Comment Cards?

[bignburlyman]

I am a judge and I like the comment cards, I think it shows respect to the cook teams if you score them down if you can give them a reason for your score. I once gave a team a comment card for a score of 9 9 8, because it was a great rib but just a little too overdone. A checkbox list of comments would be ok, but might get tiresome if it has too many options to look through to find the comment you want.

As far as the team number on the comment card, this is my idea. I borrowed the card image posted by Rich Parker, (thanks), because I could not find an image online. I understand that just using a marker to black out the alternate number the writing or imprint can still show through so that doesn't work how about this:

The reps would write the team number to the side of the alternate number and just take a simple paper punch and punch out the area of the alternate number, example below. This example uses addition of 111 to the actual team number for the alternate number. This would allow use of the current comment card with no change and obliterate the alternate number. Just a thought.

[Smokedelic]

Originally Posted by Pappy Q

That 6 may be considered "average" but it and even a 7 is the kiss of death when it comes to finishing towards the top.

...as it should.

I haven't cooked in any contests lately where I felt like average bbq was going to be good enough to finish near the top.

[tnjimbob]

Got a comment card on brisket when I was cooking with another team a couple of years ago that was useless. It said, "dry".... and that was all. Would have been nice to have more info to go on besides a one word comment.

Otherwise, yes. IIRC, in my judging class, the instructor said that if you give a team a lower score you should fill out a comment card explaining why you gave them that score. As a competitor, this would be nice to have so you will understand what may have caused you to receive a low score for that turn-in.

[Pappy Q]

Originally Posted by Smokedelic

...as it should.

I haven't cooked in any contests lately where I felt like average bbq was going to be good enough to finish near the top.

Agree 100%

[bbq.tom]

Originally Posted by tnjimbob

Got a comment card on brisket when I was cooking with another team a couple of years ago that was useless. It said, "dry".... and that was all.

The comment said "dry" and that was useless?????

Last I heard, cooks want judges to state what they found, not how to cook it better. This judge found the brisket "dry". Sounds pretty useful to me.

As a cook I would want this comment (if indeed that was the problem), and NOT call it useless.

[boogiesnap]

i dunno, i should prolly stay out cuz i'm an ass and what do i know, but here are my simple thoughts....

comment cards aren't that useful...

1)when your cook ain't that great, ya damn well know it already.
2)if you get 999986, we can't call out that judge who gave a 6 publicly to write a card. they'll never score honestly again(re-educated through tracking, maybe). and would YOU change your cook because of it anyway? me? no.
3)seasoned cooks know what they are doing, too salty, dry, too tender, they knew it already before the it hit the judges. unseasoned cooks are still learning and their scores will reflect that OVERALL.

if a rookie cook gets 5 sevens and 1 five, and the comment card on the 5 reads too salty, they may reduce the salt, when the other 5 judges liked the salt level and the one judge was off base.

i dunno, thats just me. when banging food went into the box i knew it. when mediocre food went into the box i knew it too. the scoring directly correlated.

[boogiesnap]

Originally Posted by bignburlyman

I am a judge and I like the comment cards, I think it shows respect to the cook teams if you score them down if you can give them a reason for your score. I once gave a team a comment card for a score of 9 9 8, because it was a great rib but just a little too overdone. A checkbox list of comments would be ok, but might get tiresome if it has too many options to look through to find the comment you want.

As far as the team number on the comment card, this is my idea. I borrowed the card image posted by Rich Parker, (thanks), because I could not find an image online. I understand that just using a marker to black out the alternate number the writing or imprint can still show through so that doesn't work how about this:

The reps would write the team number to the side of the alternate number and just take a simple paper punch and punch out the area of the alternate number, example below. This example uses addition of 111 to the actual team number for the alternate number. This would allow use of the current comment card with no change and obliterate the alternate number. Just a thought.

see, now ya got me goin...

WTF does ALMOST too tender mean?

[Hawg Father of Seoul]

Originally Posted by boogiesnap

i dunno, i should prolly stay out cuz i'm an ass and what do i know, but here are my simple thoughts....

comment cards aren't that useful...

