It’s official!  As of 8:00 PM tonight, I became one among 45 or so freshly minted Kansas City Barbeque Society Judges brought up as part of the Plant City area class held at Johnson’s Barbecue Restaurant.  KCBS Master Judge, Stephen Smith (pictured below) held a super class, and we all really enjoyed it.

All told, I think I put down about 1.5 lbs of barbecued chicken, ribs, pork, and beef brisket… all expertly smoked by Mr. Mark Poppell.  Those familiar with the Plant City Pig Jam Barbecue Competition – now in its 9th year – know Mark as one of its original founders.  He can also be found over at Poppell Insurance in Plant City, FL during the week.

Check out this video from Focus TV’s Plant City Edition!

General Overview of the KCBS Judges Class in Plant City

The class took us through the KCBS Official Judges Certification Manual, and then ran through simulated judging sessions for 3 different chicken, ribs, pork, and beef brisket entries.   Each entry was judged based on th KCBS standards for appearance, texture, and taste.   The whole thing was done very well, and Stephen pointed out several “planted” mistakes that were part of various entries so we could get a flavor for what might cause entries to take deductions.

I’m psyched to be a KCBS judge, and if everything goes well, I’ll be part of this year’s Plant City Pig Jam BBQ Competition.  It’s a Florida State Championship event and is sanctioned by the KCBS.  Mark Poppell’s team will be there, as will Joel from Good Buddies BBQ in Lakeland, and Rob “Rub” Bagby’s Swamp Boys BBQ team from Winter Haven, FL.

If you’re going to be in the Plant City area on November 21, 2009 – head over to the Plant City Pig Jam.  It’s sure to be a blast, and hey…. who doesn’t like top notch Florida Barbecue!