We will ask that judge
to leave.
[0:27:50] [Showing where the team numbers are entered on the
scorecards and judging plates, entering each number on the scorecard and
again on the judging plate, beginning with the first number read by the
table captain] . . . and so on down the line. And it would
correspond with the squares on your judging plate. So you always
want to make sure that you're scorecard, regardless of which one you're
using, corresponds with your judging plate. [Demonstrates]
Alright. One, one. Two, two. Three, three. One,
two, three, and so forth.
[0:28:13] One thing about all the judging cards is, we want you
to put the judging table number down. And by the way, on this
card, it says judging table down, it's goes down here at the
bottom. If you do...
[0:28:27] On the scantron card, let me point out one thing
about this, folks. On the scantron card, there has to be three of
these little digits filled in. So you'll always be done with it,
numbered three. Now on table number one, I would write
"1-0-1". Fill in, "1-0-1". On table
number two, I would go, "2-0-2". On table number three,
"3-0-3". Four, "4-0-4". As long as
there's three digits filled in. That's the way we'll do it right
now.
[0:29:00] Start at the left hand hand corner of the table, the
way I'm facing, judge number 1, [indicating] judge 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
1,2,3,4,5,6. Clockwise.
[0:29:14] The reason that we assign you numbers and table
numbers is the fact that, when the Table Captain collects these cards,
they look at them to make sure that they are properly done. And
your number will indicate who you are, if you do not fill it out
properly. Now let's say that the Table Captain missed it, and
Angie gets it back there to run it in the computer, and all of a sudden
she says where is this, table number five, and there's no score for
taste, and it's judge number 3. She's going to call the Table
Captain out. The Table Captain is going to go back to that
table. We hope that you can remember what that score was.
But that's the reason we have to keep track of who you are and where
you're sitting.
[0:29:49] Like I just saw one, like zero, for example, and it
was a dot on one side of the zero, and a dot on the other. The
line should be completely through. Okay?
[0:30:00] [On the scantron] card only. And this is a
scantron card. On the scantron card only, there must always be
three blocks filled in on the entire six spaces. So, if you do not
have a tray for number six, or you would not have a tray for number
five, you would fill in "0-0-0-0-0-0". This is the only
time you ever use a zero in our scoring system. is if there isn't
anything there.
[0:30:32] [Holding up the manual scorecard] If you happen
to be working with this card at a contest and only four trays come to
your table, the other two blocks, you don't have to worry about.
These are manually read.
[0:30:46] [Holding up the scantron card] This is computer
read. And the computer is set up to read six scores off of this
card.
[0:30:52] The first thing you're always going to do is mark the
category, the next thing you're going to do is mark the table number,
then the judge's number, and then, as the table captain presents the
tray, you will mark in the tray number. Until the table captain
gives you the instructions to start judging.
[0:31:10 Your first entry is going to be chicken. Normally, it
is ribs, chicken, pork and brisket. But . . .
[0:31:22] And I told you how to judge appearance. What to
look for. I told you how to taste it, that's your opinion.
How to choose it for tenderness. And regardless of what you feel
the one that you just judged scored - it could have been all nines -
does not mean that you cannot give nines to the next tray. Give
that tray, that container, for what you feel it deserves, not what you
gave the previous one, because that has no bearing on it
whatsoever. You know, "when I get that first tray, it looks
great, but I don't want to give that a 9 the first time, because the
next one come in might be a 9. Maybe I'll give this one an
eight." That is wrong. If you think it's a nine, then
give it a nine. Don't worry about the next one. The next one
may be 4 and 5s, instead of another 9. So whatever it deserves is
what I want you to give it.
[0:32:25] I'm going to evaluate it. Usually, what happens
in a class like this, and always has, that the first time we judge an
item, there is 4 to 5 points difference on a table amongst judges
When we finish, there's not more than two, on the last item.
Because you've understood, from with each other, and by working
together, what judging is all about. And we kind of oversee it, to
help and guide you, because we can't tell you what you should put
there. We tell you what criteria to use to score that particular
category, which I've already covered with you.
[0:33:00] On pork and brisket, we may take the whole class together,
because we do not put those in trays. We will let you see it, when
we give you pieces to judge, only to cut down time. But poultry
and ribs will be in a container.
[0:33:15] If you'll turn to page 6 in the program.
Normally, I'd have you read this with me, but I'll read it for
you. And if you disagree in any part, raise your hand.
[0:33:33] Number one. This is your code of conduct, that
we hope you will follow throughout your judging career, judging with
KCBS. And number one states:
[1.] I will treat table captains, other judges, contest officials,
contestants, KCBS officials and the general public with respect and
will - by my conduct - bring honor to the KCBS and the office of
Certified Judge.
[2.] I will not consume alcohol or other mind-altering
substances prior to or during judging.
[3.] I will judge each entry on its own merits . . .
and that's what I've tried to emphasize with you today. Very
important.
. . . on its own merits in keeping with KCBS standards, starting as
if each entry was a 9.
