I took the FBA judges class several months back (well, 9 months ago to be exact) and finally managed to judge my first contest in Elba at the Foggy Bottom BBQ Festival.
One would think that eating great BBQ all day long would be a dream, and it was at first. I was so happy and the great smelling BBQ had my appetite fired up so I was pumped up to get started. The first turn in- chicken- was pretty good and I tasted all my samples… then I accidentally finished off my plate. Yup. I ate 4 pieces of chicken thighs.
In class they tell you to pace yourself. “Don’t eat too much early, because by the end you’ll be miserable if you do.” I didn’t listen- or the smoky BBQ had my brain confused because I did just that. I ate too much.
Ribs came next and I was doing well to only take one bite from each of the boxes at my table. Unfortunately, when they opened it up for “grazing” people were saying, “hey- taste that one!” or “this one’s really good”. So I ate a few more ribs at noon. I ate 4 bites then ate 3 entire ribs.
Then the pulled pork/ shoulder came out at 1:00 pm and I ate more. And more. Then the brisket arrived at 2 and I was just about cooked. The food was up to my throat, I think, but I completed my task and judges everything put before me.
I will say that I learned a LOT. I learned from the judges, the table captain (Thanks, KEVIN!) and the teams. One box in particular stands out in my mind. The table captain opened the box, and I was almost afraid to try it because it was kinda ugly, and not a pretty color. But when I put that meat in my mouth, it received the highest score of the day from me! So never judge a book or a box by its cover!
Teams-don’t underestimate the power of a good presentation, either. It’s 1/3rd of your score!
Kerry Farrell< Dothan Al. (FPBS Member)
