BBQ Judge Survey

                                                                                                                                  October 2009

Hello:

     Not much to report to you about the American Royal trip except we didn't win anything. With that many teams, they need a lot of judges, and... well, let's just say, they all have different tastes. Our chicken scores ranged from 9-9-8 to 6-7-7. Now, if any of you have seen our chicken turn-in boxes lately, you'll know that an appearance score of 6 is crazy out of wack. Ribs ranged from 8-9-9 to 7-8-8. Our pork also ranged from 9-9-8 to 6-7-7. Brisket from 9-9-9 to 6-7-7. I'm sorry, but if you score our brisket 6-7-7, something is seriously wrong with your taste buds. I think there was one judge that was just giving everybody 6-7-7's.

All in all, we had fun visiting with friends and meeting new friends. Even though we had to deal with...

• A brutal 1000+ mile drive one way to get there
• 40 mile an hour winds on Friday
• We all caught some kind of bug (luckily it was not H1N1)
• We didn't know about "the dark side" until Friday night. There was a party at the site next to us and the noise literally rocked our RV. Luckily that did not carry over to Saturday night. Whatever you do, don't get a site on "the dark side" at the American Royal unless you plan on doing more partying than competing.

Speaking of competing...

Click below to learn how we won 8 Grands in 2009-2010...

Now on to the BBQ Judge's Survey Results...

     The BBQ Judge's survey was a success with over 600 judges responding. Just a note about question 3... about 10 judges emailed me to say that I should have included "no garnish" as an option. So there are probably a lot of judges who would prefer to see no garnish in the turn-in boxes. I am mainly a KCBS competitor, so I was trying to get the opinions of BBQ judges with regards to judging KCBS contests. I think turning in a box with no garnish in KCBS would be suicidal, but I may be wrong. Most of the questions also pertain to FBA and other sanctioning bodies.

I even got an great email from "Famous Dave" Anderson...

Say Bill... this is Famous Dave!

I am a certified judge and have judged in many contests as well as competed in many contests over 35 years. I was very interested in your survey but felt that just giving us choices was not too fair... just like saying anyone rib is the best rib. I love all barbeque! Barbeque is like sex... it's all good!!! Your questions are about as meaningful as asking if you love blonds or brunettes. Do you love tall pretty girls or short pretty girls? I had to really laugh at one of your categories about whether "Whole thighs minimally trimmed but still looked good" OR... "Smaller, trimmed, better looking thighs!"

Barbeque is tough to judge... as I think all garnishes are appreciated if the contestant is talented in the use of garnishes. I have seen what appeared to be whole gardens in a contestants box and had to go digging through the bushes to find the meat! Personally I would prefer not to see garnishes at all as a really great ribber can do amazing things just with the meat and it is the meat that we are judging after all. I do think that if garnishes are going to be part of the presentation then there should actually be a garnishing award. This then separates out the task of judging garnishing versus judging the real skills of smoking and the quality of barbequed meats. Barbeque Contests are not florist conventions! As someone who has spent his whole life in the food business... I follow a very well accepted culinary discipline regarding garnishes... "if you can't eat it or if it is not used in the recipe... don't even think of putting it on the plate!"

Regarding sauce... again this is a tough question and it all depends on the quality of the smoked meat, a ribber's expertise in applying rubs, and the quality of a sauce. For me there isn't anything better than a rib right out of the smoker. However in the same breath I love a great rib with a great sauce that is running down to my elbows. There are times with the right smoked rib and the right great tasting sauce that I can't get enough of the stuff all over my face!

And to ask which sauce you prefer is almost insane. I have tasted very tasty sweet tomato based sauces that I would kill for. I have been in southern states where I have tasted really great spicy sauces that have no tomato or sweetness to them... much like a great southern texas style chili that is not sweet and tomato is forbidden...and I absolutely loved these sauces as well especially if the meat was smoked over mesquite or in certain parts of New Mexico where I have tasted some really great barbeque smoked with the fragrance of pinon. Then when I am in the Georgia... how can you say you don't absolutely love the smoky pulled pork slathered with a great mustard based sauce? or if you're in the Carolinas and you have a great vinegar basted smoky pork... ITS ALL GOOD... how can you in your right mind decide which one is better over the other?

Regarding brisket... I don't think it is fair to ask judges whether they prefer brisket or burnt ends. Two different categories. I think burnt ends should be a category all by itself. And asking if there should be a "smoke ring" is tantamount to asking if the Pope is Catholic. To me there is no barbeque if there no smoke ring. Wood is good. The ring is the thing!

