Comment card

[J&B'sBBQ]

We received our first comment card today since KCBS switched to the new scoring system. I really like the new layout because the information is very beneficial the way it's set up. When we got our sheet, it appeared that a lot of teams had a comment card attached to their score sheet and I was very happy to see this.
The judge gave us a 9-7-9 in chicken (we got 3-7's in taste), and marked exactly why they judged us down in taste. We were able to take what the judge said to us and UNDERSTAND where we missed on taste. This will be monumental in helping us to adjust for the next contest instead of just guessing what went wrong.
I post this because I know teams would really appreciate this kind of feedback from the judges when they get dinged on things (and we have a lot of judges floating around in here). If we hadn't received this card, we would have been left scratching our heads with no direction in where to go with our food. :-D

 

[bbq.tom]

Hey Beth, congrats on your 8th place finish with a 5th in both ribs and pork!!!

Glad you got a comment card to help you identify what the judge found on your chicken taste. I wish more judges would use the cards to let teams know why they received the scores they got. I judged in Evansville, IN today and they passed out 1 comment card to each judge before we started, so at least the judges knew what they were like (not that they used them).

Keep up the good work!

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

We all wish more judges would use the comment cards :-D.

Thanks for the well wishes; we had a great day today and even though our chicken didn't do as well, we're not changing anything because it was the exact same stuff we turned in at Bainbridge and took 8th. We're ready for Cornelia!

 

[rtboswell]

I wish it was required for a judge to use a comment card if they scored 7 (maybe 6) or lower. Not only is it helpful for the team but I think it is an accountability measure as well: requiring a judge to actually process their scoring a little further can only cause them to really consider the score.

 

[bbq.tom]

I wish it was required for a judge to use a comment card if they scored 7 (maybe 6) or lower. Not only is it helpful for the team but I think it is an accountability measure as well: requiring a judge to actually process their scoring a little further can only cause them to really consider the score.

I TOTALLY agree! As I've stated many times on this forum, I wish that a comment was required for EVERY sample no matter how good or poor it is. That would ensure judges actually think about the scores given and it would let the teams know exactly why they got the score from each judge. It would mean extending turn-in times to at least 45 minutes apart, but would add creditability to the whole process. Just my $0.02.

 

[Stark-O-Rama]

I agree.

 

[DawgPhan]

got a comment card this weekend that my pork didnt taste like pork.

I love those types of comments.

 

[smoke-n-fire]

i would have loved some comment cards but we got nothing

 

[Red Valley BBQ]

I wish it was required for a judge to use a comment card if they scored 7 (maybe 6) or lower. Not only is it helpful for the team but I think it is an accountability measure as well: requiring a judge to actually process their scoring a little further can only cause them to really consider the score.

While I don't necessarily disagree with you, I think it might cause some judges to score higher just to keep from doing "paperwork" (especially those there just for the meal). Having even some judges inflating scores to keep from filling out a comment card could potentially screw a few teams at awards that rightfully earned their high scores.

While comment cards are helpful to teams in some cases, I'm not sure requiring judges to fill them out is the answer and may do more harm than good.

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

While I don't necessarily disagree with you, I think it might cause some judges to score higher just to keep from doing "paperwork" (especially those there just for the meal). Having even some judges inflating scores to keep from filling out a comment card could potentially screw a few teams at awards that rightfully earned their high scores.

While comment cards are helpful to teams in some cases, I'm not sure requiring judges to fill them out is the answer and may do more harm than good.

This is the eternal debate, to comment or not...

I fully understand where you're coming from, and that is always the defense against requiring comment cards. I agree more with what Tom said that comment cards should be required across the board instead of it being based on a score. I get that it would extend the time spent on judging, but KCBS needs to come up with some sort of a solution to this. There have been too many times that teams, us included, have left wondering what on earth happened because nobody took the time to let them know what went wrong (in that judges eyes).

