2008 Official
Rules and Regulations / Judging Procedures
The following rules, regulations and procedures will be used
at all KCBS Sanctioned Contests effective March 1, 2008.
The Kansas City Barbeque Society
11514 Hickman Mills Drive
Kansas City, MO 64134
Phone: 816-765-5891 or 1-800-963-KCBS
Fax: 816-765-5860
E-Mail: info@kcbs.us
www.kcbs.us
CREED
Rules are designed to be fair and equal to all cookers. Integrity of the
Contestants, Judges, KCBS Contest Representatives, and Organizers is essential.
© 2008 Revision 20080210
2008 Rules and Regulations
1.
The decision and interpretations of the KCBS Rules and Regulations are at the
discretion of the KCBS Contest Representatives at the contest. Their decisions
and interpretations are final.
2. Each team shall consist of a chief cook and as many assistants as the chief
cook deems necessary. A team shall not compete in more than one contest under
the same team name, on the same date.
3. Each team will be assigned a cooking space. Pits, cookers, props, trailers,
motor homes, vehicles, tents or any other equipment (including generators) shall
not exceed the boundaries of the team’s assigned cooking space. All seasoning
and cooking of product shall be done within the assigned cooking space. Teams
shall not share an assigned cooking space or cooking device.
4. Contestants shall provide all needed equipment, supplies and electricity,
except as arranged for in advance. Contestants must adhere to all electrical,
fire and other codes. A fire extinguisher shall be near all cooking devices.
5. Fires shall be of wood, wood pellets or charcoal. Gas and electric heat
sources shall not be permitted for cooking or holding. Propane or
electric is permitted as fire starters, provided that the competition meat
is not in/on the cooking device. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers,
or forced draft are permitted. No open pits or holes are permitted, except at
the election of the contest organizer. Fires shall not be built on the ground.
6. Parboiling and/or deep-frying competition meat is not allowed.
7. The Four KCBS Meat Categories: CHICKEN: Chicken includes Cornish Game Hen and
Kosher Chicken.
PORK RIBS: Ribs shall include the bone. Country style ribs are prohibited.
PORK: Pork is defined as Boston Butt, Picnic and/or Whole Shoulder, weighing a
minimum of five (5) pounds. Pork shall be cooked (bone in or bone out) and shall
not be parted.
BEEF BRISKET: May be whole brisket, flat, or point. Corned beef is not allowed.
8. All competition meats shall be inspected by the Official Meat Inspector
during the times established by the contest organizer but not prior to the day
before judging. Once the competition meat has been inspected, it shall not leave
the contest site. Cooking shall not begin until the competition meat has been
inspected by the Official Meat Inspector. All competition meat shall start out
raw. No pre-seasoned meat is allowed other than manufacturer enhanced or
injected products, as shown on label (EXCLUDING (but not limited to): teriyaki,
lemon pepper or butter injected). When the contest organizer supplies the meat,
the contestant is not required to enter only that meat. (Competition meat not
meeting these qualifications shall be disqualified; given a one (1) in all
criteria by all six judges.)
9. Garnish is optional. If used, it is limited to chopped, sliced, shredded or
whole leaves of fresh green lettuce, curly parsley, flat leaf parsley and/or
cilantro. Kale, endive, red tipped lettuce, lettuce cores and other vegetation
are prohibited. (Improper garnish shall receive a score of one (1) on
Appearance).
10. Sauce is optional. If used, it shall be applied directly to the meat and not
be pooled or puddled in the container. No side sauce containers will be
permitted in the turn-in container. Chunky sauce will be allowed. Chunks are to
be no larger than a fine dice, (approximately 1/8 inch cubed). (Sauce
violations shall receive a score of one (1) on Appearance).
11. Entries will be submitted in an approved KCBS numbered container, provided
by the contest organizer. The number must be on top of the container at turn-in.
The container shall not be marked in anyway so as to make the container unique
or identifiable. Aluminum foil, toothpicks, skewers, foreign material, and/or
stuffing are prohibited in the container. (Marked entries will receive a one (1)
in all criteria from all Judges).
12. Each contestant must submit at least six (6) separated and identifiable
(visible) portions of meat in a container. Chicken, pork and brisket may be
submitted chopped, pulled, sliced, or diced as the cook sees fit, as long as
there is enough for six (6) judges. Ribs shall be turned in bone-in. Judges may
not cut, slice, or shake apart to separate pieces. (If there is not enough meat
for each judge to sample, the shorted judge(s) will score a one (1) on all
criteria, and the judges having samples will change the Appearance score to one
(1).)
13. Meat shall not be sculptured, branded or presented in a way to make it
identifiable. Rosettes of meat slices are not allowed. (Violations of this rule
will be scored a one (1) on all criteria by all six judges.)
14. Turn-in times will be announced at the Cooks Meeting. An entry will be
judged only at the time established by the contest organizer. The allowable
turn-in time will be five (5) minutes before to five (5) minutes after the
posted time with no tolerance. Late entries will not be accepted. Judging
typically starts at Noon on Saturday, but could vary at any contest.
The four (4) KCBS categories will be judged in the following order:
CHICKEN . . . . . . . . NOON
PORK RIBS . . . . . . 12:30 pm
PORK . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:00 pm
BEEF BRISKET . . . . 1:30 pm
15. The following cleanliness and safety rules will apply:
A. No use of any tobacco products while handling meat.
B. Cleanliness of the cook, assistant cooks, cooking device(s) and the team’s
assigned cooking space is required.
