March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 51 F

How Would You Judge A Barbecue

Residents in and around Anne Arundel County will soon be treated to the finest barbeque you can find. The occasion will be the Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival to be held at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville May 4th and 5th, 2012. Fifty professional and amateur teams will be cooking all night long to prepare their finest barbeque pork, chicken and beef to compete for cash prizes and to be recognized by the Governor as the best barbeque in the State of Maryland.

But how do you objectively judge fifty entries and determine winners without being run out of town?  That is the purview of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) and the judges they train. KCBS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbeque, and is the world’s largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 14,000 members worldwide. KCBS sanctions over 300 barbeque contests coast-to-coast throughout America each year, and they will train interested enthusiasts to be judges at each of these contests. Training takes place at over 100 Judges’ Schools, takes about half a day and graduates become a Certified Barbeque Judge or CBJ.

The Parole Rotary Foundation will be hosting a Certified Barbeque Judge’s Class which will take place the day before the Naptown barBAYq, May 3rd from 6pm to10pm at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville, MD.

Instructors Larry Hadley and Mark Simmons from the KCBS will be on site for the class.  Kit Rudd of DeGuello BBQ will cook the meat for instruction.  Kit took home prizes from The Jack Daniels Invitational “The Jack” last year and was the Rookie of the Year in 2010.  Students will learn to judge the barbequed smoked chicken, ribs, pork and brisket by using presentation, texture, taste and scoring rules. Successful students will receive a KCBS name badge which identifies them as a Certified BBQ Judge along with a one year KCBS membership, a $35 value.  These graduated CBJs will then be eligible to judge barbeque contests all over the US.    Judge students will have several pounds of fantastic BBQ food to eat and take home. It is not a bad idea to bring a small cooler and zip lock baggies.

According to Don Chomas, each student will be sworn in with the Certified Barbeque Judge’s Oath: “I do solemnly swear to objectively and subjectively evaluate each Barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes, my nose, my hands and my palate. I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever.”

The cost for the Judge’s Class is $65 for KCBS members, $100 for non KCBS members. (Non-KCBS members receive a one year membership to KCBS, and all participants receive a KCBS Certified Barbecue Judge Handbook). To register for the Judge’s Class, visit www.barBAYq.com.

The Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival, held at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville on May 4th and 5th, 2012, is a family affair and will feature food, libations, continuous live music from two stages, activities for all ages, arts and crafts vendors and cooking demonstrations. Admission is $5, kids admitted free. Parking at the Fairgrounds is free. More information about the Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival can be found at www.barBAYq.com, and information about becoming a judge for the event can be found at www.barbayq.com/certified-barbeque-judge-class/.

The Naptown barBAYq is hosted by the Parole Rotary Foundation, Inc. with all proceeds benefiting the Anne Arundel Medical Center Pediatrics Emergency Inpatient Unit and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

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