Debate: Should competition BBQ judges be required to have cooking experience?

I was at the Memphis in May contest back in 2014, and I got to talking with a judge named Dave. He told me he had been judging for 7 years but had NEVER cooked a single brisket himself. He said his palate was "unbiased" because of it. That really stuck with me. On one hand, fresh eyes can be fair. But on the other, how do you know what good bark should feel like if you've never trimmed a packer? What do you all think, should judges have to pass a basic cooking test first?

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rosejackson5d ago

My buddy Gary got certified to judge KCBS last year and he had to show he could trim a brisket to competition spec before they'd even let him near a table. That makes way more sense to me than letting someone with zero hands-on experience decide if your meat is cooked right. If a judge has never felt how a properly cooked pork butt pulls apart with just the right amount of resistance, how can they tell the difference between tender and mushy on the plate? Requiring a basic cooking test would filter out folks who only show up for the free samples. Would you trust a wine critic who has never actually made wine themselves?