1st Comp Cook off this weekend

[gmc2003]

Well Ryan it was the secret Voodoo sauce again that got us the best score of the day! Blues Hog be darned . Those guys do it every weekend somewhere and I'll continue to do the same at home.

Keith

Ahhhh, but did you remember to bring a beer-pole Keith. It could have put you over the top.

Chris

 

[thirdeye]

It was definitely a learning experience and have to long way to go if I plan to compete at that level!
View attachment 645490

Myron and his crew won 1st in Ribs and 9th in Brisket.
Out of 30 teams , we finished:
Chicken. 28
Ribs. 19
Pork. 21
Brisket. 29

So we managed to not finish last and have the judges comment cards for chicken and brisket to review. The ladies chopped the kale for the turn in box too fine was a common comment.

Thanks for the support and encouraging words !

Keith

Hold on, back up the bus.... Here is a direct quote from the 2022 CBJ Manual: "Garnish in the box is optional and when used must be one of the approved KCBS garnishes (see section on garnish). Garnish is not to be taken into consideration for the score. Garnish is judged only for legality." So if you got comment card(s) mentioning the garnish is too fine (and likely scoring down for it) this is wrong. The Table Captain and the Reps review comment cards and should have brought this to the attention of the Judge(s) that wrote them.

If you don't mind, post your appearance scores for the chicken, pork and brisket. Photo's are sometimes deceiving because of the lighting conditions and viewing angle, but I would have scored them:
Chicken - 7 (possibly 8 in-person)
Pork - 8 (likely 9 in-person)
Brisket (likely 9 in-person.

Also, there is nothing in KCBS rules that specifically addresses consistency in size or placement, color or use of sauce... but all of these things can help to make your turn-in more appealing during the few seconds (like 2 or 3 seconds) a judge scores for appearance. For example, if you have similar sizes or shapes of chicken a judge might be less focused on one piece and more focused on the overall presentation. As another example... lack of sauce may cause the meat to appear dry. When the appearance makes a judge want to grab a piece, you have succeeded.

Some of the top teams routinely post photos of their entries on their Facebook pages. Slaps BBQ from Kansas City is one of these. Here is an example of their chicken turn-in at the American Royal.

 

[DRKsmoking]

If we decide to compete again I think we'll stay in the backyard division....or stay in my own backyard .

Keith don't get me wrong, it sounded like you had a busy time but , a great time with the family.
That is what really counts. so keep trying the comp's because it is good bonding with your son and rest of the family

But for me , I have cooked for big crowds and weddings etc, that is stressful enough .
But to be judged, and have it picked apart, lol . I would be no good .

David

 

[912smoker]

Hold on, back up the bus.... Here is a direct quote from the 2022 CBJ Manual: "Garnish in the box is optional and when used must be one of the approved KCBS garnishes (see section on garnish). Garnish is not to be taken into consideration for the score. Garnish is judged only for legality." So if you got comment card(s) mentioning the garnish is too fine (and likely scoring down for it) this is wrong. The Table Captain and the Reps review comment cards and should have brought this to the attention of the Judge(s) that wrote them.

If you don't mind, post your appearance scores for the chicken, pork and brisket. Photo's are sometimes deceiving because of the lighting conditions and viewing angle, but I would have scored them:
Chicken - 7 (possibly 8 in-person)
Pork - 8 (likely 9 in-person)
Brisket (likely 9 in-person.

Also, there is nothing in KCBS rules that specifically addresses consistency in size or placement, color or use of sauce... but all of these things can help to make your turn-in more appealing during the few seconds (like 2 or 3 seconds) a judge scores for appearance. For example, if you have similar sizes or shapes of chicken a judge might be less focused on one piece and more focused on the overall presentation. As another example... lack of sauce may cause the meat to appear dry. When the appearance makes a judge want to grab a piece, you have succeeded.

Some of the top teams routinely post photos of their entries on their Facebook pages. Slaps BBQ from Kansas City is one of these. Here is an example of their chicken turn-in at the American Royal.
View attachment 645526

Thanks for your help in understanding this.

We received all 9s across the board for appearance so looks like no deductions but alot of comments about the garnish. I got distracted and failed to keep check on the thighs and one was was overcooked and the skin shrank.
My table for chicken also had the top 3 , #9 and #14 . We have definitely not practiced enough to improve the process.
That's on me for sure !
The head judge?saw that I was frustrated with my scores and was a huge help in beginning to understand.

Keith

 

[Fueling Around]

Forgot to reply your meats look very appealing to sit down for a plate or two or ...

Hold on, back up the bus.... Here is a direct quote from the 2022 CBJ Manual: "Garnish in the box is optional and when used must be one of the approved KCBS garnishes (see section on garnish). Garnish is not to be taken into consideration for the score. Garnish is judged only for legality." So if you got comment card(s) mentioning the garnish is too fine (and likely scoring down for it) this is wrong. The Table Captain and the Reps review comment cards and should have brought this to the attention of the Judge(s) that wrote them.
...

Thank you for the expert reply.

I originally started my post that I thought the comment cards were very petty but deleted as I am not a qualified person to answer the rules.

 

[thirdeye]

Thanks for your help in understanding this.

We received all 9s across the board for appearance so looks like no deductions but alot of comments about the garnish. I got distracted and failed to keep check on the thighs and one was was overcooked and the skin shrank.
My table for chicken also had the top 3 , #9 and #14 . We have definitely not practiced enough to improve the process.
That's on me for sure !
The head judge?saw that I was frustrated with my scores and was a huge help in beginning to understand.

Keith

Okay, getting all 9s for appearance makes the situation a little odd, because a legal garnish will play absolutely no role in scoring for 'taste' or 'tenderness' (which obviously is where you got lower scores). In 'appearance' judging, the judge confirms a legal garnish, and scores on how appetizing the meat looks... then marks that score.
For what it's worth... parsley, a very popular garnish is in small pieces that routinely sticks to the bottom of chicken (and slices of pork), so before taking the one bite, judges just pick it off the bottom side.
The older version of comment cards had a series of check boxes (see one in the article below) in the 'appearance' section, and offered suggestions that may have implied that things like neatness, placement or size were factors in scoring, when in fact they only contribute to the overall impression the judge gets in one quick look. Later, the 'appearance section' of the newer comment cards was changed to a series of lines, where a judge explains in their own words what they saw that influenced their scoring. In the last year, judges began an online refresher course with color slides so that all judges are on the same page when it comes to procedures and scoring.
This page gives some perspective on understanding your score sheet.
https://grillexperience.it/en/reading-score-sheet/

Forgot to reply your meats look very appealing to sit down for a plate or two or ...

Thank you for the expert reply.

I originally started my post that I thought the comment cards were very petty but deleted as I am not a qualified person to answer the rules.

When used correctly, comment cards can give cooks some insight in to why judges scored the way they did. For instance a comment like "Your chicken tasted funny" doesn't really tell the cook anything. But a comment like "I found your chicken to be too salty and had a spicy back flavor that overpowered all other flavors" really helps. Now, comment cards don't have to be negative. I've turned in comment cards with 9-9-9 scores

 

[thirdeye]

The head judge? saw that I was frustrated with my scores and was a huge help in beginning to understand.

I forgot to mention that judges get a scoring report after each contest too. We compare our scores with the table averages for each meat.