Barbecue Tricks

The annual BBQ cook off came to town this past weekend and I decided to take a new angle at it.  Each year I had been scraping together a team and spending upwards of four hundred bucks to compete for bragging rights and the hope to make a bit of the cash back (some guys do… I haven’t yet).   There is definately some to that “thrill of the grill” but I wanted to try something different.

This year I signed up as a judge for the self sanctioned competition.     First off… some of the big BBQ sanctioning groups (KCBS and Memphis In May) have training classes you need to take so you may not be able to jump directly in but it’s not difficult.    My event was self sanctioned (they made up their own rules) and the group enlisted judges from other organizations.   This is not uncommon and, in general, the attitudes around the judging tents seems to be fairly loose, laid back and ready to teach newbies.  Don’t be surprised if it seems a bit chaotic.

I learned that being a judge was, for me, better than competing.

Judging bbq competitions may be right for you too if  you are:

• Non competitive – I’m not selling a sauce  a trophy isn’t that big of deal to me
• Hungry and love to eat –  (yes despite taking only a bite of each item you will leave FULL)
• A foodie
• On a budget.  I didn’t want to spend the $$ on meat, charcoal, extras and an entry fee.  It adds up.
• Lacing free time – It takes two days to prep, cook , and compete.  Judging just takes a leisurely Saturday.
• Wanting to feel important.  Teams lacking sleep will act silly when they see you marked “judge.”
• Fond of sleeping in a real bed with air conditioning.
• Wanting to compete in the future

The last point is a good one.  You get a whole new perspective on how serious (yes one cooker missed his turn in time and his chicken was eliminated) and sometime subjective judging can be.

BBQ Tricks and Tips I took away:

• Read the rules – you’re only judged on what’s listed.
• Appearance matters – it’s usually an individual point in the judging.  I saw a few boxes smudged with fingerprints (yuck) and sloppy with sauce.    Layout the food in the box in a clean, orderly and attractive manner.    In my case they opened the box and we all looked at it and simply judged “appearance” from 1 to 9.   That was almost a third of the total potential score.
• Keep it hot.    The pieces that were warmer seemed to taste better.
• Stay away from lighter fluid.
• Judges expect some sauce, in general like sweet, NOT heat.
• Perfect ribs won’t fall off the bone (that’s overdone) but they should come off easy.

Overall I was surprised how similar all the ribs were and how everything was still warm.  Judging was an econmical way to experience the thrill of the grill without touching any charcoal and still getting a good night’s sleep.

What did they forget?

Be Prepared. It’s a long time motto of the Boy Scouts; but it could very easily apply to barbecue competitions.  There’s so much to remember.  So much you need to be ready for.  On top of everything you need to keep things sanitary!

The Kansas City BBQ Society has some pointers for prepping for your first competition.  You can get your supplies in our BBQ Shop powered by Amazon for the best prices.   Feel free to print the PDF  list below.  Share it.  Make copies (better yet just book mark this page)!  There’s a lot to keep track of.

Competition Checklist << Print This PDF

Competition Checklist
Have	Need	Cooking Supplies			Have	Need	Storage & Cleaning
		Aprons					Aluminum Foil
		Ash Bucket					Aluminum Pans
		Charcoal					Bleach
		Chimney					Broom
		Cooker(s)					Coleman Sink?
		Cutting Board(s)					Coolers
		Fire Starters					Dish Rags
		Injectors/Brine Pump					Dish Soap
		Knives					Dish Tubs
		Lighter/Matches					Dust Pan
		Paper Bags					Gloves (Grill & Latex)
		Pot Holders					Grate Wipes
		Propane					Hand Sanitizer
		Sharpener(s)					Hand Soap
		Smoke Wood					Paper Towels
		Spatulas					Plastic Wrap
		Spray Bottles					Toilet Paper
		Thermometers					Trash Bags
		Tongs & Cooking Utensils					Water Container(s)
		Turkey Fryer					Wet Wipes
							Ziploc Bags (1 Gallon)
							Ziploc Bags (2 Gallon)
Have	Need	Food/Drinks/Etc.			Have	Need	Miscellaneous
		Apple Juice					Banner(s)/Flag(s)
		Beer/Adult Beverages					Batteries
		Briskets					Bucket
		Butts					Bug Spray/Candles/Etc.
		Chicken					Camera
		Honey					Chairs
		Ice					Clean Cloths
		Lettuce					Cots/Hammocks/Etc.
		Marinade					Disposable Ponchos
		Parsley					Duct Tape
		Ribs					Extension Cords
		Rub/Slather					Fire Extinguisher
		Sauce					First Aid Kit
		Snacks					Flashlights
		Sodas/Water					Gasoline
		Whole Hog					Generator
							Paper Plates
							Pillows
							Plastic Cups/Koozies
							Pot Holders
							Silverware
							Sleeping Bags/Tent
							Spare Cooker Parts
							Sunblock
							Tables & Table Covers
							Tools/Screw Drivers/Hammer/Scissors
							Toothbrushes/Etc.