Competition Pork

[VA BBQ PIRATES]

We've done the other 3 so I figure it's just a matter of time before some one starts a pork thread so I'll start.

Hello my name is Tom and my Butt stinks! I really need a 12 step program. I'm not sure what the judges are looking for. Here's what I do: I inject with Chris Lilly's injection about 4 - 6 hrs before it goes on. Rub just before it hits the smoker. Cook @ 230 ish to 165-170 foil, continue until the bone pulls free. Cooler for a couple hours & turn in lightly sauced thumb sized chunks from the monkey muscle.

My scores have been all over. I've thought about and tried adding slices - cook to about 170 sliced the monkey muscle. Is that a good idea?

Any help is appreciated - thanks

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Do you have any pics of your typical turn ins? What type of sauce are you using?

[Black Cat BBQ]

We've done the other 3 so I figure it's just a matter of time before some one starts a pork thread so I'll start.

Hello my name is Tom and my Butt stinks! I really need a 12 step program. I'm not sure what the judges are looking for. Here's what I do: I inject with Chris Lilly's injection about 4 - 6 hrs before it goes on. Rub just before it hits the smoker. Cook @ 230 ish to 165-170 foil, continue until the bone pulls free. Cooler for a couple hours & turn in lightly sauced thumb sized chunks from the monkey muscle.

My scores have been all over. I've thought about and tried adding slices - cook to about 170 sliced the monkey muscle. Is that a good idea?

Any help is appreciated - thanks

you used the "f" word....

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

Tom, I inject with Butchers blend and juice, rub and wrap in plastic about 6 hours prior to hitting the cooker. I cook till 170 then foil add some more juice and rest in a cooler. I have been slicing the money muscle and adding some pulled. I was probably in the bottom 1/3rd in BelAir with this box.
Sal

[VA BBQ PIRATES]

Here's a box. I've used a couple different sauces. Tenn. Red, Blues Hog, Slabs. Is there a sauce you would recomend?

[PatioDaddio]

Tom - This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ayDKXCbPE) might be of some help as to the saucing and presentation.

John

[MilitantSquatter]

Tom - How are you're presentation scores compared to taste/tenderness ?

From the looks of the box, I think you're on the right track.

I'd suggest considering the following

1) Don't leave the bottom right bare - Either center the slices and align more evenly or re-position elsewhere
2) Lightly sauce with Tenn Red or a thinned out traditional sauce w/ juice
Make the pork glisten
3) Chunks presentation is decent but get rid of some of those strands and make sure you have a consistent look of interal meat to bark showing (I think a 2:1 ratio works best. Strategically position each piece like a puzzle - Angle some, lay some vertically, diagonally etc. It gives the box character and prevents it from looking like it was just plopped in there.

[Plowboy]

Here's a box. I've used a couple different sauces. Tenn. Red, Blues Hog, Slabs. Is there a sauce you would recomend?

Three GREAT sauces for pork.

Warning that this is going to be a shameless plug, but...

Try Plowboy's Yardbird Rub or Slab's pork rub with those sauces. They both pair well.

Presentation looks good in general. Nothing wrong with it.

[The Pickled Pig]

Here's a box. I've used a couple different sauces. Tenn. Red, Blues Hog, Slabs. Is there a sauce you would recomend?


I think the box looks okay but I'd certainly follow Vinny's advice.

Unless you've somehow figured out how to get great pieces from all over the butt or are using multiple butts for your selection, I'd suggest you limit your pulled pieces to the best 6-8 chunks from a butt. We sometimes go through 2 butts just to find 6 or 7 chunks good enough for the box. Every piece that we put into the box is hand selected to be uber tender, juicy, and has bark on it. We'll only pull from a couple of muscles around the bone and the money muscle. The rest is saved for scraps. If your tenderness scores from a table are all over the scale, it may be because some judges are getting dry or tough pulled pieces.

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

I'd suggest considering the following

1) Don't leave the bottom right bare - Either center the slices and align more evenly or re-position elsewhere
2) Lightly sauce with Tenn Red or a thinned out traditional sauce w/ juice
Make the pork glisten
3) Chunks presentation is decent but get rid of some of those strands and make sure you have a consistent look of interal meat to bark showing (I think a 2:1 ratio works best. Strategically position each piece like a puzzle - Angle some, lay some vertically, diagonally etc. It gives the box character and prevents it from looking like it was just plopped in there.

Vinny's advice is right on as far as I am concerned. My very first impression was that the box looked very good, but at second glance the meat looked a bit dry and needed to glisten to look moist.

Looks to me like you are very close to getting some high scores.

[Plowboy]

We sometimes go through 2 butts just to find 6 or 7 chunks good enough for the box. Every piece that we put into the box is hand selected to be uber tender, juicy, and has bark on it. We'll only pull from a couple of muscles around the bone and the money muscle. The rest is saved for scraps.


Ding, ding, ding! But what do I know... :cool:

[Butcher BBQ]

Ding, ding, ding! But what do I know... :cool:

Yeas what do you know?!?

[SmokeInDaEye]

I think the box looks okay but I'd certainly follow Vinny's advice.

