I judged the BBQ competition at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas last year. The BBQ contest ran under KCBS sanction and rules. The other categories used the EAT method developed by the contest organizers. It was one of the most well thought out descriptions of what a judge should consider when judging a culinary contest. Is it perfect, no, but it comes close in my opinion. This is it below. There is no
"So what does all of that mean, exactly? Well it doesn’t “exactly” mean anything. Remember, human judging is subjective with objectivity mixed in. There is no exact right answer. It’s not math, it’s culinary!
Here’s what it means in approximation. In the judges meeting, the judges will be tasked with the difficult duty of evaluating each dish on its own and by its own merits. They will be told to evaluate the dish on appearance. Is it pleasing to the eye? Does it look appetizing? Do you want to take a big bite out of it right now? They will be told to evaluate the dish on taste. Is it pleasing to the taste buds? Does it make you want to eat more? Are the flavors appealing? Is there an appropriate balance of flavor? Does one element overpower the others? And lastly, they will be told to evaluate the dish on execution. Did the dish come together? In your assessment, if, in the case of evaluating a burger, is there an appropriate ratio of topping, to burger, to condiment, to bun? In your opinion, did the cook successfully accomplish what they set out to accomplish? Does the dish meet the criteria of the specific category?
At all points, a human will enter into human judging with personal biases. It’s important for the judges to attempt to place all personal biases aside and evaluate a dish simply on its own merits.
When all is said and done, the judges are left with the responsibility to assess and evaluate the success of each dish placed in front of them. The judges hold the cards to the hopeful bright and shining culinary future of each participant in this Ultimate Food Fight. This is not a task to be taken lightly, rather, it’s a responsibility they will the instructed to take particular care of and pay specific attention to when judging. The serious nature of this responsibility is only fair to the competitors’ blood, sweat and tears that were shed to plan, prepare and execute each dish."
There is no way to codify how something should taste, it is impossible. But, judges should take the time and care to judge as fairly as possible, judging an entry on its own merits and leaving your personal preferences aside. I think KCBS needs to have discussion about judging for taste and provide some guidance to judges as they do on tenderness. I think the ideas presented above are a great jumping off point for that discussion.
