In my never-ending journey of discovery that is RIBBQNews, I quickly realized, “Boy, you don’t know s#@t about the smoking game.” Well, maybe that’s not entirely accurate; I know how to eat it and what I like. However, if I am going to write about BBQ, I need some education.
A quick trip to a BBQ competition in Wrentham, MA, gave me a light bulb over my head (trust me, it doesn’t happen often). Before the competition started, we went to the organizers’ meeting and got a lot of info about how a competition is run. One of the things that stood out to me was the rules and regulations for the judges. These folks are not just some people that they drag off the street; these are all accredited BBQ judges. A judge is required to be certified through either NEBS-The Northeast BBQ Society or the larger Kansas City BBQ Society. The difference is that with a KCBS certificate, you can judge a broader range of events, while NEBS is basically just the northeast US. Taking a BBQ judging class is a great way to learn what competitive BBQ is all about and what judges look for in quality smoked meat.
I signed up for a NEBS class on June 10 and got to Millers Bar and Grill in Cranston, RI, just before ten on a Saturday morning. Parked outside Miller’s front entrance was a food truck and team called Fat Kids BBQ Competition Team. Fat Kids would provide all the food for tasting and judging. It already smelled great. Once inside Miller’s, I found what I expected, i.e., a bunch of good-natured, friendly people from all walks of life who share a common love: BBQ.
Our BBQ professor for the day was none other than Ben Piela, The NEBS Judging Committee Chairman. Ben gave a good and informative intro to the class and judging in general and then we got right into it. First, Ben went over a few do’s and don’ts, like “try your best to avoid sucking your fingers.” No one wants to see you reaching into the sample tray after that. BANG! I failed that one right out the gate on the first box. Luckily, everyone was watching Ben.
I recovered, and what followed was 3 hours of tasting good BBQ, bad BBQ, BBQ that wasn’t presented correctly or didn’t follow the cooking instructions, etc. There was definitely a lot more to this than I anticipated, But it was fun. Talking to the other students, helping each other out, and finding the little tricks the pitmaster threw in to catch us off guard. Three hours went by in a flash. We had a lot of laughs and an interesting conversation. At the end, there was a little ceremony, which I won’t give away, and viola! We were all certified NEBS judges. I walked out of Miller’s that day very glad I had come and felt my BBQ knowledge grow, even if there was still a long way to go.
BBQ Judging classes can be found online at www.nebs.org
Price:$70
