Post by Wayne Copeland on Feb 19, 2006 22:08:30 GMT -5
At the KCBS certified judging school, I noticed that a little more time was spent by the Master Judge instructing judges on how to evaluate a good, well cooked rib. The following is how your ribs will be judged: After turn in, the table Captain will put six trays onto a large tray and will tell the judges the numbers on the boxes (from lowest # to highest). Then the Captain will open the first tray for the judges to grade/analyze for appearance scoring. The judges will look to see that there is a minimum # of individual pieces (6); there is no sauce pooling; there is not any illegal items (radishes, red tipped lettuce, etc) in the tray. They will also look at the meat for uniformity in color (smoke ring is not a factor!), attractiveness and how it is being displayed. Although garnishment is now optional, I like to see it...although points are not suppose to be deducted if there is no garnishment.
After all trays have been scored for appearance, each judge selects any piece in the tray that they want to sample. The rib will be first subjected to the smell test, and then the judge will look at it to decide what portion he wants to eat first. The judge will take a bite from a side of the rib, which should come off at that point with just a little bit of resistance. If all the meat comes off the side of the bone, the judges know it is overcooked. If the meat is resistant to come off, then the judge knows it is not cooked properly. In either case, your entry will lose points. When the judge bites off the section of meat on the bone, he will then look at the bone for a few seconds while he tastes the sample. A well cooked rib will have a white bone at the site the meat was removed from. Within a few seconds, the bone will start to sweat with moisture and start turning slightly gray in color....this is the tell tail sign of a well cooked rib!!!The judge will score the entry and clear his pallet with crackers and water before moving onto the next rib.
If you use baby back or 3 lb St. Louis style, I would highly recommend you consider using the Hollywood style pieces...they are cut so that they have the bone in the middle and rib meat on both sides of it. Judges want to taste the meat when they bit into it, so give them what they want to get all 9's across the board!!
After all trays have been scored for appearance, each judge selects any piece in the tray that they want to sample. The rib will be first subjected to the smell test, and then the judge will look at it to decide what portion he wants to eat first. The judge will take a bite from a side of the rib, which should come off at that point with just a little bit of resistance. If all the meat comes off the side of the bone, the judges know it is overcooked. If the meat is resistant to come off, then the judge knows it is not cooked properly. In either case, your entry will lose points. When the judge bites off the section of meat on the bone, he will then look at the bone for a few seconds while he tastes the sample. A well cooked rib will have a white bone at the site the meat was removed from. Within a few seconds, the bone will start to sweat with moisture and start turning slightly gray in color....this is the tell tail sign of a well cooked rib!!!The judge will score the entry and clear his pallet with crackers and water before moving onto the next rib.
If you use baby back or 3 lb St. Louis style, I would highly recommend you consider using the Hollywood style pieces...they are cut so that they have the bone in the middle and rib meat on both sides of it. Judges want to taste the meat when they bit into it, so give them what they want to get all 9's across the board!!