When it comes to pulled or chopped pork, sauced or not sauced... again this is all personal taste depending on what part of the country you grew up in. I love a really great slow smoked no sauced pulled pork with some bark... just as much as enjoy chopped pork with no sauce with some bark. Then if the sauce is really tasty, spicy, and flavorful... I am just a apt to drown my pulled or chopped pork with the bark with this tasty nectar from the barbeque gods!

Bill... I think you asked some very difficult questions. I think if you had a panel of judges you could not get a consensus with everyone in agreement and it all comes down to one thing and one thing only... whether it is the ribs, loin backs, chicken, or pork... Does it taste good? If it tastes good. If is authentically smoked slow until tender. If the sauce is tasty whether it is mustardy, spiked with molasses, tomato or no tomato, spicy or sweet, tangy or zippy...  the only thing that matters is whether you feel like you have just tasted the best barbeque in the whole world and you will know that the moment these succulent morsels of barbeque heaven touch your lips!

I love'em all!!! (I suck at being a judge)

Snout-standingly Yours
"Famous Dave"

P.S. This evening I was out in my backyard playing around with a new sauce made with some fresh cranberries that are grown up near the original Famous Dave's in Hayward, Wisconsin and the natural tartness made a really great zippy sauce that made you think that Elvis was dancing on your tongue!

---

So just Click Here for the Results of the BBQ Judge Survey!

 

Click on the book cover to get "Competition BBQ Secrets" TODAY!...

Sincerely,
Bill Anderson
Chatham Artillery BBQ Team

And remember... Competition BBQ Secrets is available in our BBQ Store along with some great BBQ essentials... thermometers, cookbooks, rubs, etc. Just click on the link below to go to our store...

Click HERE - www.bbq-book.biz

 

 

 

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BBQ Recipes - Why slow smoked BBQ is better than grilled BBQ and how you can easily switch.
Barbeque Recipes - What ingredients go into great barbeque recipes. You would be surprised!
BBQ Smoker - What kind of BBQ smoker is best suited to your needs and budget?
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Cooking Barbecue - Cooking chart for slow smoked meats.
Barbeque Grill - All about the Traeger Lil' Tex pellet smoker.
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Char-Broil Silver - Review of the Char-Broil Silver BBQ smoker for $159 at Home Depot.
BBQ Sauce - a description of all the Regional BBQ Sauce Variations.
Barbecue Sauces - Different types of barbecue sauces and the top 3 winners in each category in NBBQA BBQ sauce contest.
Barbecue Ribs - The 3-1-1 method to slow smoke barbecue ribs.
BBQ Rib Types - What is the difference between spareribs, baby back ribs, loin ribs, and St Louis Style ribs?
Smoked Barbeque - How does altitude affect barbeque cooking temperatures?
Barbecue Forum - Should you use barbecue forums to learn how to cook competition quality brisket, ribs, chicken, & butts?
Smoked Turkey - How to smoke a turkey.
American Royal BBQ - 2007 results for the biggest BBQ contest in the world.
Cooking Barbecue - All about collagen, protein fibers, and fat.
Barbecue Wood - All about the different barbecue woods, how to use them, and the flavors that they impart.
Barbecue Smoker - A review of the Southern Yankee Barbecue Smokers.
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Barbecue Sauces - Ole Ray's Barbecue Sauces.
Smoked Ham - How to smoke (reheat) a ham on your BBQ smoker.
BBQ Ribs Example Project - How to adjust BBQ ribs cooking in cooler temperatures.
BBQ Baked Beans - two great BBQ baked beans recipes and the Bush's Perfect Pair contest.
The BBQ Guru - a great blower device that digitally controls your pit temperature.
Cookshack FEC100 - The Cookshack Fast Eddy FEC100 and the importance of pit temperature control.
Boone Hall BBQ Contest - results of the 2008 Boone Hall BBQ Contest.
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Douglas, GA results - BBQ contest results & Smoked Turkey & Smoked Ham reminders.
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BBQ Judge Survey - Results from our BBQ judge survey, report on American Royal trip, and Myron Mixon's BBQ school.
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BBQ Contest Scores - Why it is important to evaluate your BBQ contest score sheets - also Tryon, NC video.
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Dillard, GA Bluegrass & Barbecue Festival review
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Lake Oconee BBQ & Blues Festival review.
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Roasted Pig on a Spit - This is the best whole hog I have ever tasted - Cajun style.
Boss Hog Cookoff - Waynesboro, GA video
Future Legends of BBQ - A great Kids Q BBQ contest.
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Buying Pork - Tips from an insider on how to buy better pork.
Barbecued Oysters - not cold smoked or grilled.
Barbecue Contest Survey - A very informative survey on the future of BBQ Contests.
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