Patrolling the Pond, November 3, 2025
By Mike Miller, VP Lake Lotawana Homeowners Association
The coverage of all of the October events in the last Lotawana News was awesome! I have a great appreciation for coverage of great stories. The Homes Tour and LotaSmoke were great stories. Not only that, a lot of great stories within the stories will likely live on for a while. Before I get back to regular programming, I have to share a bit of my experience at LotaSmoke that could be a game changer when it comes to weekends around Kansas City: I was recruited to be a judge.
How is it that a roving reporter for a local newspaper who usually writes about rules and regulations gets selected to judge a BBQ competition? Presence! I thought it would be a good idea to cover the judging of LotaSmoke, so I meandered into the Association building (judges’ chambers) to get some first-hand thoughts from the group of experts who held in their tastebuds the fate of the 21 competition contestants. After a quick survey of the landscape, the gritty and rugged Lotawana Ops garage complete with an idled dredging machine and a couple of bobcats, I quickly learned that each of the judges’ tables was staffed by a mix of certified BBQ judges, former LotaSmoke judges, and some new to competitive BBQ tasting. I also learned that not everyone always shows up. I was there. I was in. It certainly wasn’t my first rodeo with BBQ, but it was as a judge. What first appeared as a complex matrix of rules, ratings, and decision making, quickly morphed into a familiar pattern of appearance, taste, and texture. Once I became acquainted with the process, it soon became second nature. First, all judges get review sheets that rate on appearance, taste, and tenderness. Ratings are from 1-9 with 9 being the highest. Separate sheets are handed out to uniformly label and house the ‘goods’ as they arrive from the distribution . As the meats start arriving, each table receives a up to six boxes of each entrée, one piece each. Arrival of the first platters immediately kicks in the simultaneous urge to eat and pace. I quickly realized that pace and volume of intake were critical to my judging outlasting the food supply. Hitting the wall early would be a rookie move. Of course a generous supply ‘to go’ boxes were dispensed to enjoy each of the one-bite-out samples at a later time (I maximized that option). As the judging commenced, I realized that once I figured out the order of operations, I actually brought a fair amount of judging prowess to the table. Why? Experience of course!
My experience was not in judging a BBQ competition but in cooking in general and being embedded with one of the contestants in the 2024 edition of LotaSmoke. Foundationally speaking, I love to cook, have taken classes in some unique and well-known kitchens and love to smoke meats. Though no one would consider me to be a purist by any sense of the word, I do make a tasty rack of ribs and can keep up with Jones on pork butt (the money muscle will give me a challenge next). The classic training was a plus in judging appearance, the 2024 experience was the lynchpin to quickly engaging in the judging for 2025. In 2024 I learned a lot about contest BBQ and how it differed from the everyday rank and file BBQ. The team I was with in 2024 (not entered in 2025) carried pedigrees from several of the local BBQ contests including the American Royal. Once I settled into the rhythm of arriving meats, I felt confident and ready to do the job. Someone had to right?
Looking back, the easiest of the tree categories to judge were appearance (presentation) and tenderness. You could easily see time spent on appearance or not. Tenderness was on the spectrum of too tough or too tender and all points in between. Taste on the other hand, was not as easy. Once I remembered that 80% or more of taste is really smell, it was easier to smell each entree first then taste. Brisket was the toughest to judge because the high quality of all of our samples. YUM! Chicken and pulled pork were fairly simple to judge. Maybe because the gap between really good and ok was greater. Ribs were like brisket. Lots of great entrees and close to call. It came down to tenderness on ribs. In the end, it was probably clear to see what I favored by the how much of each I took home. Of the six different entrees in each category (only three in pulled pork) brisket and ribs found more room in my doggy bag. Chicken was a close second. So you may be asking, what in the world does being a judge at LotaSmoke have to do with Patrolling the Pond? Readiness.
Readiness on a body of water equals safety. For anyone that’s been around the lake for a while, it’s easy to forget the respect that open water deserves. Letting your guard down can lead to overlooking the ordinary and the usual. BBQ in Kansas City is something special. Yet there is a lot of it around and we can take it for granted. If you think I’m crazy, go spend a month in San Francisco or New York. Tough to find great BBQ there! It’s also going to be tough to find time on the water between now and next spring. Cooler air and the fall rains (greatly needed) have started to settle in. As cool temps and winter eventually take over, you can make Patrolling the Pond your first step in readiness when it comes to lake rules and regs. I will try to make it as engaging as possible (how fun is it to review rules each time?). Was I ready to judge a BBQ competition? After quickly reviewing the rules and regs of the contest, drawing on my experience as a casual BBQer and love of cooking, I quickly understood my role to make it successful. Know the rules, know what your judging, and don’t take it for granted! By staying in touch with our rules and regs in the off-season, you too can be part of our safety and success on the water next season. Now back to regular programming. Next up? A few off the water topics.
Here is one quick one. You may be thinking about or planning fall projects at your home. It’s always a good idea to check with the Association office before you do any work on the parkway or even on your property. You may or may not need a permit to do the work you want to do. Be smart, be efficient, and don’t be surprised: ALWAYS CHECK BEFORE YOUR START any project to see if a permit or permission is required. Even if you think it’s minor, check first. You will save yourself a load of time and challenges by checking first.
Finally, don’t forget about the Annual Budget meeting coming up this month. It will be held on November 11th, 7:30pm at the Church of Christ inside of Gate 2. I hope to see you there!
Until next time, see you on the Pond.
Please send any questions to Mike Miller at VP@lakelotawana.net
Safer Seven Quiz
This week Safer Seven will tackle a few off-water topics. You can find the answers to all of the following statements on Page 35, Section IV, Part C of the Rules and Regs.
Answer True or False for the following statements:
- You cannot make a cut in the road for any reason without a permit. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE
- It’s ok to dump your leaves in the culvert across the street. TRUE or FALSE? FALSE. You cannot dump anything on roads, common areas, or pathways (3pts). Plus we also just had most of the culverts cleaned out. Put your leaves in bags.
- Newly constructed driveways must be hard surfaced and not rocks. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE!
- Motorized vehicles used on Lotawana roads must be licensed in the state of Missouri. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE! Golf cart registration is for those vehicles used on the Parkway not the roads.
- No vehicles should be repeatedly parked across white line marking the edge of the road. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE. Violations will be 3 points and then 1 point for each day after the initial violation.
- Pocket bikes, mini-bikes, and go carts are ok to drive on lake roads. TRUE or FALSE? FALSE.
- The Fall Cleanup Day is Saturday November 1st. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE. And we need volunteers! Please call the office to find out where you can help!
See you next time!