So you think you’ve got the best barbecue on the block. You've spent years honing your technique. Your family drools around the pit as you perfectly slow roast and sauce that rack of ribs, making the meat fall right off the bone.

Think again. For one, barbecued meat shouldn’t come off the bone cleanly.

“The meat should come off with minimal effort, but there should be a little meat left on there when you tear,” says Carolyn Wells of the Kansas City Barbecue Society (a city that knows a thing or two about the art of grilling). 

Learning the right texture of grilled or smoked meat is just one of the many secrets you'll discover at the second-annual BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay (May 24-26) at The Mill Casino in Coos Bay, OR. Visitors can enroll in a $75 class to become a Kansas City Barbecue Society certified judge, giving them the tools to properly evaluate chicken, ribs, pork (butt or shoulder), or brisket.

“It’s a way to have an excuse to eat great barbecue, and to know what the judges are looking for when they score meat,” Wells says. 

The event will also feature a Mac n’ Cheese competition dedicated to BBQ Legend Jim Monihan, 21 craft brews on tap to sample with your grilled goodness, and Sunday Blues entertainment featuring Soul Pie out of San Francisco and The Vipers from Eugene. 

Cost of entry into the main event is free but beer garden entry is $10 and food is $1 per sample.

For more information, visit themillcasino.com.