By Anthony P. Moore, KCBS Certified Judge

What does it take? Foremost, you have to enjoy eating BBQ. You also have to be willing to follow the instructions provided by the KCBS. You would not want to be a judge if you are allergic to Pork, Beef, Chicken, or any of the spices and ingredients used to spice and sauce the meat.

What will I be Judging? The KCBS requires 4 categories in their sanctioned competitions: 1) Pork ribs, 2) Chicken, 3) Pork Shoulder (Pulled Pork), and 4) Beef Brisket. This year, Princeton will only have the four required categories. Additional categories can be added such as desert, turkey, wild game, etc. The KCBS has additional instructions to competitors about each category that must be followed to avoid disqualification.

How does the judging work? Judging is done by tables of six judges. Each table judges six entries for each category. So, each entry is judged by only one table of six judges. Each judge judges 6 entries for each of the four categories or 24 pieces of meat. There is a table captain assigned to each table of judges. This is a seventh person, not one of the judges. The table captain brings the entries to the table and tends to the needs of the judges. Each entry is scored for three items: Appearance, Taste, and Tenderness. The judging scale is from 2 to 9. You start at 6 and raise or lower the score based on the entry. If you give an entry a 2, you are basically saying the entry is garbage and you would not feed it to your dog. A nine means the BBQ is the best. Only the KCBS representative can give an entry a 1, which means it is disqualified. You mark your score on a card provided by the KCBS. All scorecards are collected by the table captain and entered into a computer by the KCBS representative. The computer tabulates the winners.

Do I have to be a KCBS Certified Judge? NO, but organizers and competitors prefer certified judges because these judges are trained to be consistent in how they judge BBQ. If you are not a certified judge, do not be intimidated. The KCBS representative for the competition will present a judges meeting the day of the event that all judges are required to attend. The KCBS rep will review instructions for judges to follow.

Where can I read more about being a judge? The KCBS has an instruction pamphlet for judges at the following shortcut: http://www.kcbs.us/downloads/2006InstructionsforJudgesFINAL.pdf .