Judging a KCBS BBQ contest for the first time

Jim with trophyI've been competing in KCBS BBQ competitions for several years now, and got my CBJ (certified BBQ judge) a couple of years ago at a class in Nelsonville, Ohio. I've always chose the route of competing rather than judging, but I've wanted to sit on the other side of the table for a while now.

I just spoke with some of the folks at the Jim Dandy BBQ Cookoff. I'm on the list and they'll be expecting me to sign in the weekend of September 15th-16th.

I am both excited and apprehensive at the same time. It will be a great learning experience for me to hear the other judges while they're scoring the same BBQ that I am. I'm anxious to compare it to what I usually turn in and to see how, in my mind, it rates from my perspective.

I am apprehensive because there exists a love/hate relationship between competition BBQ teams and the judges that ultimately determine their fate. Much time, money and work is put into those 6 portions of BBQ that teams turn in for each of the 4 categories and judging them accordingly should be of utmost importance to the judge. It isn't something I will take lightly.

I thought it best to review the rules for judging, and make some mental notes for my trip to Cincinnati. Here are some snippets of the rules from the 2007 edition of the KCBS rulebook: Click here for the full set of official rules from the KCBS website.

KANSAS CITY BARBEQUE SOCIETY JUDGING PROCEDURES

KCBS sanctioning allows for blind judging only. Entries will be submitted in an approved KCBS numbered container provided by the contest organizer. The container may be re-numbered by the KCBS Contest Rep or authorized personnel before being presented to the judges.

Judges may not fraternize with teams on turn-in day until conclusion of judging. I have competed against at least 2 of the teams that will be at this contest, but I can honestly say that I've never tasted their BBQ. I consider them dear friends, and I will hopefully be able to spend some time socializing with them and all the teams competing that weekend. I do not consider this breaking the rules, and of course, I wouldn't want to have any special knowledge about what and how they turn in their boxes.

Judging will be done by a team of 6 persons, who are at least 16 years of age. (Only Judges, Contest Reps and necessary support staff are allowed in judging area during the judging process. No other activities are permitted in the judging area, during judging process. )

Each judge will first score all the samples for appearance of the meat.
The turn-in containers will then be passed around the table and each judge will place a sample from each of the containers in the appropriate box on the judging mat.
The judge will then score each entry for taste and tenderness/texture, before moving on to the next entry.

The scoring system is from 9 (Excellent) to 2 (Bad).
All whole numbers between two and nine may be used to score an entry. 6 is the starting point.

A score of one (1) is a disqualification and requires approval by a Contest Rep.

Grounds for disqualification:

Appearance: Unapproved garnish, sculptured meat, marked turn-in container, foreign object in container, less than 6 samples of meat or pooled sauce.

Taste & Tenderness: Sculptured meat, marked turn-in container, foreign object in container, or judges not receiving a sample.

The weighting factors for the point system are as follows:
APPEARANCE - 0.5714; TASTE - 2.2858; TENDERNESS/TEXTURE - 1.1428.

The low score will be thrown out. Results will be tallied. If there is a tie in one of the categories, it will be broken by the computer, as follows: The scores will be compared (counting all five judges) for the highest cumulative scores in taste, then tenderness, then appearance. If still tied, then the low score, which was thrown out, will be compared and the higher of the low scores will break the tie. If still tied, then a computer generated coin toss will be used.

Total points per entry will determine the Champion within each classification of meat.

Cumulative points for only the four (4) KCBS classifications will determine the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion (except the Dodge City, KS; BarbeQlossal; Tryon, NC, contests, or at the election of these organizers.)
Note: Areas above which are bolded are changes from the 2006 Rules and Regulations / Judging Procedures

I understand that all scoring should start with 6 and then go from there. 6 being average. If the entry is below average it will be score accordingly, and if it's better than average, of course a higher number will be assigned. I have to admit that I am not afraid to give out 8's and 9's. And much thought should be given for a 5 or less. Anything less than a 4 is probably almost inedible, or something terrible must have taken place from the time that captain assembled the box and the time it was turned in. I hope comment cards will be used and that we're encouraged to fill them out. I love receiving these from judges and I believe helps teams to understand the point of view from the judge.