The Belly Brothers Do Charleston MO. (updated AND Pictures)

[Chick'n Pig BBQ]

Glad you all made it back!!
Sounds like you all had fun and turned in realy good stuff. Don't be too hard on yourself, you all are great cookers.

I became a certified KCBS judge a couple of weeks ago and found out that as a judge you are taught to judge on how that 1 piece of meat tastes to you on its own merit and not be compared to any other . What I observed is that almost all the people who are judges are not cookers and have not read the KCBS rule book nor do they have any idea how its done.
At the class I attended it was very obvious that the majority of people really didn't understand what it was that was being asked of them. It seemed that thay could not get past comparing and judged too harshly on details that did not matter. You would not have believed the inconsistency on judging scores on the same pieces of meat?????? from 2 to 9

So I have decided that at Marshall (My first contest)I am going to turn in what I think tastes good to me and my family, following the KCBS rules and not what anyone else tries to tell me to turn in. After all who knows what the judges that day are going to like ( spicy,sweet or too tender) and also it makes a big difference on what the KCBS rep emphasized the most about how to judge that specific day before judging starts.

[dxesmkr]

Hey Kick,
I wouldn't sweat it.The most important thing you had a good time.Its hard to be competitive against teams that do contests every weekend.They are gonna have a advantage.They do stay in a close group cause they see each other every weekend and some of them do swap tips back and forth to make them more competitive.The best way to think of it is like Nascar.The big boys that run every week will finish better than the guys that can only run a few races.Its just experience. There's no doubt in my mind ya'll turned in good product.
I've found that turning in too tender is a whole lot better than even a little tough.My turn in ribs are so sweet you couldn't sit down and enjoy a whole rack.You gotta hitem with the flavor cause the judges are gonna take one bite.I'm all over the place with pork so don't feel bad.Sauce is the key right now in KCBS.Really more of how good the sauce tastes vs the meat.
There are alot of inexperinced judges out there.I know exactly how you feel about the 9's then all of the sudden outta nowhere a "2". "Some " judges think its just a free bbq lunch and have no idea what a team goes through. I'm not bashing the judges(I'm a KCBS certified judge) I'm just giving my opinion from observations.Nothing makes me madder than hearing a judge say"everything we had tasted awful". I say BS to that.

I say keep gettin' in there with the big boys.Cause when you win its so much sweeter.

Willy T.
www.willytsbbq.com

[slat]

Kick glad you and the Bellybro's made it home safe. It was great to meet you guys and hang out for a while. The hospitality was as good as it gets. I thought you guys had it going on, but it just didn't work out for you all. At least a great time was had by all.

[BrooklynQ]

Originally Posted by Chick-n-Pig-BBQ

So I have decided that at Marshall (My first contest)I am going to turn in what I think tastes good to me and my family, following the KCBS rules and not what anyone else tries to tell me to turn in. After all who knows what the judges that day are going to like ( spicy,sweet or too tender) and also it makes a big difference on what the KCBS rep emphasized the most about how to judge that specific day before judging starts.

IMHO, I think you have it nailed. Submit what you think is best. Also, send a rep from your team to the judges meeting. Hear what questions are asked and how they're answered. KCBS rules allow teams to listen in at the meetings - so take advantage. even tho it would be toolate to change your cooking, it will give you some insight on how you scored.

[Neil]

Thanks for sharing and congratulations on a great effort and having fun doing the Q.

[BellyBrotherII]

We did have FUN!, We Did learn a LOT! But most of all just knowing you guys are behind us made it all better. SLAT it was a pleasure to meet you and we enjoyed your company. Brothers, Like Kick said it was some tough compatition and when your in the heat of it just keep smokin. I learned fix what is the best for that region. Politics are involved to some extent, we did see this with our owne eyes and heard it with our owne ears. So now that we understand how to play the game, we are going to do more practice games, (Local Contest) before we go after the big ones.

Here are a few pics and Kick will be posting more. Kick feel free to move these if I have them in the wrong place.

