The air was thick with smoky goodness on June 20, 2015 when I arrived at West Center Street Promenade in Downtown Anaheim, CA for the Q'ing & Brew'ing BBQ Competition & BeerFest. The event was organized by Harry Soo and Steve Botkin as a follow-up to Harry's December 2013 "1st Annual Harry Soo Groovin' Backyard Cookoff" at Maurice Car’rie Winery in Temecula.
I was privileged to be asked to judge the event, as well as to mentor the 24 teams that signed-up for the competition, many competing for the first time. If you're not familiar with a backyard competition, they are less formal than the usual KCBS sanctioned contest. Unlike normal contests, judges are encouraged to mingle with teams before turn-ins to help them learn. Instead of blind judging, the contestants present their turn-in boxes personally at the judges' table and watch as the judges sample and score the entry. Then the judges discuss their scores and provide feedback directly to the contestants, who can then ask questions directly of the judges. Plenty of constructive feedback is provided, and the Certified BBQ Judges score the entries just as they would in a real competition--except that entries are not scored down for illegal garnish, foreign objects in the box, pooled sauce, marked meat, or not enough samples in the box...a warning is given instead.
This format is a unique learning opportunity, not only for contestants, but for judges, too. We barbecue judges rarely know the scores of our fellow judges at the table, but this is clearly known under the open judging format. And as a judge, I learned a lot by hearing how the other five Certified BBQ Judges at my table explained their rationale for their scores. Some of the CBJs at my table were also competitors, so they were uniquely qualified to offer tips to the contestants on how to improve their entries. It's a win-win for both competitor and CBJ, I think. If you've not participated in open judging, don't be afraid to give it a try. I think you'll learn a lot.
The 24 teams arrived at 5:30am Saturday morning to cook tri-tip, chicken and pork ribs. They were spread-out over three blocks along West Center Street Promenade, interspersed with live music, barbecue tasting booths, and a selection of craft beers from local breweries. Harry conducted an "Easy Turn-in Box" class at 8:00am for the first-time competitors to get them on the right track in terms of how to build a turn-in box and which garnishes are legal.
The weather cooperated nicely, warm but not oppressively hot, and everyone seemed to have a very good time. At the end of the day, the scores were tallied up as in a normal KCBS contest and the winners were announced.
Best of all, proceeds went to some well-deserving charities, including Operation Homefront, Save The Children and American Cancer Society. As you know, Harry is all about spreading BBQ love and doing good works, so it was no surprise that this event would also have a charitable aspect.
I met some great people at the event and passed out lots of TVWB pins to WSM owners. I want to congratulate everyone that participated, especially the first-timers! You did great!
Here are some photos from the event, I hope you enjoy them! Some photos courtesy of Steve Botkin, Harry Soo, and Ben Lobenstein.
Late Friday night setup for the big event Saturday morning.
Harry Soo gathering the teams for a crash-course in how to build a turn-in box.
Lettuce goes in the bottom as a base, parsley frames the meat around the edges...
Trophies await their new owners.
Charcoal is lit...
Meats are prepared...
Cookers are arranged with care...
Ribs are cooked and ready for the turn-in box.
Weber Smokey Mountain Cookers and kettles were popular with teams at this contest. I guess Harry had something to do with that...
Continued...
I was privileged to be asked to judge the event, as well as to mentor the 24 teams that signed-up for the competition, many competing for the first time. If you're not familiar with a backyard competition, they are less formal than the usual KCBS sanctioned contest. Unlike normal contests, judges are encouraged to mingle with teams before turn-ins to help them learn. Instead of blind judging, the contestants present their turn-in boxes personally at the judges' table and watch as the judges sample and score the entry. Then the judges discuss their scores and provide feedback directly to the contestants, who can then ask questions directly of the judges. Plenty of constructive feedback is provided, and the Certified BBQ Judges score the entries just as they would in a real competition--except that entries are not scored down for illegal garnish, foreign objects in the box, pooled sauce, marked meat, or not enough samples in the box...a warning is given instead.
This format is a unique learning opportunity, not only for contestants, but for judges, too. We barbecue judges rarely know the scores of our fellow judges at the table, but this is clearly known under the open judging format. And as a judge, I learned a lot by hearing how the other five Certified BBQ Judges at my table explained their rationale for their scores. Some of the CBJs at my table were also competitors, so they were uniquely qualified to offer tips to the contestants on how to improve their entries. It's a win-win for both competitor and CBJ, I think. If you've not participated in open judging, don't be afraid to give it a try. I think you'll learn a lot.
The 24 teams arrived at 5:30am Saturday morning to cook tri-tip, chicken and pork ribs. They were spread-out over three blocks along West Center Street Promenade, interspersed with live music, barbecue tasting booths, and a selection of craft beers from local breweries. Harry conducted an "Easy Turn-in Box" class at 8:00am for the first-time competitors to get them on the right track in terms of how to build a turn-in box and which garnishes are legal.
The weather cooperated nicely, warm but not oppressively hot, and everyone seemed to have a very good time. At the end of the day, the scores were tallied up as in a normal KCBS contest and the winners were announced.
Best of all, proceeds went to some well-deserving charities, including Operation Homefront, Save The Children and American Cancer Society. As you know, Harry is all about spreading BBQ love and doing good works, so it was no surprise that this event would also have a charitable aspect.
I met some great people at the event and passed out lots of TVWB pins to WSM owners. I want to congratulate everyone that participated, especially the first-timers! You did great!
Here are some photos from the event, I hope you enjoy them! Some photos courtesy of Steve Botkin, Harry Soo, and Ben Lobenstein.
Late Friday night setup for the big event Saturday morning.
Harry Soo gathering the teams for a crash-course in how to build a turn-in box.
Lettuce goes in the bottom as a base, parsley frames the meat around the edges...
Trophies await their new owners.
Charcoal is lit...
Meats are prepared...
Cookers are arranged with care...
Ribs are cooked and ready for the turn-in box.
Weber Smokey Mountain Cookers and kettles were popular with teams at this contest. I guess Harry had something to do with that...
Continued...
