question about contests

CBJ's do not have special tastebuds, they like what they like, no matter how much training and teaching. I would enter any contest anytime anywhere as long as there are human judges. A great cook should be able to please all. Thats why I cannot please all.!!!

This last year was our first doing comps... I found I did better with a lower percentage of CBJ's... Maybe they are more wowed by the food than someone that has seen it many times before....

The only thing I would say is we tend to "overcook" our food a bit when we know there isn't 100% CBJ...

when you go through the class, they are primed a bit on appearance and Tenderness, but obviously taste is more of a personal thing...But we have found that non-CBJ's tend to like their food more like your family does...Fall apart..

The worst/harshest judges are those that are newly trained.

The Pickled Pig said:

The worst/harshest judges are those that are newly trained.

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I've talked to a lot of reps and table captains about this. They say the harshest judges are us competitors.

I think it can effect scores, in fact the next time I cook a contest that has very few CBJ's I am going to cook my ribs til they fall off the bone if you look at them wrong.

Non CBJ's can be all over the place. If they like it 8 or 9, if they don't 4 to 6. They don't seem to think about it too much. On the other hand, some CBJ's, especially the newer ones, can tend of over think it and get too scientific about it (maybe that's why it's whole number only).

I think it's IBCA, they pull folks out of the crowd to judge. It's part of the process. If it's not IBCA, I thought I read somewhere is was one of the organizations in the south / southwest - Texas and west.

The Pickled Pig said:

The worst/harshest judges are those that are newly trained.

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Got that right! For example... We came in the top 5 in one comp that had experianced judges and DAL (for ribs I thought were better) in the next one where 75% of the CBJ were trained the day before...

Lakeside Smoker said:

I've talked to a lot of reps and table captains about this. They say the harshest judges are us competitors.

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I agree with that... But then we know what we are looking for and not some thing abstract....

Que'inKC said:

The only thing I would say is we tend to "overcook" our food a bit when we know there isn't 100% CBJ...

when you go through the class, they are primed a bit on appearance and Tenderness, but obviously taste is more of a personal thing...But we have found that non-CBJ's tend to like their food more like your family does...Fall apart..

Click to expand...

I would agree non CBJ's are going to be judging based on a comparison to what they like outside of a comp. If they like Famous Dave's those entries that closely resemble FD are going to score great, those that don't won't.

I also agree that new CBJ's are harder than the the older ones, but then again the older ones get set in their ways and nothing will make them change their minds. I truely believe that some of the older CBJ's think a chicken has no other parts than sweet sticky thighs. New CBJ's at least realize wings, legs and breasts are also part of chicken.

I think you can cook to a judges pool as far as texture goes, but those that consistently win show that their flavor profile is pleasing to a large number of people.

Mike-
I assume you are referring to NKC, which had 50% CBJ's...

I wouldn't put too much stock in the CBJ count. The cream still rises. Good teams can have a bad day and a team that hasn't experienced as much success can still score big no matter the percentages.

An event like NKC may not have a majority of CBJ's, but what they have is a bunch of people who have probably judged that single event for a number of years. They are not "pulled off the street" at the last minute, so they do have some experience, but at the same time they are not seasoned judges who attend a dozen contests a year. Whether or not they are good or bad, I can't say.

And remember this: just because a contests boasts "100% CBJ's" that doesn't mean you are getting any better judging. A lot of contest like to make this claim, but they hold a class the night before a contest to certify their judges. It still might be the first time they have ever judged.

Bottom line...don't discount your scores because it wasn't a 100% CBJ table. Study the individuals and take them into account when considering making changes - just as you would the scores from any other contest.