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.

Now, I understand that yankees and Texans have some diferent ideas about
what BBQ is, and while I give them a lot of chin music, to each his own.
If thats how they like the BBQ, then more power to them. Regional
braggodocio is part of BBQ.

But the KCBS has some of the most peculiar rules I've ever heard of.
After insisting that their judging puts everyone on an even playing field
(no on-site judging, as with MIM), they then hand out a list of
restrictions and requirements on how you can prepare your blind judging
sample.

On the one hand, they do score you on presentation, and pictures of
winning entries clearly show that judges reward well arranged containers
with artfully placed garnish.

On the other hand, if you dare to use red leaf lettuce as a garnish,
arrange meat slices in a circular pattern, or get sauce on the lid,
you're effectively disqualified.

I don't understand. It seems to me that if they really wanted to be sure
the competition was just about the meat, they'd give every sample a good
shake before they opened it, so that there would only be meat to judge on
- no garnish, no arrangement, no presentation. Or if they wanted to
reward artful presentation, why have a bunch of bizzare restrictions on
garnish and meat arrangement? Slices spread out on green leaf lettuce are
OK, but a circular pattern on red leaf lettuce would somehow defile the
purity of the contest?

I don't get it. At least with MIM, the blind sample was really blind. No
garnish, no arrangements. Just meat. When you were judged for
presentation, it was by a judge who gave you the opportunity to show off
your grill, talk about your cooking method, fix a complete late, and
generally show him the sort of hospitality you'd show an honored guest.