So, you may be thinking about becoming a barbecue judge ... or perhaps you just want to know what it is that the judges are looking for (and tasting) when judging great barbecue. Who are the table captains? And what do they do? Who officiates the contests? Overcooked? Under cooked? Too Salty? Too flat tasting? Mushy? Tough? and many more.

There is a lot of details that go into judging competition barbecue. First are the contest representatives/officials. These are the people that make barbecue competitions happen ... hundreds each year. They are in charge of the rules, procedures, negotiate difficult situations where there may be questions and compile the scores and hand out the money and trophies. Most cookoffs are sanctioned by a particular barbecue association in the area. (See Associations for a complete listing) Each association has their unique set of rules and procedures.

Once the event has been planned (see the Contest Calendar for a listing of current cookoffs), the cookers usually arrive on Thursday evening or Friday and begin cooking on Friday evening. They cook all night long working on their secret recipes and techniques. Depending upon the number of team members, they may be very busy (fewer cooks) or have some leisure time (lots of cooks). In either event, they are having fun trying to guess the pleasures of the judges that will be judging their entries the next day and outwitting their neighbors.

On Saturday morning, there is normally a Judges meeting to make some general announcements and go over the specific rules for that contest. If a judge has any questions then this is the time and place to get them answered. After all the instructions have been given and the questions answered, then comes the Judges Oath. Yes, we take an oath. More on the oath at a later time...

Judging usually commences at noon on Saturday, but is up to the officials. Judges get their seat assignments and proceed to get comfortable. The table setting usually consists of a meat paper "plate" (actually a heavy flat piece of paper). There are six blocks marked out since most judging consists of six entries. There is usually some grapes or crackers to "clear the palette". And there is the bottled water. Contrary to popular belief, beer is not allowed in the judging area.

The Table Captain is the judge's best friend. They not only keep the crackers and water filled, THEY BRING IN THE FOOD!

Each entry has a number that is coordinated with a particular name. The numbers are read to the judges and they are marked on the score card as well as the judges plate. Once the registration process is complete - TALKING BETWEEN JUDGES STOPS UNTIL THE SCORE CARDS ARE TURNED IN - the entries are passed around (or down) the table for each judge to view for presentation. Most contests give the entry a maximum score of "9" and then grade down from there. There are various rules depending upon which group sanctioned the event. Some can only have lettuce and others cannot. No entries can have other vegetables such as cherry tomatoes. If the presentation does not meet the standards, then the entry is disqualified.

Once all judging for appearance has been completed, then each judge takes one sample from each box. There must be 6 separate slices/pieces for each entry. Each judge must receive one piece. Judges are not allowed to separate the meat to make six pieces (Sometimes the meat is not cut cleanly and two pieces may "hang" together). That's tough for the contestant. That means one judge will not get to eat and the score from that judge will be a "1" for taste and tenderness (the lowest possible score for an entry).

Each judge will then taste the meat for tenderness and taste. (Taste usually counts twice as much as appearance and tenderness.) A lot goes into the process of judging taste and tenderness and is as varied as the number of judges judging. But they all try to be fair. My experience is that the actual results will vary some, but all in all, not that much. There is usually a clear winner at each table.

Want to know more about judging or how to go about becoming a judge yourself? Check out the Judging schools shown below and get a real education. Most classes are $30.00 and that includes the opportunity to judge some real barbecue. Yes, you do get to swallow! Sign up and start having some real fun judging some of the finest barbecue in the world! 

2009 CERTIFIED BBQ JUDGING CLASSES (UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)