Yesterday, I judged my first MBN competition. Huge BBQ and blues music festival in Charlotte. Several friends cooked in it and one had sent me an e-mail a few months back because the organizer wanted KCBS judges. The experience was both eye-opening and entertaining. Lots of my judge friends there (many KCBS judges are also MBN certified).
MBN judging is "to your own taste" and comparitive (everything at the table gets judged versus what you percieve to be the best thing at the table). Scoring is upposedly from 6 to 10 but is actually nines and tens. The reps will "correct" you if they don't like your scores. The quality of the barbeque was excellent but (in the backyard "challenger" division) was not trimmed or cut as well as I've seen.
Net -- MBN is a distant number two to KCBS in terms of membership and number of contests for a reason. Not as deep, not as disciplined, and not as progressive in their outlook. I don't wish MBN any ill, but I won't be seeking an MBN certification, either.
Hub
