How does food temperature affect scoring?

9/10/2013

QUESTION

I have a question that I don't believe I've ever seen addressed: What about food temperature in judging? I realize that chicken is almost always good and hot, it comes from pit to box to judge. I've even burnt my mouth a little at times. But what about the other categories? I personally have no problem with ambient temperature meat. I think we all understand that most meats are held for a time and then spend time at the turn in table before making it to the table and range from nice and warm to just room temp. But what about the occasional entry that is actually cold and obviously has been in some sort of refrigeration? Do you detract points because it's cold? Do you deduct points only if it affects the taste and texture. Do you ignore the food temp and just carry on?

Ed Hartman
Montezuma IA

Lorne Rae

9/10/2013 06:19:54 pm

Temperature does not come into play with my judging. Each judge in the PNWBA gets to taste 5 or 6 entries per category and they are held in pizza delivery insulated bags while awaiting their turn. Consequently even the last entries retain some heat. I cannot recall ever tasting a cold entry.

Mike; KCBS MCBJ; BBQ-Brethren RJ

9/10/2013 11:22:58 pm

Temperature does come into play because it does affect the flavors. Hot food should be serve around 120°F. The cooler the food gets it lessens the flavor and texture; especially pulled pork with can feel greasy when cold.

Over the years I have gotten some cool entrie, generally during the pulled pork category, and one got cold chicken wings. I try to judge it for what is present, and if it is cool or tempid I judge it for taste. Though I have to add, if hot food is cool, I've never given it a score higher than 6; because the flavor is lacking.

Ike, KCBS CBJ

9/10/2013 11:50:00 pm

I do not let the temperature of the bbq I'm judging affect my scoring. As far as I'm concerned I'm there to judge the flavor and tenderness of the meat and not the temp or sauce. It's hard sometimes, especially in a big contest, for the samples to get to the judges in a timely manner.

Matt KCBS CBJ

9/11/2013 01:22:51 am

Temperature does not affect any of my judging, either. When I compete, I try to turn in meat as warm as possible. But, when I am judging, I keep in mind the entire process, and make sure that the temperature of the meat is not something I judge.

To address another part of Ed's question, I have never had anything presented to me at the judging table that "is actually cold and obviously has been in some sort of refrigeration."

Dan KCBS CTC/MCBJ

9/11/2013 01:34:28 am

Temperature is not a criteria for judging therefore I don't consider it when I score the entries. If a sample had been refrigerated it could possibly change the texture enough to warrant a score adjustment ie: congealed fat, chewy meat.

PS CBJ

9/11/2013 01:37:08 am

Temperature does not come into play during judging. But you mentioned that if an entry was kept in a refrigerator that would change things as the entry would obviously be very very cold. Temperature affects the taste & texture of meat.

/dev/bbq KCBS

9/11/2013 01:41:28 am

Temperature, in and of itself, I would not factor into a score - but I'm certain it would affect at least texture, likely taste, and if it had actually be refrigerated possibly even appearance. I like what I jokingly refer to as "self-policing problems," in other words we don't need a new rule about temperature as the undesirable effects already come into play in some other fashion.

Moonpie (CBJ -KCBS)

9/11/2013 02:02:10 am

I agree. Not a factor in my scoring but if it affects the taste, texture or even appearance then the score reflects that.

Raine® KCBS CBJ CTC Cooking Team link

9/11/2013 02:45:38 am

You should not be getting refrigeration cold meat. If the meat has been cooled down and refrigerated it is to be reheated. According the rules.

.
Prior to cooking, meat must be maintained at 40° F or less.

After cooking, all meat
:
Must be held at 140° F or above OR Cooked meat shall be cooled as follows: Within 2 hours from 140° F to 70° F and Within 4 hours from 70° F to 41° F or less
h. Meat that is cooked, properly cooled, and later reheated for hot holding and serving shall be reheated so that all parts of the food reach a temperature of at least 165° F for a minimum of 15 seconds.

So if you are getting COLD entries it should affect your score, as it violates the rules.

Tom - CMJ/KCBS, CBJ/MBN,NCPC,NCBS & comp cook

9/11/2013 07:53:10 am

Interesting aspect! So if a box is "cold" should that be brought to the REPs attention for DQ? Sounds like it!

