Wednesday marks the middle of Washington’s second annual Meat Week, a celebration of all things meat marked by organized visits to area barbecue joints. This year, those events were organized by Dennis, a certified barbecue competition judge. How did you get involved in Meat Week?
One of my oldest college friends, Mike Bober, of [food blog] Capital Spice, and I are both certified Kansas City Barbecue Society competition judges. We typically judge barbecue contests between April and November and we thought this would be a way to keep our love for barbecue going in the off-season.
So what’s Meat Week’s mission?
To spread the gospel of meat. It’s also an opportunity for people in the area to try out different barbecue restaurants, eat good food and meet new people.
How do you become a barbecue competition judge?
You take a class through the Kansas City Barbecue Society. It’s five or six hours long and you usually have to travel to a rural location in Virginia or Pennsylvania. You have to take an oath that you’ll uphold truth, excellence and the American way.
How do you choose the best meat?
The competitions are divided into four categories: chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. There are six entries and so we eat 24 pieces of meat. We judge on three factors. First, there’s the appearance. It has to look good on the outside. They also can’t have an illegal garnish, like red-tipped lettuce, because the competitions are blind and a garnish could identify the chef. Then, there’s tenderness. Does the meat pull away from the bone, or just fall off? Is it tough? And third, there’s taste, which is subjective.
So you do this to get free meat, right?
It doesn’t hurt. It’s unbelievable how different barbecue meat can be. You also get to take some home. I often make a lot of chicken salad.
– Freeman Klopott
