The month of April means the beginning of the barbecue competition season. By this time of year we can’t wait to get started with our backyard barbecue and all the things that go with it. On the East Coast the first barbecue competition of the season is Pork in the Park in Salisbury, Maryland. It is a well-run event with lots of competitors. This year they had 134 barbecue teams.

The Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) is the sanctioning body for this event. They are also the organization that certifies judges. There are many great reasons to be a barbecue judge. First of all and the best reason to be a judge is that you get to sample the best barbecue in the world. These competitions bring together great barbecue cooks that know their stuff about cooking smoked barbecue. In this event with more than 134 competitors you got to sample some pretty good smoked meat.

The second reason that it is great to be a judge is that it improves your own barbecue. You learn how good barbecue actually tastes. Before becoming a judge I used to think that boiled ribs were pretty good. You just don’t know until you try real barbecue. It makes you want to go out and learn how it is done.

The third attractive reason to be a judge is that you get to meet people from many walks of life. I had fellow judges that were social workers, doctors, professors, truck drivers, caterers, plumbers, …. anyway you get the picture. It was a lot of fun to talk about Q with all of these people.

The fourth reason to be a judge is that it gives you something to do on the weekend. You can plan your weekends well ahead of time so that you know exactly what you’re going to do during the summer and fall. Some judges travel to competitions every weekend. Most of them try to stay within a 4 to 5 hour drive from home. What is not apparent is that these judges travel to these events at their own expense.

A fifth reason is tied to the fourth in that is that you get to travel to many different places. There are competitions in the large cities such as Washington DC and in many small towns such as Salisbury. It is fun to go to these places if you have never been there.

My wife likes the sixth reason (and I do too). That reason to be a judge is that it gives couples something to do together. There are many married couples in barbecue judging. KCBS has a rule that married couples cannot be at the same judging tables. This is a good rule for obvious reasons.

The last and most important reason to be a barbecue judge is that it is just plain fun. For all of the reasons above (and probably many more) judging is a great activity. You get to taste some great food, make friends, learn about barbecue, and go places. So if you think that this is something that you would like to do then go to the case KCBS site and find a judging class and join the fun.

Regards,

TC McRae

If you would like to visit the originating website for this post click this link: Backyard Smoker Barbeque Blog - A Blog for People Who Love the Flavor of Smoked Barbeque and the Fun of the Barbeque Community.

My friend and neighbor George Hensler just wrote a book about starting a competition barbecue team. The book is a great read on the topic of barbecue and specifically on the topic of barbecue competition teams. This book is all about entering the world of competition barbecue, there are no recipes so don’t look for any. George gives a very detailed look at what it takes to get going.

Getting into competition barbecue not a trivial pursuit. There is a huge time and money commitment. George goes through the process of planning and organizing the effort so that process doesn’t take away from the cooking. He also points out that barbecue competition cooking can be great fun. If you are considering starting a competition barbecue team then this book is required reading.

A great upside to reading this book that George is an excellent writer. He is a contributing columnist for the Kansas City Barbecue Society newsletter called the Bull Sheet. His style of writing is upbeat, conversational, and funny. We think that you will enjoy the book.

Go to George’s website now by clicking this link if you would like to get more information about the book.

If you would like to visit the originating website for this post click this link: Backyard Smoker Barbeque Blog - A Blog for People Who Love the Flavor of Smoked Barbeque and the Fun of the Barbeque Community.

Hey it’s that time of year again, the time of year when we all look forward to barbecue season. The wife and I are barbecue judges and the first event that we usually attend is the Pork in the Park Barbecue Festival in Salisbury Maryland. This is the seventh year for this event. The event will be held on April 16-18, 2010.

For those not familiar with Salisbury it is on Maryland’s eastern shore.  It’s a beautiful area and well worth the visit. Last years event was great with a huge turnout including 84 barbecue teams, vendor barbecue, motorcycle clubs, craft vendors, and local community organizations. This year they think they will have over 100 barbecue teams.

What I remember about last year’s event is that they had lots of great bands. The music was awesome. This year they anticipate having a battle of the bands. The local radio station 96 Rock will referee the battle.

This is a family-friendly event so there are many activities for the kids. The big event is the barbecue competition. The winner of this event add to his Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) standing and (if a Marylander) will be in the running for the state championship. The barbecue competition is primarily for the professionals but there is a backyard barbecue competition that anyone can enter.

What I liked the most about this event is that it is well organized. So many times when you go to these festivals they seem to be chaotic from a barbecue judging perspective. This is not the case at Pork in the Park. Sandy Fulton is the organizer and she puts on a great event. This event keeps to the schedule, is well resourced, and just plain fun (they have great T-shirts, too).

So if you’re in the area at this time of year put this party on your calendar. It’s a great event!

Regards,

Tony

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If you would like to visit the originating website for this post click this link: Backyard Smoker Barbeque Blog - A Blog for People Who Love the Flavor of Smoked Barbeque and the Fun of the Barbeque Community.