Brand new KCBS CBJ
 

:whoo:Took the class and the Oath yesterday. Totally psyched and ready to go. Now I just have to locate some comps in my area and see if they have any spots open for a green judge.

Congrats! What I did for my first few contests was to talk to my Table Captain & ask him/her to keep an eye on my scores verses the other judges. That way you'll know if you're in the ball park or if you're that infamous "Judge 6" :rolleyes:. Also, you're going to learn more about judging while talking with the other judges between catagories than you did in the class. Try your best to judge "as presented by the cook" and not base your scores on your own tastes - it's hard, but it can be done :-D.

Above all - - - have fun!

Ditto what he just said!!! congrats to you!!! I remember when I was fresh out of judging class!!!! :thumb:

Excellent advice!

One thing I learned was not to get in a hurry. At first, when you don't have a routine down, you'll feel a bit rushed to get through all the samples. Please don't.

Give each sample your full attention and appreciate what each cook has created.

Also, don't hesitate to ask the table captain to slow down if they are passing the box by too fast during appearance scoring. You want to get a good look at each entry so you can decide on a fair score. Sometimes I'll even stand up to get a good look at an entry.

. . . and . . .

Take a wet wash cloth in a baggie with you. Or at least use wet paper towels. You want to avoid cross-contaminating the flavors of each sample, so clean your fingers thoroughly before taking the next sample. Don't feel bad if the person passing to you has to wait a few more seconds.

Have fun!

take some toothpicks for getting chicken from the box...........you'll thank me later

Congrats!

The reps/organizers should only set one new judge per table, so you should be sat with a group of experienced judges. A tape reviewing the rules will be played at the judges meeting, pay attention, it is a good review.

The cooks worked hard, if in doubt on a score, give the benefit of the doubt to the cook, but also be fair. If you are presented with bad Que, be fair to the cooks that presented excellent Que and score the bad Que accordingly as well. If you are not scoring consistent with other judges at the table, I can almost assure you, the rep will talk with you.

Do the comment cards if you score low so the team can understand and learn why they received the score they did. It will also get you thinking about why you are giving that score. As mentioned before, do not let the table captain rush you.

There should be forks available for pork and brisket, ask if not provided to you, they are on the list of supplies the organizer is to provide.

Hope you have a great time judging!!!!!

Welcome to the world of judging! Enjoy. Remember that the cooks put a of of "blood, sweat and tears" into their efforts and deserve your full attention, not just a pass over the list of what you happen to like. Finally, study the concept of barbeque: It is a delicious BALANCE of meat, spicing (from rubs, mops, injections, sauces, etc.) and smoking -- no one thing should overpower.

Congrats!!! There are LOTS of comps out there, so start contacting the contest reps and get your name on their lists. If a contest rep replies that they are looking for "more experienced" judges, remind them that ALL judges start out WITHOUT ANY experience at all! You just might be the BEST judge ever, but they need to give you an opportunity. (This happened to me my first year out!)

What ever you do, make sure you get a representative sampling of what you are judging! This means that you usually need to take 2 bites (opposite sides) of a piece of chicken or rib and several bites of the different pork and brisket offerings. Be fair and honest and definitely USE THE COMMENT CARDS!!! Any time you give a 6 or below you should use a comment card to indicate to the team why you gave the score that you did.

ALWAYS talk with the fellow judges at your table AFTER judging a category about what they thought about each entry. Realize that your piece of chicken or rib might have been a wee bit different, but shouldn't be too different to what they judged. Listen to the reasons they liked/disliked each entry.

Have FUN!!!

Welcome, congrats, and HAVE FUN!!! I couldn't agree more with bbq.tom above. Also, on the comment cards, definitely anything 6's and below, but honestly sometimes 7's with a comment will really help the team improve their game; particularly if it's possible to do a one-word comment, like: mushy, or salty, or gristle, or chewy, etc. It helps.