C. Shirt and shoes are required to be worn.
D. Sanitizing of work area should be implemented with the use of a bleach/water
rinse (one cap/gallon of water). Each contestant will provide a separate
container for washing, rinsing and sanitizing of utensils.
E. First aid is not required to be provided by the contest, except at the
election of the contest organizer.
F. Prior to cooking, meat must be maintained at 40 degrees or less.
G. After cooking, all meat:
(a) Must be held at 140 degrees or above, --or—
(b) Cooked potentially hazardous food shall be cooled:
(1) Within 2 hours from 140 degrees F to 70 degrees F and
(2) Within 4 hours from 70 degrees F to 41 degrees F or less
(3) Potentially hazardous food (meat) that is cooked, properly cooled, and later
reheated for hot holding and serving shall be reheated so that all parts of the
food reach a temperature of at least 165 degrees F for a minimum of 15 seconds.
16. It is the responsibility of the contestant to see that the team’s assigned
cooking space is clean and orderly following the contest. All fires must be put
out, pits filled (if allowed by contest organizer), and all equipment removed
from site. It is imperative that clean-up be thorough. Any team’s assigned
cooking space left in disarray or with loose trash, other than at trash
containers, may disqualify the team from future participation at KCBS sanctioned
events.
17. There will be no refund of entry fees for any reason, except at the election
of the contest organizer.
18. Showmanship and cooking are separate entities and will be judged as such.
Specific information will be provided by a contest organizer if there is to be a
showmanship award.
CAUSES FOR DISQUALIFICATION & EVICTION
(of a team, its members and/or guests):
A cook team is responsible jointly and severally for its head cook, its team
members and its guests.
A. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages or public intoxication with a
disturbance.
B. Serving alcoholic beverages to the general public.
C. Use of illegal controlled substances.
D. Foul, abusive or unacceptable language, or any language causing a
disturbance.
E. Excessive noise generated from speakers or public address systems. (Quiet
time will start at 11:00 p.m. on contest nights and will last until 7:00 a.m.
The use of radios or amplifying equipment will not be allowed during this time
period.)
F. Fighting and/or disorderly conduct
G. Theft, dishonesty, cheating, use of prohibited meats, or any act involving
moral turpitude.
H. Use of gas or other auxiliary heat sources inside the cooking device.
I. Violation of any of the KCBS Cook’s Rules (above, save and except #9 –
13).
Excessive or continued complaints from teams on any of the above rule
infractions shall be considered grounds for immediate disqualification from the
contest by KCBS Representatives, Organizers and/or Security.
In addition, any violation of the above rules shall be reported to the KCBS
Board of Directors who may in addition to the above disqualification impose
additional penalties upon the team, the head cook, and its members including but
not limited to disqualification from competing in KCBS events for a period of
time not to exceed five years. All complaints of disturbance or violation of
quiet time shall be reported to the Board of Directors.
Clarification: If product is turned in and is disqualified, it receives a 1
(one) in all criteria. If the team is disqualified and not allowed to turn in,
or if the product is turned in after the time limit (not accepted), it is not
judged and receives no score.
Judging Procedures
KCBS sanctioning allows for blind judging only. Entries will be submitted in an
approved KCBS numbered container provided by the contest organizer. The
container may be re-numbered by the KCBS Contest Rep or authorized personnel
before being presented to the judges.
1. Judges may not fraternize with teams on turn-in day until conclusion of
judging.
2. Judging will be done by a team of 6 persons, who are at least 16 years of
age.
(Only Judges, Contest Reps and necessary support staff are allowed in judging
area during the judging process. No other activities are permitted in the
judging area, during judging process.)
3. Each judge will first score all the samples for appearance of the meat. The
turn-in containers will then be passed around the table and each judge will
place a sample from each of the containers in the appropriate box on the judging
mat. The judge will then score each entry for taste and tenderness/texture,
before moving on to the next entry.
4. The scoring system is from 9 to 2, all whole numbers between two and nine may
be used to score an entry. 9 excellent, 8 very good, 7 above average, 6
average, 5 below average, 4 poor, 3 bad, and 2 inedible.
5. A score of one (1) is a disqualification and requires approval by a Contest
Rep.
Grounds for disqualification:
Appearance: Unapproved garnish, sculptured meat, marked turn-in container,
foreign object in container,
less than 6 samples of meat or pooled sauce.
Taste & Tenderness: Sculptured meat, marked turn-in container, foreign object in
container, or judges not receiving a sample.
6. The weighting factors for the point system are as follows: Appearance -
0.5714, Taste - 2.2858,
Tenderness / Texture - 1.1428
7. The low score will be thrown out. Results will be tallied. If there is a tie
in one of the categories, it will be broken by the computer, as follows: The
scores will be compared (counting all five judges) for the highest cumulative
scores in taste, then tenderness, then appearance. If still tied, then the low
score, which was thrown out, will be compared and the higher of the low scores
will break the tie. If still tied, then a computer generated coin toss will be
used.
8. Total points per entry will determine the champion within each classification
of meat.
9. Cumulative points for only the four (4) KCBS classifications will determine
the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion (except the Dodge City, KS;
BarbeQlossal; Tryon, NC, contests, or at the election of these organizers.)
Note: Areas which are bolded are changes from the 2007 Rules and Regulations
/ Judging Procedures