New Judges

thillin · 09-30-2012, 12:50 PM

Since I only cook 1 KCBS comp a year and the rest are mainly IBCA, not sure how this should have been handle by KCBS.

Went to a KCBS comp and after paying my entry, I overheard staff mentioning that the CBJ class had to learn from pictures since the cook that offered to cook for the class was a no show. All were certified and the comp boasted 100% CBJs the next day.

Should the class have been rescheduled? Should the comp went with a lower CBJ %?

Nordy · 09-30-2012, 04:11 PM

Honestly... flavor profiles etc are not really covered in class. The pain point of the food is 1)maybe getting an idea about tendereness 2)simulating a real judging table for procedures etc 3)emphasizing stupid garnish rules 4)demonstrating what to do if there are not enough samples or if samples are not cut clean through.

So... can you learn CBJ info without actually eating BBQ???... yeah... probably. Experience at a real contest is probably the best "learning" one can do as a judge. The class meat isn't that great anyway.

dhuffjr · 09-30-2012, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordy

The class meat isn't that great anyway.

You got that right. The meat for the class we took was worthy of the 5-7s for taste/tenderness it was getting. I'm pretty sure the only seasoning the chicken leg I had to sample was a dash of paprika.

Bunny · 09-30-2012, 04:55 PM

Give some kudos to the CBJ instructor who had to deal with no cook.

Smoke'n Ice · 09-30-2012, 07:14 PM

In my cbj class, the meat was so bad, my entire table paid it nose service only. We were not going to sample that s&^% without a gun to our head. I should also mention that others at the same table were extremely good bbq cooks and were only there to learn what the judges are really looking for.

I was at the same comp and I was somewhat happy that the meat was not served. It meant that the new judges were not preconditioned to a poor sample of real bbq.

Pictures work!!!

CivilWarBBQ · 09-30-2012, 09:41 PM

As someone who has prepared meat for several CBJ classes, let me give you an idea of what the people who agree to cook for these events is faced with...

KCBS compensates the cook for the food, but you are expected to use the cheapest meats available. The budget given for all your costs will barely cover the minimum quantity of meat needed and the most basic seasonings and sauce selections. You must pay for everything up front, submit paperwork and wait a few weeks for a check from the office.

You are told what to cook and how it should be presented. Typically another crew of volunteers actually builds the boxes, so the cook rarely sees what goes to the judges. Of course you are also cooking for the entire class, not just a single table and multiple entries per category. For the classes I've been involved with that has meant 200+ boxes total.

For your effort, you are paid a couple hundred dollars - pretty much the lowest paid catering gig of this size you'll ever do this side of pure charity.

So no, the food that judges get in a CBJ class is nowhere near competition grade, nor is it meant to be. The idea is to school the students on procedures and the judging system so that when they get to their first real contest they will already be familar with these aspects and can focus on evaluating samples.

The cooks and volunteers that donate their time to do this do so as a way to give back to the BBQ community we love, as there is certainly no money or glory to be had from the exercise.

va92bronco · 10-01-2012, 08:22 AM

Not eating at the class is not a deal breaker IMO as far as certifying judges. They are still learning the process and what to look far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CivilWarBBQ

As someone who has prepared meat for several CBJ classes, let me give you an idea of what the people who agree to cook for these events is faced with...

KCBS compensates the cook for the food, but you are expected to use the cheapest meats available. The budget given for all your costs will barely cover the minimum quantity of meat needed and the most basic seasonings and sauce selections. You must pay for everything up front, submit paperwork and wait a few weeks for a check from the office.

You are told what to cook and how it should be presented. Typically another crew of volunteers actually builds the boxes, so the cook rarely sees what goes to the judges. Of course you are also cooking for the entire class, not just a single table and multiple entries per category. For the classes I've been involved with that has meant 200+ boxes total.

For your effort, you are paid a couple hundred dollars - pretty much the lowest paid catering gig of this size you'll ever do this side of pure charity.

So no, the food that judges get in a CBJ class is nowhere near competition grade, nor is it meant to be. The idea is to school the students on procedures and the judging system so that when they get to their first real contest they will already be familar with these aspects and can focus on evaluating samples.

The cooks and volunteers that donate their time to do this do so as a way to give back to the BBQ community we love, as there is certainly no money or glory to be had from the exercise.

I agree!

I always felt that the CBJ class food get a raw deal from people. Yes my class food sucked, but I was there to learn about the KCBS judging process and rules. Not to eat great BBQ. That comes later at the comps.

Nordy · 10-01-2012, 08:41 AM

CWBBQ - Just to clarify... There was no offense intended in my post. I agree with everything you said and was in no way bashing those willing to cook for a class nor the product that they put out. There is NO WAY to do "real" competition cooking in that situation. My intention was only to state that having actual food to eat isn't the main point of the class.

hamiltont · 10-01-2012, 08:55 AM

I guess we were very lucky based on the comments here. When I took the class our cook did an awesome job. I'm thinking pride played a little bit in that since almost everyone attending the class knew him... Definite KUDOS to those who do cook for classes. THANKS!!!