1)when your cook ain't that great, ya damn well know it already.
2)if you get 999986, we can't call out that judge who gave a 6 publicly to write a card. they'll never score honestly again(re-educated through tracking, maybe). and would YOU change your cook because of it anyway? me? no.
3)seasoned cooks know what they are doing, too salty, dry, too tender, they knew it already before the it hit the judges. unseasoned cooks are still learning and their scores will reflect that OVERALL.

if a rookie cook gets 5 sevens and 1 five, and the comment card on the 5 reads too salty, they may reduce the salt, when the other 5 judges liked the salt level and the one judge was off base.

i dunno, thats just me. when banging food went into the box i knew it. when mediocre food went into the box i knew it too. the scoring directly correlated.

Don't worry. Some of us are more than capable of handling data. Let's not do the LCD BS.

[spicewine]

I think ( As a certified Judge myself ) that if you give someone a 6 or less, that you owe them an explanation and SHOULD be expected to fill out a comment card. It is only fair to them. On the other hand, if you have lazy judges that grade up because they don't want to have to fill out a comment card, it is counter productive. Quite a conundrum.

[billygbob]

Originally Posted by boogiesnap

comment cards aren't that useful...if you get 999986, we can't call out that judge who gave a 6 publicly to write a card. they'll never score honestly again(re-educated through tracking, maybe). and would YOU change your cook because of it anyway? me? no.

If I was a competition cook (and I'm not) I would consider a 999 and a 986 a clue that I am not putting consistent quality samples into my box. Change your cook, no; change quality control building the box; perhaps yes? (edit to add: maybe it is not an issue with the judge....)

[boogiesnap]

Originally Posted by Hawg Father of Seoul

Don't worry. Some of us are more than capable of handling data. Let's not do the LCD BS.

i'm not worried. i know when the samples are good and when they're not.

let's say this....if you get ALL 6's and one judge fills out a comment card, really think that is gonna help the cook? um, no their food sucked.

OR, if you get all 9's and one 5 and the judge filled out a comment card, gonna change your cook? um, no.

anything in between is subject to being subjective, a judges privieldge, and you can't change that.

interpret THAT data, fella.

BTW, did you mean LSD? because i have no idea what LCD(liquid crystal diodes)means in relation to competition BBQ.

[scm1226]

BTW, did you mean LSD? because i have no idea what LCD(liquid crystal diodes)means in relation to competition BBQ.[/QUOTE]

How does LSD help your cook?? HAHAHA

[boogiesnap]

Originally Posted by spicewine

I think ( As a certified Judge myself ) that if you give someone a 6 or less, that you owe them an explanation and SHOULD be expected to fill out a comment card. It is only fair to them. On the other hand, if you have lazy judges that grade up because they don't want to have to fill out a comment card, it is counter productive. Quite a conundrum.

see, THAT is the conundrum. what if EVERY judge gave that sample a six? do you really need a comment card, really? my comment would be "take a class". or read and learn more here.

but i don't know what the other judges scored, and it doesn't matter.

OR if only one did score a 6, and the rest were nines, would YOU change anything because of what one judge thought? i think not.

[Smokedelic]

Originally Posted by boogiesnap

let's say this....if you get ALL 6's and one judge fills out a comment card, really think that is gonna help the cook? um, no their food sucked.

For a newer team, I think comment cards help them figure out how their food "sucked" from a competition perspective.

I know a lot of cooks who got into competition bbq because their friends and family told them they had the best bbq they'd ever tasted. I know when I first started, I thought the stuff I turned in was pretty damn good, but it really sucked, from a competition perspective. It would have been nice to have a little feedback back then on how and why it sucked.

Now, I know when it sucks, but back then, I was king of my driveway, no one had ever told me before that it sucked.

[boogiesnap]

mike, agreed, but i don't think you're going to get that kind of depth in a comment card.

the 5's and 6's will tell you all you need to know at that point. as hawg so eloquently stated, read the data provided.

change what you're putting in the box.