A KCBS Certified Barbeque Judge, often called a CBJ, is a person trained through KCBS to judge competition BBQ using KCBS procedures and scoring standards. In KCBS-sanctioned BBQ contests, Certified Barbeque Judges help provide a fair and consistent judging process. Judges evaluate BBQ entries through a blind judging process, which means they do not know which team prepared each entry. KCBS judging focuses on key aspects of competition BBQ, including appearance, taste, and tenderness or...

KCBS Japan to offer certified bbq judge training course with organizer KCBS Japan is preparing to offer KCBS Certified Barbeque Judge (CBJ) classes in Japan from September 2026. The CBJ class provides training in the Kansas City Barbeque Society judging system and scoring standards. Participants learn how KCBS competition BBQ is evaluated and gain practical experience tasting and judging competition-style BBQ. Becoming a trained KCBS judge is an opportunity to learn more about American...

Jay was pleased to participate in the 2026 Japan BBQ Championship as a judge and to meet many of the cooks, judges, organizers, volunteers, and BBQ fans helping to grow American-style BBQ culture in Japan. The event brought together teams with different BBQ styles and approaches, creating a valuable opportunity to experience the continued development of competition BBQ in Japan. Events like JBC are important because they give cooks a place to challenge themselves, judges a place to develop...