SBN to offer BBQ judge training in Sumter
In 2010 a group of persons who loved barbecue, not only for eating but also in the art of preparation, decided to form an organization that preserves southern barbecue through qualified trained judges but also to improve communities through assisting charitable events. Thus the Southern BBQ Network (commonly known as SBN) was formed. The founders having previous experience from other barbecue judging organizations created a foundation based on the principles of fairness in judging by establishing training classes, a blind judging method and a fair scoring system. As a not for profit organization the membership donates their time to support charitable events, with the satisfaction of providing support to local community charities through fund raising and the enjoyment of pigging out on some of the best BBQ in the region. Members cannot Judge until they have attended a training class. The training consists of gauging barbecue utilizing a numeric system judging the appearance, aroma, taste and texture of the product. This can be for any combination of pork such as pork butts, ribs, whole hog, sauces, chicken or beef based on the event organizers choices.
This year SBN will be holding five regional training classes. The next class will be Saturday, November 12, 2016 at The USC Sumter Campus, Arts and Letters Building, 109 Miller Road, Sumter SC 29150. Class is from 10 AM till 2 PM with lunch provided. The fee for the class is $ 25, plus $ 35 for annual membership (you must be a member to judge). Persons interested in becoming a certified BBQ judge can sign up on the SBN website at http://sbbqn.com/ by clicking on the “Certification Classes” picture. Seating is limited so please preregister. If you want additional information you can contact Mike Wright at dmwright7015@gmail.com or by phone 843-425-4186.
Currently, judging is done in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina with fourteen regular events judged in 2015. Annually a cooker of the year is recognized by the Southern BBQ Network based on a point system of teams of cookers that entered SBN events.
In the past few years the SBN has also been represented at the World BBQ Championship contests in Las Vegas, Nevada and Orlando, Florida by competitors and judges. Members have also competed on television BBQ shows on the Travel and Discovery Channels.
In addition, the SBN has previously selected a charitable organization to make an annual contribution. This has been Shriners Children’s Hospitals, Berkley Lions club, The Sumter Red Cross, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Dorchester County Community Outreach and the Summerville Miracle League.