[0:34:18] So when that tray comes into you, before it's ever
opened, it's a 9. Remember that. It's up to you to determine
where it goes from there. Number four:
[4.] I will remain silent and maintain a neutral body language while I
and others at my table are judging. Only after all judging
ballots are completed and given to the table captain will I discuss
the entries just judged if I or others choose to do so.
[0:34:46] And that's what we're going to do today.
Critique. Now at a regular contest, when all the scorecards are
pulled in by the table captain, and you're waiting for the next entry,
discuss the entry that you just judged all you want. It
helps. It's a critique amongst yourselves at that time. And
it's very beneficial.
[0:35:04] Number five:
[5.] I will be true to my own taste and will not attempt to impose my
personal taste [or] preferences on other judges.
[0:35:14] And
I understand that strict adherence to the Code of Conduct is
necessary to maintain my certification and to qualify me for judging
in KCBS-Sanctioned contests.
[0:35:22] You all agree to that? If you do, I would like
you to print your name, where it says Certified Judge and ask the table
captain or table captains to sign their names to the right. And if
you'd like any other KCBS Official to sign this book, when we're
through, we can do it. But the table captain will sign them
first. We'd prefer that you do it in ink.
[0:35:43] Repeat after me:
I do solemnly swear to objectively and
subjectively evaluate each barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes,
my nose and my palate. I accept my duty to be an official KCBS Certified Barbecue Judge, so
that truth, justice, excellence in barbeque and the American way of
life may be strengthened and preserved forever.
[0:36:33] You're now all certified.
[0:36:37] If you judge 30 contests in
fives years or are constantly judging within a five-year period, you
will get a Master's Certification.
[0:36:46] The thing I would like to mention and that you must keep in mind:
those scantron cards are not bibs. They're not napkins.
They're not to wipe your lips with. If you get barbecue sauce on
those things, you get fingerprints all over them, and they will not read
them. So when you're judging, make sure that they are kept clear
from fingers. We have napkins up here. The table captains
will get them for you. Keep your fingers clean before you mark on
them, and the table captain will tell you what to mark on your scantron
card as you get started.
[0:37:20] [Film of class judging entries,
including containers, scantron cards, computer input, trophies, etc.]
[0:38:25] There is a group here, and they
happen to be in the Kansas City group area, that they were told that, if
you ever see grill marks, you should judge down.
[0:38:35] Well, I don't buy that a hundred percent, and I'll tell you why. A lot of folks will
smoke chicken, and they don't feel that the skin is quite dark
enough. And they will put it more in a different smoker or one
that you could say grill marks, and they'll get the heat up. And,
maybe on the bottom side of that piece of chicken, there might be grill
marks. But, unless it looks like it's been grilled completely, I
see no reason to judge down for that.
[0:39:05] And another reason is that,
when you judge, if you see grill marks, that would come under
appearance. You've already judged it for appearance. You
can't change it.
[0:39:19] Now another thing that was
mentioned by a gentleman here, and he happens to be out of the Memphis
area. It's something we do when we're judging Memphis in May
style. He brought it up. And I think it's something I had
not quite thought about, but I think it's a good little thought to put
into your mind. In Memphis in May judging, when you judge on site,
they like the judges, after it's over, to go back and talk to that
particular team and tell them why you judged them the way you did.
Because it helps the team to remember what they've done, either good or
bad.
[0:39:55] His thought was, when you're judging here, why not just keep
it in your mind that you may meet that team somehow. And you'd
like to know how to explain to that team why you judged it the way you
did. So it's just a little thought you can put in your mind to help you
judge. So that, if you had to confront that team, you'd say,
"Why did you give them a 3? Why did you give them a 3?"
"I gave you an 8. Why did I give you an 8 instead of a 9?"
[0:40:15] It's just a little thought. In Memphis in May you have to go out and do this.
[0:40:25] I've seen some 1s and 2s and some 3s
and 4s. And I'm wondering whether or not you all understand the
scoring system. Remember, everything is a 9, folks. The only
time you use a 1 is on disqualification. There was no tray that
came out on this group that had to be disqualified.
[0:40:48] One thing they shouldn't do is
take ribs from three different slabs of ribs or two different slabs of
ribs and put them into a container to get the good looking ones.
[0:40:55] Remember, unless it came from
the same hog, it can have different tastes no matter what you do to
it. And you can only hurt yourself by mixing up the types of meat
or where the meat came from that you put into the container. Now,
that refers to the cook only.
[0:41:10] Because every time a judge gets
it. You know, he may or she may judge it differently than what you
think it should be. And somebody else on the table got a different
rib or a different piece of chicken and judged it high.
[0:41:22] What we'll do a lot of times,
we will print out the judges scores, especially in the smaller contests,
and let the cooks see how the judges judged them.
[0:41:28] And they'll look at it and say,
"Gee, these three judges gave me 9s, and the other judge gave me a
6, and one gave me a 5. What's going on here? That judge
didn't know anything."
