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BBQ CRITIC (June 24, 2019) - BBQ CRITIC invaded the 2019 Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup! Located at the McGrath Amphitheatre downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, my friend Jason and I decided to judge ribs from each vendor and see who ruled the day. Spontaneous judging made this visit fun. It was really special for me because of my history associated with the event.
The Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup has been a staple of my life for over 30 years. The original event ignited my love for barbecue. Back in the day, we did not have any quality BBQ joints in Cedar Rapids. This place satisfied my BBQ crave. I have a memory of blue smoke emerging on the downtown area, creating an aroma from Heaven. Smokers burning charcoal and wood cooked up pork, beef brisket, chicken and ribs. The smell of BBQ is amazing and it attracts hundreds of people to gather at events like this one. Various BBQ vendors enticed me to try their food. I bought everything. I mean EVERYTHING! All the meats, all the sides. I reserved a hundred bucks just for this special weekend each year. Then one day (about twenty years later) I paid special attention to the BBQ judging. Awards were given out to the competing vendors. It looked exciting. I pondered to myself, "How do I become a BBQ Judge?"
The Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup has been a staple of my life for over 30 years. The original event ignited my love for barbecue. Back in the day, we did not have any quality BBQ joints in Cedar Rapids. This place satisfied my BBQ crave. I have a memory of blue smoke emerging on the downtown area, creating an aroma from Heaven. Smokers burning charcoal and wood cooked up pork, beef brisket, chicken and ribs. The smell of BBQ is amazing and it attracts hundreds of people to gather at events like this one. Various BBQ vendors enticed me to try their food. I bought everything. I mean EVERYTHING! All the meats, all the sides. I reserved a hundred bucks just for this special weekend each year. Then one day (about twenty years later) I paid special attention to the BBQ judging. Awards were given out to the competing vendors. It looked exciting. I pondered to myself, "How do I become a BBQ Judge?"
I went home and opened up Google on my computer and searched "How to become a BBQ judge." Up popped a link to the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), the world's largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts. KCBS sanctions over 400 contests across the U.S. annually. I didn't waste any time. A KCBS Certified BBQ Judge training class was scheduled in Des Moines in March, so I talked my friend, Mike Hall, into attending the class with me. We became KCBS Certified BBQ Judges and road-tripped all over the Midwest (Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas) with one goal in mind: to become a Master BBQ Judge. This required us to judge 30 contests, cook with a team and take the KCBS Master Judge test.
Mission accomplished! We both passed the test and became Master BBQ Judges in just over a year (many judges take years to accomplish this). My interest in BBQ expanded even more as I worked for local BBQ joints such as RED, HOT & BLUE BBQ and later DICKEY'S BARBECUE PIT. All these experiences led to my idea to create BBQ Critic. There was something missing, though. I still wanted to judge the Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup. After all, that was my initial dream.
Mission accomplished! We both passed the test and became Master BBQ Judges in just over a year (many judges take years to accomplish this). My interest in BBQ expanded even more as I worked for local BBQ joints such as RED, HOT & BLUE BBQ and later DICKEY'S BARBECUE PIT. All these experiences led to my idea to create BBQ Critic. There was something missing, though. I still wanted to judge the Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup. After all, that was my initial dream.
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Armed with BBQ Judge Certification, in 2009 I contacted BBQ Roundup organizer (at that time) Sarah Lagrange (US Cellular) to see if she would add me to the panel of judges. Holy cow brisket! She said yes. Very cool. Mike also judged with me and we were the only Certified BBQ Judges participating. Other judges were VIP folks from the area. KCRG-TV meteorologist, Joe Winters, has judged this contest for a long time. Mike and I would later take turns judging the BBQ Roundup off and on over the years.
When Mike judged the 2010 contest, the judges were given a really nice BBQ judge plaque. They never gave one out again (at least not when I judged). Boy was I jealous. Regardless, we really enjoy judging the BBQ Roundup and hopefully the organizers will invite us to participate again in the future.