 

[Atlasman]

Comment cards are great.............when you get good feedback.

I have seen too many cards that have terrible feedback though and all those do is frustrate the cooks even more as they think they got a clueless judge.

I had a judge write to me that ribs should NEVER be displayed meat side up but rather on their side.........I also had someone claim I poured pickle juice on my brisket.

I've also seen others get crazy cards.......LOL, one guy got 2 cards from the same table. One said his brisket was way over cooked and the other said it was way under cooked.

I'm sure we could start a great thread on what's the craziest comment card you've ever got??


I'm all for quality feedback but I wouldn't ever worry about what one or two judges say.......if you keep getting those comments in multiple contests then you have a legit issue.

Don't change your flavor profile based on what two people said. What did the other judges score you on taste??

 

[rtboswell]

While I don't necessarily disagree with you, I think it might cause some judges to score higher just to keep from doing "paperwork" (especially those there just for the meal). Having even some judges inflating scores to keep from filling out a comment card could potentially screw a few teams at awards that rightfully earned their high scores.

While comment cards are helpful to teams in some cases, I'm not sure requiring judges to fill them out is the answer and may do more harm than good.

I can definitely see that happening with some judges and the thing about it is that there is a deeper underlying problem with what I believe to be very minimal requirements to judge in the first place; this mechanism allows those that you say there are just for the meal to fulfill very slim requirements to eat. I didn't want to hijack the thread in that direction though so I left it unsaid earlier.

 

[GT-Q]

I wish they would give comment cards in backyard, but they seem to as often as in the pros. I think it would make it easier to advance to if they would. I don't have a problem with a low score if it is deserved, but I would like to at least know why.

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

Comment cards are great.............when you get good feedback.

I have seen too many cards that have terrible feedback though and all those do is frustrate the cooks even more as they think they got a clueless judge.

I had a judge write to me that ribs should NEVER be displayed meat side up but rather on their side.........I also had someone claim I poured pickle juice on my brisket.

I've also seen others get crazy cards.......LOL, one guy got 2 cards from the same table. One said his brisket was way over cooked and the other said it was way under cooked.

I'm sure we could start a great thread on what's the craziest comment card you've ever got??


I'm all for quality feedback but I wouldn't ever worry about what one or two judges say.......if you keep getting those comments in multiple contests then you have a legit issue.

Don't change your flavor profile based on what two people said. What did the other judges score you on taste??

That could be a pretty funny thread! We got one when we were doing BY last year that informed us that our ribs tasted like lighter fluid, an item which we've NEVER used in our pit...EVER!

On that note, have you received one of the new comment cards in KCBS yet? They are much more streamlined than the previous format. If I can figure out how to get a picture from my phone into the forum I'll post a picture of the one we got this weekend.

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

Lets try this :-D

There is also a section at the bottom for written comments, but we didn't have anything there to share.

 

[EMTTLC]

I cooked Summerville too. Worst scores in five years. No comment cards. I also judge a number of events and use comment cards on anything that gets a six or less, I've used a few on sevens when I had something to say that I thought would be helpful to the cook. I posted something a few years ago about requiring judges to use a comment card on every entry and the overwhelming response was: comment cards are useless and there is no way the judges could do it. I disagree.

 

[columbia1]

We mainly cook PNWBA comps, and all judges give comment cards for every entry, I find about 80% of them very usefully and consistant and about 20% out in left field. Over-all I believe they are very valuable, especially for newer cooks. When we started competing I am sure they sped up my learning curve as I was able to quickly adjust without guessing.

 

[cpw]

View attachment 93887

Lets try this :-D

There is also a section at the bottom for written comments, but we didn't have anything there to share.

That looks like it would be incredibly helpful. I hope we get to see some of those at our KCBS competitions.

 

[bjarvis]

Beth, I got the same exact comment card from the same table.

 

[bbq.tom]

Beth, I got the same exact comment card from the same table.

What do you bet it came from the same judge?!?!?