Certified barbecued judging is the most delicious class at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) in North Carolina. Graduates qualify to become Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS)-certified competition judges, though some students just like to eat barbecue.
During the more than four-hour class, participants learned about the types of meats used in a competition, how they are cooked and presented for judging, the rules cooks and judges must follow, and how to judge the meat by KCBS standards.
Then came the fun part—sampling barbecued chicken, pork, ribs and brisket and judging them by KCBS standards. Class members then discussed the ratings they gave each entry, from 2 for inedible to 9 for excellent, based on appearance, taste, and tenderness. Actual KCBS judging sheets were used by the students to score each sample.
At the conclusion of the class, each participant recited the KCBS Certified Barbeque Judge’s Oath: “I do solemnly swear to objectively and subjectively evaluate each Barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes, my nose, my hands and my palate. I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever.”
