I'm in the circuit, so to speak. I judged my first KCBS sanctioned event in Claremore, Oklahoma this weekend. There were about 50 competitors there to deal with lousy weather, but a well-known cook-off. Johnny Triggs was there, from the Pitmasters show and I couldn't help but introduce myself and chat about BBQ (he uses Head Country BBQ Sauce).
He didn't win, but the boys I hung out with at Stillwater and Enid did, Butcher BBQ - well done.
From the horses mouth I have to say that the food was awesome, sort of. The chicken and ribs I tasted were phenomenal, pork and brisket not so much. My table agreed and our scores (when compared after judging), were pretty consistent.
They take the judging very seriously. There's a formal introduction on CD first, reminding everyone of the rules, then we all stand and repeat the Oath. For each group of six judges, there's a table captain (who can also be the judge if they're short). This person has to be certified for the job. At 11:40am they bring in the first turn-ins, Chicken.
Cap'n then opens up one box at a time, informing us of the box number (so we don't know what team it is), and we then allowed to see each up close to judge appearance (no touching). After all boxes have been showed to us, the first is then brought back and each judge takes a piece. This process is repeated for each category.
No talking allowed, facial expressions muted, we then judge each portion and make notes on taste and texture. 2 is inedible, 9 is excellent - 1 is a disqualify. Basically, you're encouraged to be generous when in doubt. The simple way to look at each piece is to ask yourself if looking at makes your mouth water, and tasting it makes you want to eat it all day, then score high.
From wisdom at the table, I ate one to two small bites from each entry and by the time we were done, I was totally full and meat drunk (seriously, I felt like I'd been drinking). That's when they brought in the dessert to judge. Oy! We tasted two entries. One was a small, delicious butter cake with whipped cream that was a perfect end to the meat extravaganza. The other was a monstrous brownie and ice cream cocktail that was too much in every way. It was rich, copious and un-welcomed. Though one bite was delicious, the idea of twenty more....
In summary, the food was better than any I've ever had in a BBQ restaurant, even the stuff I didn't like (in comparison to the best, pretty good is a letdown). I only wish this standard of quality would be feasible to meet in a restaurant, but there's no way. These guys spend almost two days preparing enough food in each category to feed six people. Oh well. I'll have to save that energy for weddings, private parties and birthdays.
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