(Moderator's comment--I resized these. Was careful, but it they are not accurate nor right in any way, let me know. I will fix. Learning new tricks MOD TIM)

[Solidkick]

Did I have my "game face" on in the second picture on Friday afternoon or WHAT! Now you know why I didn't sleep! I was intense! LOL


Damn, we're pretty! Shoulda got first place just because of our looks!

[spicewine]

IMO this is exactly what you all needed . One good swift reality check to keep your head in the game. You may not realize it right now, but this contest probably did more for you in a positive way than you think. This is what separates the Men from the Boys. Some teams will just give up after a contest like this while others will gain strength and knowledge and get back on that horse. I think you all will see a great change in your next contest. Maybe you can join us in Warsaw the 29th of this month.

Get back on your horse pilgrim.

Spice

[The_Kapn]

BellyBros--
Reality Sucks--right

I read BRO KICK's post several times and kept getting flashbacks to Mobile in early March for Chad and I
When the "backyard" teams have 10 times the $$ invested in kookers and gear than you do--"uh-oh"
I am doing a long thread about judging Barnesville and all that I learned. When it is up--it will address some of your observations.

For now--let me just offer this.
Chad and I cook "Good" Que. Many times even "Great" Que. Sometimes we sneak in some "Crappy" Que just to see if anyone is looking (they are)
But, until I started judging, I had not experienced "Championship" Que. For me-it just jumps off the table at you and screams "Here I am"
When ya play with the full time pros, they put out "Championship" Que week after week after week. And, they have been doing it for years
Hard act to follow

Chad and I have found our "solace" by looking down the scoring sheet to see how many names we recognize that scored lower than us Gotta find comfort where you can.

Doing the judging thing has helped tremendously. Not just going to a class, but getting our hands dirty and getting to "pick the minds" of the other Judges we will be cooking for in the future.

Hang in there--it does take time, practice, patience, and "open mindedness" to break through!

TIM

[Solidkick]

Mrs. Kick also entered the dessert competition on Friday evening. She got all 9s in presentation, but came up short in taste and tenderness. All the Bellys thought she had a winner for sure........She's not discouraged......she got some nice tips on how to improve the taste (ice cream) and she'll go after them again!

[The_Kapn]

she got some nice tips on how to improve the taste (ice cream) and she'll go after them again!

More vanilla????????????
Help us out- we all love the "secrets", even for desserts
Swear on "Scout's Honor" we will keep it a secret

Looks YUMMY to me. Great Job!

Note to PooBah--ya need to find some "Smell-a-Forum" and "Taste-a-Forum" software

TIM

[Solidkick]

Photos added to the photo gallery.............

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/modu...view_album.php

[The_Kapn]

Originally Posted by Solidkick

Photos added to the photo gallery.............

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/modu...view_album.php

KICK-
Great Pics!!!!!
I really appreciate the captions. Makes it so easy to follow and informative

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TIM

[BAG3]

To hell with kicking some ass . . . . YOU SMOKED SOME!!!!!

[Bellybro]

Sorry I haven't posted yet. I took Monday off as well to recover fromt the weekend.

GREAT TIME WAS HAD!

Slat great to meet you, and visit. Sorry we didn't get a chance to hook up again before we left.

Hey, we cooked great Q and I don't think we should drastically change a thing.

I think our Rib presentation was weak and probably cost us a higher score. My fault. I won't try that way again. Live and learn.

I am not discouraged at all. We will compete the again.

This is like showing up for a backyard game of football and find out the opposing team is the Patriots!

Spice is right a reality check doesn't hurt anyone.

THe smoker worked well, everyone on the team did an awesome job and we were better prpared and turned in better Q than last year at Boone County so I feel we improved and will keep on marching in that direction.

A bad day cooking is better that a great day at work!!!!

Judges preferences prevail and when you get a 999, and a 988 then a 755 or something by the rest of the judges at that table they are looking for two different things and that is the system we have and have to live with.

Thanks for all your support and words of encouragement!

NEXT!