Bunny · 10-01-2012, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamiltont

I guess we were very lucky based on the comments here. When I took the class our cook did an awesome job. I'm thinking pride played a little bit in that since almost everyone attending the class knew him... Definite KUDOS to those who do cook for classes. THANKS!!!

Agreed!

Cooks spend a lot of time for very little. I thank every cook who spends time to cook for our classes! Thank you very much.

Rich and Bunny Tuttle

09-30-2012, 12:50 PM	#1
thillin somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-21-04 Location: Keller, Texas Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	New Judges Since I only cook 1 KCBS comp a year and the rest are mainly IBCA, not sure how this should have been handle by KCBS. Went to a KCBS comp and after paying my entry, I overheard staff mentioning that the CBJ class had to learn from pictures since the cook that offered to cook for the class was a no show. All were certified and the comp boasted 100% CBJs the next day. Should the class have been rescheduled? Should the comp went with a lower CBJ %? __________________ Med Spicewine-adopted 3/13/10 *CL Score* 2 Large BGEs(pimped out w/Thirdeye Eggcessories)-hatched 6/4/07 & 4/20/11 Med BGE-adopted 2/2/08 *CL Score* -SOLD Mini BGE-adopted 1/31/08 *CL Score* Traeger 075-adopted 12/3/11 CL Score Weber 1 touch *CL Score* Weber Spirit 500 *CL Score* Weber Smokey Joe Silver *CL Score* BLUE & RED Thermapens Klose 20x42-SOLD Paddlin Pigs BBQ Ty

09-30-2012, 04:55 PM	#4
Bunny Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 09-03-08 Location: Pleasant Hill MO Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Give some kudos to the CBJ instructor who had to deal with no cook. __________________ Gotta love it!

09-30-2012, 09:41 PM	#6
CivilWarBBQ is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-08-07 Location: Cartersville, GA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	As someone who has prepared meat for several CBJ classes, let me give you an idea of what the people who agree to cook for these events is faced with... KCBS compensates the cook for the food, but you are expected to use the cheapest meats available. The budget given for all your costs will barely cover the minimum quantity of meat needed and the most basic seasonings and sauce selections. You must pay for everything up front, submit paperwork and wait a few weeks for a check from the office. You are told what to cook and how it should be presented. Typically another crew of volunteers actually builds the boxes, so the cook rarely sees what goes to the judges. Of course you are also cooking for the entire class, not just a single table and multiple entries per category. For the classes I've been involved with that has meant 200+ boxes total. For your effort, you are paid a couple hundred dollars - pretty much the lowest paid catering gig of this size you'll ever do this side of pure charity. So no, the food that judges get in a CBJ class is nowhere near competition grade, nor is it meant to be. The idea is to school the students on procedures and the judging system so that when they get to their first real contest they will already be familar with these aspects and can focus on evaluating samples. The cooks and volunteers that donate their time to do this do so as a way to give back to the BBQ community we love, as there is certainly no money or glory to be had from the exercise. Last edited by CivilWarBBQ; 09-30-2012 at 09:43 PM.. Reason: oops! bad math on the original box count

10-01-2012, 08:55 AM	#9
hamiltont is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 05-24-10 Location: Kearney, NE Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I guess we were very lucky based on the comments here. When I took the class our cook did an awesome job. I'm thinking pride played a little bit in that since almost everyone attending the class knew him... Definite KUDOS to those who do cook for classes. THANKS!!! __________________ If Homebrew & BBQ aren't the answer, then you're askin' the wrong questions... Cheers!!!

09-30-2012, 04:11 PM	#2
Nordy On the road to being a farker Join Date: 01-16-11 Location: Ponca City, OK Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Honestly... flavor profiles etc are not really covered in class. The pain point of the food is 1)maybe getting an idea about tendereness 2)simulating a real judging table for procedures etc 3)emphasizing stupid garnish rules 4)demonstrating what to do if there are not enough samples or if samples are not cut clean through. So... can you learn CBJ info without actually eating BBQ???... yeah... probably. Experience at a real contest is probably the best "learning" one can do as a judge. The class meat isn't that great anyway.

09-30-2012, 07:14 PM	#5
Smoke'n Ice is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 05-08-09 Location: Plano, TX Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	In my cbj class, the meat was so bad, my entire table paid it nose service only. We were not going to sample that s&^% without a gun to our head. I should also mention that others at the same table were extremely good bbq cooks and were only there to learn what the judges are really looking for. I was at the same comp and I was somewhat happy that the meat was not served. It meant that the new judges were not preconditioned to a poor sample of real bbq. Pictures work!!!

10-01-2012, 08:41 AM	#8
Nordy On the road to being a farker Join Date: 01-16-11 Location: Ponca City, OK Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	CWBBQ - Just to clarify... There was no offense intended in my post. I agree with everything you said and was in no way bashing those willing to cook for a class nor the product that they put out. There is NO WAY to do "real" competition cooking in that situation. My intention was only to state that having actual food to eat isn't the main point of the class.