Sean - KCBS CBJ & Comp Cook

9/11/2013 11:25:04 am

The rules also state that judges must judge an entry AS PRESENTED. You will notice that the rules quoted above are subsection rules (g) and (h) under "Rule 17 The following cleanliness and safety rules will apply:" That rule is standard food handling procedure. It was put into place to help prevent unsafe food handling and to keep people from getting sick. I have heard several reps tell the judges at the meeting to not take temperature into account unless it directly affects the taste or tenderness of an entry. The reason for this is that a box may sit awhile before it reaches a judges table and has cooled off. Just because it is cool/cold is not a reason to mark an entry down.
I can recall a couple of comps I cooked where the temperature at turn in time was in the high 40's/low 50's. While I took every precaution to keep it hot until it got to the judging tent, once there, I have no control of how the box is handled, whether it is kept in a warm place, or how long it takes to reach a table. Marking an entry down because of temperature (other than how it directly affects the judging criteria of an entry) is doing the teams a disservice.

Raine® link

9/12/2013 03:50:34 am

Yes you must judge it as presented, however what if it is presented with illegal garnish? Being cooled off or room temperature is quite different from being COLD due to be refrigerated and not reheated.

JohnnyY/ CBJ,NCBS,NCPC,KCBS

9/11/2013 07:20:43 am

It is not my intent to judge harshly if an entry is not hot. I understand how the temperature can vary for the pit to the judging table. If an entry's temperature is such that it affects the taste and appearance, then the score that I issue will reflect that.

Thom

9/11/2013 10:16:26 am

I expect the food to be at room temp if I don't happen to be on the 1st table getting boxes
A few times I have seen chicken SO hot it couldn't be bit safely ...... Injected with the hot butter! Yikes
Hard to score that

Pete

9/11/2013 10:48:41 am

It absolutely affects the score. It affects the taste and it's tenderness, and illustrates the ability of a team to present a worthwhile entry. In this gig, timing is everything. From pit to judges table. Cooks: Don't think it's ok to leave your brisket out on a table for 1/2 hour before turn in and expect that cold meat won't be judged harsher.

MoleBS

9/11/2013 11:09:46 am

cool is okay but I have never had a "COLD" bite. So I haven't down scored any turn in, for that

Pete KCBS

9/11/2013 11:12:21 am

Temperature is something cooks often can't control. Disorganized turn-in tables, distracted table captains, and the weather can all impact temperature. Therefore I do not factor it in, even though it clearly can change the taste. There have also been a couple of times I had to let a sample cool down a bit before I handled it but that again is not something that would impact my scores.

Herb (BBQ Critic)

9/11/2013 01:12:45 pm

Temperature is not part of our judging criteria, but it can still affect taste in a big way. My advice to cooks is turn it in HOT. Tasting cold grease/fat/meat may not be "appetizing" to judges.

Tom - CMJ/KCBS; CBJ/MBN,NCPC,NCBS & comp cook

9/12/2013 04:20:37 am

While temperature of the sample itself is NOT something to be judged in KCBS, the resulting degradation of taste and/or tenderness most certainly is. I've only experienced one meat (pork) at one contest (Parkinson's Smoke-Out 2013 in Evansville, IN) where the temperature of one of the samples was COLD, as in just out of the refrigerator COLD! The result of this low temperature was that the meat pile was congealed into one lump and had a slimy mouth feel (I'm sure due to the fat and grease jelling the meat together). I don't remember the taste being degraded, but it sure did affect the tenderness.

One MBN contest that I judged "on site" the cook team gave me a rack of ribs right off the grill that was so HOT that I couldn't even pull it apart for a few minutes without burning my fingers. And then trying to taste the ribs burnt my mouth! And yes, I did mark down for "overall impression", not for taste or tenderness.

Hance - CBJ MIM/MBN/GBA and comp cook when I can

9/23/2013 05:29:17 am

One of the wisest competitors that I know of once said: To win or place high consistently your BBQ should taste as good cold as it does hot. He was saying that even if you put your Q in that box piping hot and even IF you get it there with only a few seconds to spare, it can still sit there and cool for an undetermined time. Lets hope it gets to the table hot, but more often that not, it's NOT.

Does it hot/cold affect scores; absolutely, because the taste and particularly the texture will change. However, the better competitors put meat in the box that are less effected and use spices that dont vary much from hot to luke-warm...

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How does food temperature affect scoring?

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