Judge Before Competition?

[BBQ_Biker]

I have been planning on competing in 2 KCBS event's this season.
But, I am having second thought's, and think maybe I should attend a KCBS judges class prior to entering any competition's. Maybe judge an event, or at least learn what a judge is looking for.
Does anyone think this a good/bad idea?

[PekingPorker]

Honestly, you can learn more about what judges are looking for just reading posts on this forum and talking to Brethren. The judging class didn't teach me anything I had not already read or seen on youtube.

I just judged my first competition and have been competing for a couple years. I went in head first with the competitions and I think that's the best way to do it.

My best advice would be to just do a ton of practice cooks. Good luck!

[Ron_L]

I think every cook should take a judging class and judge at least once, but I'm not sure that it has to be before you do your first cook.

[Blanton]

It is a good way to learn the flavor profiles being used if you are not using comp rubs and sauces on the market.

[MarleyMan]

I have been competing for going on 3 years now, and became a CBJ in October 2014.

I would say soak up all the knowledge you can, practice and jump in feet first.

We never did backyard or judged before competing.....just do it.

[tduffy]

while i think it's beneficial to take the class and judge yourself, if you are reading what the people who consistently do well at contests post on this site, you are probably already ahead of what can be learned in a judging class. If you feel comfortable with turning in what you are practicing, I say go for it. It's still great experience and even if you don't nail a desired flavor profile or level of tenderness off of the bat you will be able to first hand put your cook timeline and turn-in process to test and then can change, tweak and fix anything you need to for the future. Best advice I have, give yourself more time than you think you will need to build your box and get it turned in. Everything takes longer than you envision it in your mind. And allows for extra time for plan B or to fix things that didn't go as planned. Which brings up another good point, have a plan B for each entry or be able to devise it on the fly. Things will end up not going as intended often times. Be ready for it.

[Skip]

If you have the opportunity to do it before you compete then I would say yes yes yes. You will see box builds and taste the commonality in the meats to know what you range you want to try and hit. If you are throwing something completely different at them you may see inconsistent marking.

We competed for a few years before taking our judging class and I will say it gave us as much needed information as taking a cooking class if only in different aspects. We also noticed a huge weight lifted after experiencing it from the other side. These unknowns about your food once you drop it off go away.

So if you have the opportunity go for it but don't delay your entry into competition by even a second if you can't. Just make it a goal of yours.

[Alexa RnQ]

Taking the judging class won't teach you what's winning, it will teach you what kind of garnishes are illegal.

Judging contests is a crapshoot -- you may be on the table that gets good entries, or you may be on the tables that get the scary food. If you get a chance to judge, by all means do, but I wouldn't alter my competition schedule to do so.

You will learn far more directly by being in the field, competing. You can make friends with your neighboring teams, ask to swap tastes of food and ask for honest feedback, and correlate that with the information on the score sheets at the end.

**Disclaimer: While we have been competing since 2007, I have not taken a judging class, and Vince did not do so until 2012. I suppose I should get around to it.

[Theresa B]

I knew we would be a competitive cook team. We became CBJ's 18 months before our first comp. Absolutely the way to go in my book!

[Schooly D]

I know many a cook that had his/her eyes opened after taking the judging class. If you've never competed, it's really the way to go. Sure you'll learn which garnish is illegal, but you'll also get to compare tasting notes with fellow judges after each round. You may not know who won, but you'll know the clear standouts vs. the failures.

[J&B'sBBQ]

We've wanted to and tried to sign up for a judging class for three years with no success (they just never fit our schedules). If we had a chance to take it and judge a contest, we would absolutely do it, but I'm not changing my competition schedule to do so. What Eric said right off the bat is 100% true; you can learn what you need to know from here, youtube, and BBQ Critic. Pair that with a cooking class and you'll be on your way to success :).

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Originally Posted by Theresa B

I knew we would be a competitive cook team. We became CBJ's 18 months before our first comp. Absolutely the way to go in my book!

Yep!, otherwise you might bring squash to the contest just to find out it's a watermelon contest.

[bradgreer]

We became CBJ's and judged a couple of shows several months before our first contest and to be honest I learned sooo much more by reading posts on this forum, and competing in a contest than I ever did judging.
Like it was mentioned before, judging is kindof a crap shoot. You really don't know whose food you are getting and weather or not it is a winning entry or not.
My best advice would be to take a tell all class, then dive into the pool.

[gettinbasted]

I got certified, but have yet to judge. Jump in and go.

[ModelMaker]

I judged for 3 years before I jumped in and to tell you the truth I felt like I was cheating. I knew what great presentation looked like before I ever made a box, I knew what the taste profiles were turning on the rest of my table. I knew the difference in tenderness of all 4 meat catagories, all I had to do was match it with my entry.
No the CBJ class did none of this for me, it's not supposed to. The class teaches you the rules and procedures for KCBS competition cooking. The knowledge comes from the time spent in the judges tent.
I think your wasting time and money chasing the learning curve without being a judge first.
Ed