Barry Bean wrote:
> After a many-years hiatus from competing in and judging BBQ contests,
> last year, I was talked into entering a new local contest, and will be
> competing in the 2nd annual contest this year. The contest has affiliated
> itself with the Kansas City Barbecue Society, which has a different set
> of rules than the Memphis in May rules I cut my teeth on.
>

Barry for an indepth discussion, you might pose the question to the
http://www.rbjb.com/rbjb/rbjbboard/ board, as Bob suggested.

Here's my take: Its been my understanding that the use of "non-uniform
garnish", (if a contestant choses to use any garnish at all), may
present an opportunity for any given entrant to identify their entry,
as unique to all others submitted. This would defeat the presumption
of chosing entries that are truly blind. If by some (unlikely)chance
this actually happened, such that your entry happened to be judged at a
table with whom you've become friends with some of the judges, they
might be inclined to alter their score upon viewing a "marked" entry.
Not just by garnish, but by; for example arranging your meat in the
shape of an "X", or painting the lid with sauce; it is for that
reason(s) that the garnish rules are in place.

Most judges and their table captains are pretty good about recognizing
an illegal garnish. I got a ding when they found a bristle from a
sauce brush on a piece of chicken I'd submitted (no foreign objects
allowed including toothpicks, skewers, etc.) The organizer let me know
what they found and I was not penalized as in their estimation it was
not an intentional marking of my entry. So, I learned, and went out
and bought brushes that did not shed.
Keep in mind, some contests are "open garnish". Go ahead and it's OK
to Grandma's doilees under your lamb kabob. The rules are up to the
sanctioning body and the organizer.

Pierre