KingRanch450
is Blowin Smoke!
I was wondering if KCBS judges are compensated for their time....other than getting to eat free BBQ.
No, they're not compensated. Many spend a lot of time and money traveling to and from competitions. They're in it for many reasons. Some cook also and it helps to see what judges are looking for, some are backyard cooks, some just because they love BBQ.
Judges get paid nothing but you have to also understand that there are about 60,000 who have passed the CBJ course and zero have failed the course so the value is pretty much nil.
I know there are many dedicated good judges but there is no real way to know who they are. The CBJ program is excellent as a PR thing but pretty much useless for training judges. And while I appreciate some doing their own education it can make for a wide discrepancy among judges skills...
drbbq said:As a cook I get tired of hearing about all the miles judges travel.
I'll bet that most of the folks who have taken the class will not even vote this January.
I personally value the CBJ program and the CBJ's. As a cook, the CBJ program gives me a standard to cook for, however when you have non-CBJ's/celebs you never know what your scores are going to look like (ever get scored down for a perfectly cooked rib and get a comment card that says the meat didn't fall off the bone?).
I average competing at over 12 contest per year and have found that, in all but very few instances, when I get low scores, I just have to look in the mirror to see the problem. Yes, every once in a while you will come across a hard table of judges, but that's the breaks. I guess I just had to grow up and quit blaming judges for my poor performances in the past.
As far as the judges traveling, I'm all for it. If anyone of you have ever met Dave, Rookie'48, you know he is one of the most knowledgeable individuals out there not to mention his love of the sport. Talking with him and other judges after the contest has shown me that they really love what they do and take it very serious. I would love to have a band of traveling Master CBJ's at any contest I am at rather than .... well, I'll just leave it at that.
As cooks, we should be thanking these individuals for their unselfish dedication to make our sport better. Those who are bagging on them should either get to know the judges or shut the frac up! Just MHO for what it's worth.
As cooks, we should be thanking these individuals for their unselfish dedication to make our sport better. Those who are bagging on them should either get to know the judges or shut the frac up! Just MHO for what it's worth.
I guess I should re-phrase myself. I have no real issue with judges traveling, I just don't like the idea that we could have locals that have taken the class and gotten certified but can't find a contest to judge at because they fill up with out of state judges.
Not bagging from me, just pointing out that judging can work well with "seasoned" judges that don't have to be certified.
but they boast only 18% CBJ - most of the judges are celebs from the local community which is great for PR. ...