When Mike judged the 2010 contest, the judges were given a really nice BBQ judge plaque. They never gave one out again (at least not when I judged). Boy was I jealous. Regardless, we really enjoy judging the BBQ Roundup and hopefully the organizers will invite us to participate again in the future.
PAST JUDGING PHOTOS AT THE BBQ ROUNDUP
 2011 Roundup Judges. My second time judging the BBQ Roundup. |  Judging entries as they came to our table. |  KCRG-TV Meteorologist Joe Winters (left) is a long-time judge with the BBQ Roundup. |  Mike Hall with his cool judge plaque he received after judging the Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup in 2010. I am still jealous! :-) |
Well there ya have it. My BBQ history. Since I have not judged the BBQ Roundup in awhile, I decided to take judging into my own hands this year. Jason and I decided to judge ribs (NOTE: Jason is not a Certified BBQ Judge, yet we both unanimously agreed on the outcome). We gathered ribs from each vendor:BLAZIN BRONCOS BBQ,CAROLINA RIB KING, BIG BONED BBQ, PORKY CHICKS BBQ, PIG FOOT BBQ and COWBOYS BBQ & RIB CO. We evaluated our decision based on Appearance, Taste and Tenderness.
 BLAZIN BRONCOS BBQ  |  CAROLINA RIB KING  |  BIG BONED BBQ  |
SIX NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING VENDORS
 PORKY CHICKS BBQ |  PIG FOOT BBQ |  COWBOYS BBQ & RIB CO |
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Winner of the 2019 BBQ CRITIC'S RIB CHOICE AWARD - PORKY CHICKS BBQ! Based on the rib samples we gathered, this vendor was clearly the winner. APPEARANCE: Visually appetizing! TENDERNESS: The rib had excellent bite (our bite marks were left without any other meat pulling away from the bone) which is what judges look for in a rib. TASTE: There was not a lot of sauce smothered on the rib, which allowed us to taste the meat. They did have some good sauce. Congrats to PORKY CHICKS BBQ for great tasting ribs!
BBQ CRITIC'S RIB CHOICE AWARD
PORKY CHICKS BBQ
PORKY CHICKS BBQ
I posed with the Porky Chicks BBQ. Fantastic crew!
2019 CEDAR RAPIDS BBQ ROUNDUP AWARDS
The Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup announced their 2019 awards from stage (Presented by the University of Iowa Community Credit Union): Best Pork - PORKY CHICKS BBQ, Best Ribs - BLAZIN BRONCOS BBQ and People's Choice - CAROLINA RIB KING. These people work hard traveling the USA serving their BBQ offerings. Awards mean a lot to them.
Best Pork - PORKY CHICKS BBQ, Best Ribs - BLAZIN BRONCOS BBQ and People's Choice - CAROLINA RIB KING
Coincidentally, we ran into my friend Mike (and his wife Margaret) at this year's event. Serendipity, indeed. It was too late for him to participate in our off-the-cuff rib judging, but next year I think we might just gather a few Certified BBQ judges together and do this again in a more serious way. We will start days earlier so we can give our recommendations before the weekend hits.
By the way, if you search Google with "How to Become a BBQ Judge," the first link to come up is BBQ CRITIC (right above the KCBS link). Who would have thunk it? :-) Another dream come true. Thank you, Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup, for inspiring my love for barbecue. BBQ CRITIC congratulates all contest winners, and all who attended this weekend's event.
Herb
-- BBQ CRITIC
CEDAR RAPIDS BBQ ROUNDUP
McGRATH AMPHITHEATRE
KCBS
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By the way, if you search Google with "How to Become a BBQ Judge," the first link to come up is BBQ CRITIC (right above the KCBS link). Who would have thunk it? :-) Another dream come true. Thank you, Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup, for inspiring my love for barbecue. BBQ CRITIC congratulates all contest winners, and all who attended this weekend's event.
Herb
-- BBQ CRITIC
CEDAR RAPIDS BBQ ROUNDUP
McGRATH AMPHITHEATRE
KCBS
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