[0:41:35] But yet you come to find out
they didn't use the same type of meat throughout the container.
You hear that a lot of times. Not always. But a lots of
times. Okay?
[0:41:47] [Question from the audience
(paraphrasing the unintelligible: "Is it okay to take a bite
and chew it but not swallow it, or would I be missing something?]
Yes, I would say they're missing something. And if you're worried
about the fat content, you know, because of your diet, one little bite
is not going to put on any weight.
[0:42:02] Nothing personal. And is
there anybody - like husbands and wives, too - we try to watch it.
There's too much conversation. In a regular contest, you would not
sit together anyway. We'd make sure of that. No girlfriends,
boyfriends; boyfriends, boyfriends; girlfriends,
girlfriends. Any of that stuff.
[0:42:23] Another thing I'd like to point
out - if I can have your attention, please - is when you're
scoring. Now 9, again, is your highest. 1 is
disqualification. But I'll just tell you this much now, that anything
below a 7 on the scorecard, that cook doesn't stand a chance. So,
if you don't want to . . . . Remember, we pass out score sheets by each
judge at most contests. We print them out of the computer, so they
see how the judges were.
[0:42:55] If you really don't want to
insult the cook, and you feel that, you know, it was so-so, don't
bring the score down so darn low that it's an insult to them.
Because, he's going to lose anyway with a 6 or a 5, sometimes even with
a 7. And that doesn't mean you have to give everybody 8s and
everybody 9s. I want you to be honest.
[0:43:20] But before you give it a 2, I
would think about giving it a 5. I mean, that way, by giving it 5s
or 6s, the guy can look at it, or the girl can look at it, and say,
"Maybe it was appearance. Well, gee, I'd better spruce up my
appearance. I'm getting knocked down for that." Another
way they could look at it and say, "Well, gee, that's not so
bad. I just need to do a little more work."
[0:43:40] Where if it's a 2 in there,
they say, "What is wrong with that judge. I know darn well I
did better than that. I think they'd better do something about
these judges, you know. These judges don't know what they're
doing."
[0:43:48] So, if it isn't that bad that
you have to give it a 2 or 3, in my mind . . . . [unfinished sentence,
that would have ended: "give it a 5 or a 6, so you don't
insult the cook."]
[0:44:00] [More film of judging process]
[0:44:17] There have been times where certified judges have gone
to a contest and said, "Hey, I need to judge. I'm
certified." Because you're certified does not give you
the privilege of going into a contest and having to have to be a
judge. Because, if they've already selected their
judges, it is up to them. Now, if they want you, they'll tell you.
[0:44:40] But my suggestion to all of you are this. That,
if you're a member of KCBS, you will always get that newspaper stating
where all the contests are. And you can always look it up.
Call the contest director or the number referenced in the paper for that particular
contest. Tell them you are a certified judge with KCBS, and you'd like to judge at the contest, if they
have an opening. But because you're certified, don't
go in there and say, "Hey, I'm certified. I need to
judge." Please.
[0:45:20] [Film of teams preparing their containers for
turn-in.]
[0:45:41] You know, I told you what's allowed and what is not
allowed. You have to look. You have to study. Now, in
the case of the cilantro, it's a disqualification in
appearance. I know a couple of table captains didn't catch
it. You need to look at the trays very closely when they come in
to see whether or not there's something in there that's not
permitted. Like, for example, cilantro was missed by at least 50%
of you.
[0:46:10] That doesn't mean you have to sit there and
study. But we want you to look at the trays when they come in,
number one, for the type of greens that's in it, the number of pieces
of meat that are in it.
[0:46:22] If, for example, there are only five pieces of meat
in a container, you judge it what on appearance? 1. Alright,
if that one judge does not get a piece of meat, because there was only
5 pieces in the container, what does that one judge judge it on taste
and tenderness, that did not get it? 1. Absolutely. If
you do not get to judge, you give it 1's straight across the
board. And remember, the only time you use a zero is on the
scantron card, if you do not have a tray to score. Other than
that, there is never anything lower than a 1. A 1 is
disqualification.
[0:47:08] What if you're judging pork, for example? Now,
one of the things that you want to take into consideration when you're
judging pork is also the amount of grease that's left in it. Good
smoked pork is cooked very slowly, and the grease is rendered out of
it. So it's nice and moist, but yet it is not
greasy.
[0:47:26] Someone asked about the thickness of the brisket
here. "Do you slice yours that thick?" And I said,
"No, not normally. But the thickness is based on the
tenderness of the brisket: whether or not it will stay together in
the container. And that's what it's all based on. However,
some of this was cut thick in order just to cut it, get it out here, and
give you a good piece of brisket to work on.
[0:47:49] As I mentioned before, you will get your certificate
and your name badge in approximately six weeks. Have a good
weekend.
[0:47:55] [Closing credit: MBF Productions, Atlanta. 1997. All
rights reserved.]
[Note: MBF Productions, Suite 1404, 55 Marietta Street,
Atlanta, GA 30303. Phone (877) 639-3987] |
