BBQ Competition Judging Sheet & Criteria

Barbecue judging rests on one idea: judges score what is in the box, not who cooked it. Teams turn in identical numbered boxes at set times, judges at a table score each box on the same criteria, and the totals decide the category. A good judging sheet makes that process easy to follow and easy to check.

Contests pick winners in a few ways:

• Blind judging: numbered boxes scored at a judges' table, the core of most contests
• On-site judging: judges visit each team's cook site, used by some sanctioning bodies alongside blind judging
• People's Choice: visitors buy tasting tickets and vote for a favorite team
• Grand Champion and Reserve: the best and second-best overall across all meat categories

Sanctioned contests are different. Bodies such as the Kansas City Barbeque Society and the Memphis Barbecue Network set their own rules, categories, judge training and score cards, and results can count toward their rankings and championship invitations. If you want a sanctioned contest, contact the body first and use its materials; this page doesn't reproduce any sanctioning body's score card. The sheet below is for independent contests: backyard cook-offs, charity fundraisers, fire department and church events, and festivals that add a contest.

Pick categories your teams can cook and your judges can score in the time you have. Each category needs its own turn-in time, usually staggered so the judges' table is never waiting on more than one category.

• Publish the turn-in time for each category and the window around it, such as a few minutes either side, and stick to it
• Say what meat must be cooked on site, whether it can be marinated or trimmed before arrival, and whether it must start raw
• Set the number of portions per box, at least one per judge at the table
• Decide whether garnish is allowed, and if so what kind, so boxes are judged on a level field

Three criteria, each scored 1 to 10 and then weighted, give a 100-point total with taste counting most. Judges score the number they see; the weights are applied at the tally table, so judges don't do arithmetic.

Tenderness means something different for each meat. Brief judges with common cues like these, and print them on the back of the sheet.

Each judge gets one sheet per category. The table captain enters the boxes in the order they are presented, and judges score each box across the row.

[CONTEST NAME] [YEAR]: BBQ JUDGING SHEET

Category: ____________________    Table: ______    Seat: ______
Judge name: ____________________

Score each box 1 to 10. Do not apply weights; the tally table does that.
Appearance is scored when the box is opened, before tasting.

BOX #    APPEARANCE    TENDERNESS    TASTE
         (1-10)        (1-10)        (1-10)
_____    ____          ____          ____
_____    ____          ____          ____
_____    ____          ____          ____
_____    ____          ____          ____
_____    ____          ____          ____
_____    ____          ____          ____

Box I could not score (number and reason): __________________

Judge signature: ____________________    Time: ______

[CONTEST NAME] TALLY: [CATEGORY]

Weighted score = (Appearance x 2) + (Tenderness x 3) + (Taste x 5)

BOX #   J1    J2    J3    J4    J5    J6    TOTAL   PLACE
_____   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   _____   _____
_____   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   _____   _____
_____   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   _____   _____
_____   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___   _____   _____

Drop lowest judge score per box: [ ] Yes  [ ] No
Tie-breaker: higher total TASTE, then TENDERNESS, then APPEARANCE.
Tallied by: ______________    Checked by: ______________

The turn-in table is where blind judging is won or lost. Staff it with volunteers who are not judging and have no team connection.

1. 1

   Issue Numbered Boxes

   At the cooks' meeting, give each team one numbered box per category. Record which numbers went to which team and keep the list sealed with the contest organizer.

2. 2

   Check Boxes at Turn-In

   Teams bring the closed box to the turn-in table within the window. Check that it has no marks, sauce on the outside or anything that could identify the team. Late boxes are not judged.

3. 3

   Renumber for Double Blind

   For extra protection, cover the team's number with a second random number at the table. Only the tally team can link the two.

4. 4

   Deliver to Tables

   Runners carry boxes to tables, spreading each team's entries across different tables across the day so no table sees too many of one team's boxes.

5. 5

   Present and Score Appearance

   The table captain opens each box and shows it to every judge. Judges score appearance now, before any meat is taken.

6. 6

   Taste and Score

   Judges take a portion from each box, score tenderness and taste, and cleanse their palate with water and plain crackers between boxes.

Six judges per table is a common setup, which lets some contests drop each box's lowest score. Whatever you choose, put it in the rules so teams know before they cook.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BBQ JUDGES

1. Score appearance when the box is opened, before anyone takes meat.
2. Score each box on its own. Don't compare boxes or rank them.
3. Score taste and tenderness from your own portion only.
4. Drink water and eat a plain cracker between boxes.
5. Use the whole scale. A great entry deserves a 9 or 10.
6. Don't talk during judging, and don't react out loud to an entry.
7. If you think you know whose box it is, tell the table captain.
8. Don't eat more than you need to score. There are more boxes to come.
9. Sign your sheet and hand it to the table captain.

• Two people tally each category and agree before results are posted
• Ties go to the higher total taste score, then tenderness, then appearance, then the head judge
• Grand Champion goes to the highest combined total across the meat categories, Reserve to the next
• Give each team its own scores after awards, without other teams' numbers
• Keep all sheets until the end of the event in case of questions

Recruit judges from local chefs, butchers, culinary students and experienced backyard cooks. A short briefing on the scale and tenderness cues before the first turn-in matters more than any title. For the chili side of a combined event, see the chili cook-off judging sheet.

A BBQ contest combines open fire, raw meat and often overnight cooking, so food safety and fire rules matter more than at most contests. Rules vary by city, county and state, and some contests where only judges eat are treated differently from ones that sell or sample to the public. Ask your health department and fire marshal early.

• Ask whether teams need a temporary food permit if they sample or sell to the public, and whether judges-only cooking is covered
• Ask the health department about meat sourcing, cold holding before cooking and hot holding before turn-in
• Ask the fire marshal about smokers, wood and charcoal, propane storage, spacing between rigs and fire extinguishers at each site
• Plan ash and grease disposal, handwashing stations and water access
• Check whether alcohol at cook sites is allowed, and what permit any beer garden needs

Our food vendor permit guide explains what food sellers usually need, and the event permit guide covers the organizer's side, from special event permits to tents and street closures. If food trucks join the day, see how to host a food truck event.

Cook teams arrive with smokers, trailers and tents, often the night before. Size sites for the rigs you expect and number them on a site map before registration opens.

• Team name, head cook name, email and mobile phone
• Categories entered, and any ancillary or kids' entries
• Rig size: length of the smoker or trailer, and tent size
• Power and water needs, and whether the team cooks overnight
• A copy of any permit or food handler card your health department requires
• Agreement to the rules, turn-in times, fire rules and a liability waiver
• Entry fee, and People's Choice opt-in if you run it

Put arrival times, the cooks' meeting and every turn-in on the event schedule, and build the rest of the day with our festival planning checklist. Event volunteer management covers turn-in, runner and tally volunteers.