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Judging grilled chicken at a barbecue contestBy JOE O'CONNELL, cbbqa past President An anonymous cbbqa member who attended the Barbeque and Blues contest in Long Beach submitted a question that is so important that it should be aired and discussed here and on the mailing list. Comments from the mailing list will be updated to this note from time to time. (See the margin for information about joining the mailing list.) The member saw that another team did not barbecue its chicken but simply grilled and submitted it, and the member wanted to know whether this was legal. The member commented that he/she knew how to make really great grilled chicken. However, since this was a barbecue contest, not a grilling contest, the member had not even considered entering grilled chicken. In this note we consider only the question of a wholly-grilled chicken. Many cooks will barbecue their chicken for several hours and will then grill it over wood coals at a high temperature in order to tighten or crisp the skin and/or to add a little color or even a "pork-bark-like" finish. This is not the question here, however: here it is assumed that the team in question cooks the chicken only and quickly over the hot fire of wood coal. The KCBS ruleThis discussion begins with the 2003 KCBS Rules. Rule 3 defined barbecue as follows: "Barbecue is defined by the KCBS as uncured meat/fowl (or other as allowed), prepared on wood or charcoal fire, basted or not as the cook sees fit." Under this definition, if chicken is grilled by cooking it over wood or coals (not gas or electricity), then the 'grilled chicken' complies with the KCBS definition of barbecue. Nowhere in KCBS rules is there a requirement that chicken (or any other meat) be cooked 'low and slow'. Side issues -- Opinion by Joe O'ConnellA discussion of the grilled chicken issue can easily be diverted into a discussion of other issues, but this will be avoided here. Side issues which will not be discussed here include whether:
These and other issues are important and may be subject to discussion, but they will not be discussed in this note. This note is limited solely to the facts as they exist now and to the three separate issues that flow directly from the question. Three real issuesThe question raises three related questions, and each will be discussed. First, can KCBS judges (including both certified and uncertified judges) tell the difference (in appearance, taste and tenderness) between grilled chicken and barbecued chicken? Here the operative word is "can": do the judges have the ability to distinguish the two methods of preparing chicken over live coals: barbecue and grill. Second, assuming that KCBS judges can (are able to) identify a grilled chicken, should the judges make any deduction solely because the chicken is grilled? This focuses on the question of whether the judges should deduct, not whether they can tell the difference (the first question) or whether they will make a deduction (the third question). Third, assuming that KCBS judges can (are able to) identify a grilled chicken, and whether or not the judges should make a deduction, will judges make a deduction solely because the chicken is grilled? This focuses on the question of whether the judges will deduct, not whether they can tell the difference (the first question) or whether they should make a deduction (the second question). Each of these three questions will be discussed below. Ability of KCBS Judges to identify grilled chickenThere is no question that KCBS Judges, both certified and uncertified, both veteran and novice, have the ability to identify a grilled entry in appearance, taste and tenderness. This does not require any special talent. Because barbecue chicken looks and tastes so different from grilled chicken, any KCBS Judge will know immediately whether an entry has been barbecued or grilled. Of course, this assumes that both the barbecue chicken and the grilled chicken are perfectly cooked. Indeed, if there were a test that a person was required to pass in order to obtain KCBS certification, this should be an easy part for anyone to pass. On this first question, therefore, the answer is that the judges can tell quite easily whether or not a chicken entry has been prepared by grilling method rather than by the "low and slow" barbecue method. Should judges deduct for a grilled entryNext, the truly interesting issue is reached. Assuming that a team submits an entirely grilled chicken entry, and assuming that the entry is perfectly prepared and cooked, and assuming that each of the judges immediately recognizes the entry as being grilled, and assuming that each of the judges agrees that the appearance, taste and tenderness of the grilled entry rates 9s as a grilled chicken entry (emphasis added), will and/or should the judges make a deduction because the entry was not barbecued (in the "low and slow" definition) but was grilled? This discussion -- if it stays solely on the question of whether judges should deduct -- will likely find two groups at odds. The first group will that, even though the grilled chicken entry deserves to receive scores of all 9s in a grilling contest, there should be a major deduction for submitting the grilled entry in a barbecue contest. In other words, this group will argue that, in spite of the fact that grilled chicken does not violate KCBS Rules, grilled chicken is not barbecued chicken, no more than steamed ribs are barbecued ribs. Both are prepared in different cooking methods. Even though grilled chicken and steamed ribs may taste great, they are not barbecue. The second group will argue to the contrary and say that, since the chicken was prepared under the KCBS definition of barbecue, it would be improper for any judge to make a deduction for the sole reason that the chicken was grilled. This group would liken this to the discussion of whether a judge, who is sampling a perfectly barbecued spare rib, may make a deduction (of course, the judge can -- has the power to -- make the deduction, but the question is whether it is proper for the judge to make the deduction) if the judge happens to prefer back ribs rather than spares. This group will argue that judges should make no deduction that is not permitted under the KCBS Rules and that, since the grilled chicken rates 9s in appearance, taste and tenderness as perfectly grilled chicken, then the judges must fairly award the grilled chicken with all 9s. The first group will point out that, if the second group's interpretation is correct, then barbecue contests will turn into grilling contests. The first group will argue that, if judges should not deduct anything for a perfectly grilled chicken entry, then teams will grill rather than barbecue their chicken. All cooks know that grilled chicken is much easier to prepare perfectly than barbecued chicken. Too many things can go wrong with barbecued chicken that can be avoided with grilling it. To this, the second group will respond: "Fine. If KCBS doesn't want barbecue contests to become grilling contests, then KCBS cannot simply permit their judges to ignore the rules by deducting points for perfectly grilled chicken. Instead, KCBS must first change the rules. But until it does so, the rules are the rules, and judges have to follow them. Under the current rules, grilling chicken over wood coals is within the definition of barbecue. Therefore, if it is improper for a judge to score down a perfectly barbecued spare rib simply because the judge prefers barbecued back ribs, then for exactly the same reason it is improper for a judge to score down a perfectly "barbecued" grilled chicken (KCBS definition of barbecue) simply because the judge prefers a traditionally-barbecued chicken." This question is sure to engender some interesting comments and debate. Will the judges deduct for a grilled entryFinally, another interesting issue is reached. For the purpose of this discussion, assume all of the following are true:
assuming these five points to be true, will the KCBS Judges award all 9s or will they make a deduction? Like the previous question, this question is sure to engender some interesting comments and debate.
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