#2: [06-Jul-02]

21-Oct-2000 -- I did not get finished judging the BBQ contest until 1:00PM. I have a hard life!! For this contest, I was an on-site judge for Ribs. This means that I visited the cooking area of each of the three teams that I judged. Each then gave me a presentation, which usually consists of telling about their cooker and why it's the best in the entire world plus how they prepare and cook their product. After this, I'm seated and served their entrée. I judge appearance, tenderness, flavor and overall impression. A total of three judges judge each team. Then there are a group of judges that are "blind judges". They also judge the same criteria, however, the product is brought to them in numbered containers. They judge not knowing which team they are judging. All of the scores are then "crunched" in a computer that spits out the top? (I forget how many go into the finals). Then the product is judged in the finals for one winner. The finals are also a "blind" judging.

I think that this contest had 113 cooking teams. There are three different categories; shoulder, whole hog and ribs. Not all teams enter every category. Ribs usually have the most entries. So now you know all there is to know about Memphis-in-May BBQ contest.

Now to the confluence. We left Vienna around 1:30PM and traveled south on Hwy 41 to Tifton, Ga. 41 parallels I75. At Tifton we took 319 to Coolidge, Ga. where we picked up 188. 188 takes you to within 1.5 miles of the target. At 30 58.671N 84 00.297N, Pummy Rd intersects 188. We took Pummy Rd until we were at right angles to the target. At this point I was .29 miles from the target. I headed out across one bean field. Crossed a cotton field and ended up in an open field with knee high under brush. Between the cotton field and the open field is a nice dirt road that is less than 50yds from the target. I just don't know how you get to it. Even without getting on this dirt road, the target is not difficult to locate.