Just found out most competition judges don't actually taste the bark

I was reading through the Kansas City Barbecue Society rules last night and found out that in some sanctioned events, judges are told to focus on the meat's texture and moisture, not the bark. That blew my mind because I spend hours getting that crust perfect on my brisket. Has anyone else adjusted their cook style based on what judges actually look for?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan54526d ago

I've got a buddy who competed in a KCBS event down in Texas last year and he was telling me the same thing. They literally give judges a sheet that says "bark is not a scoring factor" or something like that. So he spent weeks dialing in this perfect mahogany crust with pepper and salt only to find out they were judging the pink ring and juice factor way more. What I'm wondering is - do you think people who cook for competition are now purposely keeping their bark thinner or lighter so the judge can see more smoke ring? Cause I'd think a thick black crust might actually hide that.

patriciam2226d ago

Wait, I actually read somewhere that some competition cooks are going lighter on the bark on purpose for exactly that reason. There was an interview with a grand champion guy who said he stopped using coarse pepper because it made the bark too dark and craggy, so judges couldn't see the smoke ring clearly. Wasn't there a whole controversy about that in KCBS a couple years back? People were saying they'd rather have a tacky, lighter crust that shows off the pink inside instead of a thick black shell. Honestly makes you wonder if we've gone too far when bark isn't even being scored anymore.