Have Barbecue, Will Travel

JODI & KENT HARRISS’ ADVENTURES IN BBQ

By Hayli Zuccola

Jodi and Kent Harriss

For those familiar with hearty, Southern-style cooking, barbecued food is a mouthwatering, summertime staple served at backyard gatherings among friends and family, but for Jodi and Kent Harriss, the slow-smoked grub has allowed them to travel the world and forge lifelong friendships while enjoying some of the best in barbecue.

Over a decade ago, Lake City routinely hosted the Hog Wild–Pig Crazy BBQ Competition, and during one of those annual happenings, Jodi and Kent were o ered the opportunity to judge the “Anything But” portion of the contest, which, as the name suggests, involved taste-testing anything the competitors made that wasn’t barbecue. This glimpse into the world of judging food-based tournaments quickly captured their attention but also left them wondering how they could judge the backbone of these delicious duels: the barbecue.

Much to their surprise, these meat matchups were serious business and most of them were ran by sanctioning bodies like the Florida Barbecue Association (FBA)—an organization that only invites members and those who complete the proper training to judge in such contests.

Looking for an unusual new hobby and the chance to try a handful of fall-o the-bone samples, the duo signed up for FBA’s training seminar to become certi ed judges where they learned the ins and outs of scoring, competition rules and regulations, what exactly quali es as barbecued food and how to judge non-comparatively as well as other facets of the trade.

“We took the judging class with FBA here in Lake City in 2007 and judged that day and then we were hooked,” Jodi Harriss said.

The Harrisses spent the next 10 years judging barbecue-based competitions under the umbrella of the FBA—over 100 of them—but during this time, they wanted an excuse to venture outside the Sunshine State to ful ll a desire to travel while expanding their new savory pursuit. In 2011, while still members of the Florida organization, they also opted to join the Kansas City Barbecue Society, which is one of the biggest barbecue sanctioning bodies in the country, which also oversees international competitions.

Similar to when joining the FBA, Jodi and Kent had to become certi ed in the ways of the KCBS, which sanctions nearly 400 events across the world including nearly every state in America and over 35 countries, according to KCBS.us. Despite the name, these competitions aren’t limited to the sweet and saucy Kansas City-style of barbecue but encompass all forms of barbecue from the grilled ribs of St. Louis and the spice rubs of Memphis to the slowroasted Carolina method and the brisket base of Texas.

Requiring certi cation for prospective judges in these sanctioned competitions ensures that contests are unbiased, the results are fair and the judging methods and techniques are consistent. Of course, becoming a member and earning certi cation doesn’t guarantee a spot at the judges’ table, as lling out an application for each competition and getting approved is also part of the process. So what happens after getting accepted to volunteer under the judges’ tent?

In the case of KCBS-sanctioned events, judges like Kent and Jodi check in and receive a table number with six judges assigned to each. These contests primarily focus on four categories of barbecue to sample: chicken, pork, ribs and brisket. To keep submissions anonymous, team entry numbers are changed on the sample boxes before they arrive at the judges’ table. To further their impartiality, judges never try two entries from the same team during the contest. When the six-piece sample box arrives, presentation is graded rst, followed by the taste and tenderness of the meat. After rating each aspect and taking further notes, the process continues until all four categories are completed with water and crackers served in between each to help cleanse the palate.

The most crucial part of this approach— besides the judges not discussing their thoughts and opinions of each dish until all of the judging sheets are turned in— is taking each submission at face value and not comparing it to the previous one. These scores are then combined with the other judges’ scores with each bracket in presentation, taste and texture weighted accordingly before a winner is ultimately chosen.

After nding their footing and participating in 30 contests with KCBS, Jodi and Kent advanced their training to become Master Certi ed Judges and Certi ed Table Captains—the latter of which is a role that doesn’t always involve taste-testing the food, but keeps the judging process organized and running smoothly.

Kent Harriss enjoying a post-judging welcome beer at the Tony Stone Competition in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, during a judging trip in 2018. Jodi Harriss with KCBS judge and rep Eva Schnoll, who guided the Harrisses around her hometown of Salzburg, Austria, during their trip to judge the BBQ Bulls Championship.

(From Left to Right) Judges Kevin Sandridge, Jodi Harriss, Kevin Durant-Jones, Claire Durant-Jones and Kent Harriss during the Plant City Pig Jam in November 2019

It’s a hobby that doesn’t yield any sort of payment or expense coverage, but it has allowed Kent and Jodi to see the world while devouring some delicious food along the way. To date, the Harrisses have judged in 12 di erent states, Puerto Rico, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom, creating unforgettable memories and forming lasting friendships throughout.

“We call it our barbecue family,” Kent said. “We’ve met some of the most interesting people from—you know, everybody’s got t-shirts and shorts on—you don’t know if they’re a CEO of IBM or if they’re a ditch digger, nor do you care, but it’s just some really, really interesting people. And our friends over in Europe that we’ve met, gosh, they just pulled you in. They were so welcoming, so friendly, so accommodating.”

Though each international adventure has had its noteworthy moments, one of Kent and Jodi’s most momentous trips was to Salzburg, Austria, where they were greeted by the barbecue competition rep with a tour of the city synonymous with the lming of The Sound of Music and a sampling of the country’s renowned sweet: the Mozart ball, which is a chocolate confection lled with nougat and marzipan. When the Covid pandemic put a halt on ying to international competitions, Jodi and Kent began touring states of interest in their camper while attending available competitions on their journey—turning a leaf-peeping road trip to Vermont into a fall foliage and barbecue expedition through the Green Mountain State and New Jersey with current summer plans to visit their grandson in Ohio while judging in nearby Wisconsin and Illinois.

With 86—soon-to-be 100—competitions with the KCBS, 107 events with the FBA and a dozen or so non-sanctioned events under their belt, Jodi and Kent still have a few bucket-list competitions in mind like the acclaimed Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue and the American Royal in Kansas City, which are the world’s biggest barbecue-based competitions with over 500 teams that participate.

What began for Kent and Jodi as a fun, local activity back in 2007, has turned into a one-of-a-kind pastime that’s kept their bellies full, their wanderlust intact and even gave them an unwavering barbecue-centered

family. ■ Barbecue, also known as barbeque or BBQ, is both a way to prepare food and a style of food. The traditional purist de nition of barbecue is meat that is smoked and cooked slowly over wood or charcoal. Some may mistakenly refer to barbecue as foods also cooked on a grill, but those who know their barbecue understand the di erences between barbecue and grilling.

According to The Daily Meal, a culinary and entertainment site, barbecue is believed to have originated in ancient times. The term may have derived from the native Haitian Arawakan word “barbakoa,” meaning a framework of sticks on which meat was traditionally cooked. Eventually, Spanish settlers used the term barbacoa and spread this method of cooking to other regions of the world.

Enjoyed across the globe, barbecue is a tasty method of cooking that lends itself well to many di erent types of foods. The smoky, slow-cooked delights many people instantly associate with classic barbecue are perhaps most associated with the southern United States — with various states boasting that they are the true masters of barbecue. Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Missouri are often heralded as some of the top states for barbecue. Dry rubs, certain cooking methods and sauce are just some of the things that help people di erentiate regional barbecue styles.