All entries are rated on three criteria: (1) Appearance, (2) Tenderness/Texture, and (3) Taste.

Each criterion is scored on a scale from 1 to 9.  Here is a breakdown of the scale:
9 - Excellent
8 - Very Good
7 - Above Average
6 - Average
5 - Below Average
4 - Poor
3 - Bad
2 - Really Bad
1 - Disqualification*

To level the playing field between the professionals and backyard enthusiasts:

• Each entry for each team is automatically awarded 6 points in all criteria
• The judges do not know the identities of the teams (which ones are the pros and which ones are the amateurs)
• Scores are tabulated using a weighted formula.  Taste is four times as important as Appearance and twice as important as Tenderness/Texture.

The final score a team receives in a category is a weighted average.  For example, the score for Still Smokin' in the Chicken category was 7.6857 (1st Place).  This is a weighted average of all the judges scores including the automatically awarded 6 points described above.

The team with the highest weighted average score in a category is the winner of that category (this does not include People's Choice).  A team's overall standing is determined by adding all of that team's weighted averages together.  The team with the highest overall standing is the Grand Champion.

*Disqualifications are rare.  Disqualifications in individual criteria usually happen if there is a serious violation of a specific rule.  The total disqualification of an entry is usually the result of the entry being deemed unsafe to eat, such as undercooked chicken or pork.

A complete set of rules is posted on the website and each team is given a complete set of rules when signing up for competition, so there is no excuse to say, "I didn't know."