Visitors at contests . . .

By JOE O'CONNELL, Past President

In California, across America, and around the world, organized teams compete in barbecue contests.  In these contests, visitors are welcome and it is a great way to get a good introduction to what barbecue is all about.

Judging

Some contests are conducted under the rules of the Kansas City Barbeque Society ("KCBS").  In such contests, certified barbecue judges in blind taste tests select the best barbecue in several categories, and the Grand Champion is the team which scores the most points in the “big four categories”:

• Chicken
• Pork Ribs
• Pork Shoulder
• Beef Brisket

Additional categories may also be contested, such as whole hog, mutton, sausage, seafood, tri-tip (which is very important in California) and sauce. 

Other barbecue contests are conducted under the rules of Memphis-in-May and the International Barbecue Cookers Association.  Those contests use different rules and criteria.

Competitors, judges, volunteers and visitors enjoy these contests, which usually start Friday evening and continue through Saturday afternoon or evening.  Everyone has fun, and the winners receive fame and the envy from their neighbors and co-workers.  (Winners also receive trophies and other great awards, like barbecue pits and even cash.)

Visitors

Visitors should feel free to talk to the teams, judges and other contest volunteers.  Visitors should introduce themselves to the teams, ask the cooks about their pits, the wood they are burning, how they prepare their meat (many use rubs, mops, and glazes), the cooking temperatures, and the like.  Cooks enjoy talking with visitors about barbecue.  Of course, they might not give them the recipe for their secret rub!

During contests, there are some important rules that everyone should follow.  Authentic barbecue samples, as well as other food and drink, is usually available for purchase at the event from licensed vendors for everyone to enjoy.  However, visitors should not ask a team for a BBQ sample, because Health Regulations may not permit it. 

Between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm, the teams and judges will be preparing their entries for judging.  During this period, visitors must not talk to the teams or judges.  Visitors are invited to silently watch the preparations and judging.  At most contests, the teams turn in their entries for judging at the following times:

The judging area is arranged with tables for a Table Captain and six judges.  Each judge will sample and score the entries of six different teams without knowing which entry came from which team.  The judges will be scoring each entry in three areas:

• Appearance
• Tenderness and Texture
• Taste

For each meat entry, each judge awards an Appearance, Taste and Tenderness score from 9 (perfect) to 1 (disqualified). 

While they are sampling the entries and entering their scores on their scorecards, the judges cannot talk, signal their impressions, or compare entries.  After the judges have turned in their score cards, they are free and encouraged to discuss and compare their scores and evaluations.  Of course, none of the judges will know which entry came from which team, until after the awards ceremony.

After the score cards are completed in each category, a contest official enters the scores into the computer, which tallies the results.  The winner are announced on-stage about 4:00 pm.

Barbecue 101