BBQ Contest Survey
November 2011
Dear BBQ Friend:
First of all, I hope everybody had a tasty smoked turkey for Thanksgiving and I wish you all a Happy Holiday Season.
Well, the BBQ Competition season is pretty much over except for a few co I am tinkering with the idea of starting a new BBQ Competition Series
with a more fair judging format. Basically, each meat category would be judged by the same set of judges. It's amazing that the major sanctioning bodies get as close as they do to "getting it right" when teams are judged
by different sets of judges with different tastes and different opinions as to what is good BBQ. But we all know that all too often a bad judge or two slips into a contest. Do you realize that just one or two judges at the
same table that give good BBQ low scores can ruin a whole week's worth of hard work for 24 teams? There's a lot of luck involved in today's competition BBQ!
Having said that, I have some questions I would like to ask you about what BBQ Competitions are going to look like in the
future. As always, your responses to this survey are 100% anonymous. I will also post the results on this website as soon as the
survey has ended on November 30th at midnight. I think the answers will be very interesting and will benefit everybody.
ntests in the warmer states like AL, FL, AZ, and
CA. All in all, I had a pretty good year with a couple 3rd overall close calls but that Grand seemed to elude me this year. I had many 1st place and other high category wins including a 180 in brisket. I took home a
paycheck in just about every contest I entered. The BBQ Judging was slightly worse than 2010 in my opinion. Some of my bad scores were well deserved due to cooking errors or "experimenting" with new stuff.
But some of my best cooks of the year scored very badly for no reason at all.
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Our book, Competition BBQ Secrets , makes a great Christmas Gift for all of your BBQ Friends along with a variety of thermometers that have all been hand selected for their ability to be used with slow smoking (you can set your own desired temperature with them all). And don't forget the rub! Our rub has won us many Grands and other 1st place awards over the years and has been tested in competition against the best in the World.
And... remember, you can send a Gift Certificate via email or print to your favorite BBQ lover!
The survey is now closed. Here's the results of the BBQ Contest Survey...
| 1. I am a (pick all that apply)... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 927 | ||
| skipped question | 0 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| Certified BBQ Judge |  | 28.2% | 261 |
| BBQ Contestant | | 47.6% | 441 |
| Backyarder only | | 51.5% | 477 |
| 2. I fully expect the economy to tank even further starting in late 2012. If the economy does get worse and you are a BBQ competitor, what are your plans?... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 582 | ||
| skipped question | 345 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| I plan on competing as normal | | 34.7% | 202 |
| I plan on competing in more competitions | | 9.1% | 53 |
| I plan on cutting back a little | | 48.6% | 283 |
| I plan on quitting altogether | | 7.6% | 44 |
| 3. If the economy does get worse, and you are a Backyarder only, what are your plans?... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 678 | ||
| skipped question | 249 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| I plan on BBQing as usual | | 84.8% | 575 |
| I plan on BBQing less often | | 13.9% | 94 |
| I will have to stop BBQing altogether | | 1.3% | 9 |
| 4. The economy may affect BBQ judging too. If the economy does get worse, and I am a certified BBQ judge, I will... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 373 | ||
| skipped question | 554 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| Continue judging as usual | | 41.3% | 154 |
| Cut back on judging and/or stay closer to home | | 42.9% | 160 |
| Increase the amount of judging I do | | 6.7% | 25 |
| I'll have to quit altogether | | 9.1% | 34 |
| 5. With respect to BBQ judging, I think it has... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 628 | ||
| skipped question | 299 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| Gotten better in 2011 as opposed to previous years | | 10.0% | 63 |
| Stayed about the same in 2011 as opposed to previous years | | 52.5% | 330 |
| Gotten worse in 2011 as opposed to previous years | | 37.4% | 235 |
| 6. If you are a BBQ Judge, do you get tired of seeing the same old BBQ as previous years?... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 365 | ||
| skipped question | 562 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| No. I will simply score it as it is presented. | | 62.7% | 229 |
| Yes. But I will still try to score it without prejudice | | 34.0% | 124 |
| Yes. I will probably score it down a little bit | | 3.3% | 12 |
| 7. If you are a BBQ Judge... it's no secret that a very sweet sauce has been working quite well in past years. Check the option that best describes you... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 368 | ||
| skipped question | 559 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| I am getting tired of the super sweet sauces and would score a less sweet sauce well. | | 9.8% | 36 |
| I prefer a sweet sauce and that is what I would give the highest scores to. | | 6.8% | 25 |
| I would like to see more purely savory sauces and I would score those well. | | 29.3% | 108 |
| I am looking for something unique no matter how sweet it is and I would score that well. | | 54.1% | 199 |
| 8. If a new contest or contest series with $10,000+ prize money were to come along that had a more fair judging format where the main feature would be that each meat would be judged by the same set of judges, would you be... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 725 | ||
| skipped question | 202 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| Highly interested in competing | | 53.8% | 390 |
| Just somewhat interested in competing | | 25.8% | 187 |
| Slightly interested in competing | | 13.5% | 98 |
| Definitely would not compete | | 6.9% | 50 |
| 9. Let's say the contest would be held in one location (maybe Savannah, GA). Pits would be available for you to use or you could bring your own pit. Meats would be provided for all teams and you could not use your own meats. You could fly or drive into the contest. What would you do?... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 721 | ||
| skipped question | 206 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| I would participate but bring my own pit. | | 28.3% | 204 |
| I would have no problem participating with the pit provided. | | 26.8% | 193 |
| I would not participate because it is too far to drive with my own pit. | | 11.0% | 79 |
| I would not participate simply because it is too far by car or plane with or without my own pit. | | 26.4% | 190 |
| I would not participate - just don't like the idea at all. | | 7.6% | 55 |
| 10. Now... if I still have your attention - how much would you be willing to pay in entry fees? Keep in mind that your meat would be provided and there would be a series of qualifying contests with about $10,000 total prize money in each. Then there would be a short series of "playoffs" with much higher prize moneys. Maybe even 6 figures going to the Grand Champion. Remember, your meat will be provided. I would... | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 672 | ||
| skipped question | 255 | ||
| Response Percent | Response Count | ||
| Pay between $200-$300 | | 41.4% | 278 |
| Pay between $300-$400 | | 29.6% | 199 |
| Pay between $400-$500 | | 19.5% | 131 |
| Pay between $500-$600 | | 6.1% | 41 |
| Pay between $600-$700 | | 1.5% | 10 |
| Pay more than $700 | | 1.9% | 13 |
Remember... to watch exactly how we cooked and won 8 Grand Championships in the last two years, go to
www.BarbecueCoach.com
Absolutely NO DETAILS LEFT OUT...
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Sincerely,
Bill Anderson
Chatham Artillery BBQ Team
Just click on the link below to go to our store...
The Rocky Mountain Products Southwest rub is what we are using this year. Many teams have already won a Grand with it. It's the best "all around" rub I have ever tried. Especially good on brisket. I hear it's even good on scrambled eggs!...
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Barbecue Recipes - Competition BBQ Secrets book. Learn how to slow smoke meats right... mouth watering ribs, chicken, butts, and brisket. Copyright (c) 2007-2012 Network 6000 Inc, All Rights Reserved
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