Unless you've somehow figured out how to get great pieces from all over the butt or are using multiple butts for your selection, I'd suggest you limit your pulled pieces to the best 6-8 chunks from a butt. We sometimes go through 2 butts just to find 6 or 7 chunks good enough for the box. Every piece that we put into the box is hand selected to be uber tender, juicy, and has bark on it. We'll only pull from a couple of muscles around the bone and the money muscle. The rest is saved for scraps. If your tenderness scores from a table are all over the scale, it may be because some judges are getting dry or tough pulled pieces.

That's great advice, Paul. My pork hasn't been quite where I want it this year but its had more to do with 1 or 2 off scores then what I'm cooking. I also think having Tom do my pork turn-in box would make a huge difference!

[Jacked UP BBQ]

I always did terrible with pork, the best I ever did in a larger comp was 13th, we used hen and hog, with some blues hog and juice to thin it out. We got the sauce to a boil, dipped the pork and strained it to get the extra sauce off. Tasted good and looked like we hit it with some high gloss poly!

[VA BBQ PIRATES]

Tom - How are you're presentation scores compared to taste/tenderness ?

Presentation scores have been the highest of the 3 then tenderness then taste.

Thanks everyone. This gives me some ideas.

Tom

[HBMTN]

Of sauces used, which do you use more a thick sauce or a thin carolina style vinegar sauce?

[timzcardz]

It seems like there's some great information here. It never fails to amaze me how much is shared within The Brethren.

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Of sauces used, which do you use more a thick sauce or a thin carolina style vinegar sauce?

At least here in the Northeast, I think it would be quite rare, and pretty risky to see carolina vinegar sauce in competition. I use it at home all the time though.

[mds2]

Of sauces used, which do you use more a thick sauce or a thin carolina style vinegar sauce?

I take a sweet sauce and thin it out a bit, I'm a HUGE fan of Sa-Mokin Sauce. Goes really really good with pork. I also started injecting with fab p a couple years ago and really like it. Havent tried butchers for pork yet.

I like vinegar sauce a lot, but I dont think I would try it in a comp.

[goodsmokebbq]

Don't underestimate the power of vinegar sauce :-)

[MoKanMeathead]

The ideas above are great...here are a couple of more you might want to try in practice:

1. Put some brown sugar on your pork when you wrap it
2. Add some plain table salt right before it goes in the box (The first ting many people do when they eat is add salt)
3. Spray a 50/50 mixture of warm water and apple juice on your box right before you close it - it really makes the pork pop.

[Chipper]

As a soon to be, new competitor, I have no idea what the money muscle is on pork. Also, are the three sauces mentioned available nationally?

[mds2]

As a soon to be, new competitor, I have no idea what the money muscle is on pork. Also, are the three sauces mentioned available nationally?

I think you can get pretty much any sauce at hawgeyesbbq.com

[Sledneck]

good place for sauce and rubs real fast shipping http://www.thekansascitybbqstore.com/

[YankeeBBQ]

The ideas above are great...here are a couple of more you might want to try in practice:

1. Put some brown sugar on your pork when you wrap it
2. Add some plain table salt right before it goes in the box (The first ting many people do when they eat is add salt)
3. Spray a 50/50 mixture of warm water and apple juice on your box right before you close it - it really makes the pork pop.

My process is very similar to yours.
1. I put some brown sugar in my inject
2. Instead of just salt I use a salty rub to finish the pork
3. I use warm water with a little sugar in it to spritz the box just before turn in

[Chipper]

Thanks, i order a trio of sauces and will put them to the test in a couple of weeks. Doing two briskets this week-end as practice, so we will see what happens.
Still looking to solve the mystery of the money muscle.

[Sledneck]

Thanks, i order a trio of sauces and will put them to the test in a couple of weeks. Doing two briskets this week-end as practice, so we will see what happens.
Still looking to solve the mystery of the money muscle.http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=637849&postcount=21

[Sledneck]

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=506103&postcount=14

[Chris Nickelson]

As Todd said above there are many sauces and rubs that pair well.
And that's what I look for when doing pork, You are looking for a flavor that is an overall flavor, not a blend of different things that stand out on their own as you taste it.

Example: I don't like to have the meat have good smoke, good salt, good sweet, good spice, but then there be one individual spice or Herb that stands out when you eat it. That one item can deter from the rest of the experience.

Again we're trying to get a "TOTAL flavor of the meat", NOT "meat with some farkin good garlic".

Hope it helps.

[Chipper]

All of this has been a huge help. I look forward to doing some pork!

[Nature Boy]

Hey Tom
Are you getting good tenderness at 170?? You might try taking it further. We have a few 2nds in pork this year. Another good thread.
Cheers!
Chris

[Butt-A-Bing!]

Hey Tom, ya'll did ok in pork this year.. (I've been spying on the Pickled Pig site.) We decided at the start of this year, (well, after Salisbury) that we would stop fooling around with the flavor profiles every comp. We did some testing with people at our work asking which flavor was best. came up with a concensus and stuck with it. It seemed to work out OK for us. I believe that being consistant, and working on your cooking technique is key. Just my 2 cents.

P.S. Not getting too drunk helps too.:biggrin:

See ya, Chris

[Dale P]

P.S. Not getting too drunk helps too.:biggrin:

See ya, Chris[/quote]


I dunno about that. The best finish we had last year was when everyone was passed out except me. I made up a drunken concoction, woke Matt up, and we made the best pork ever.
People say do not experiment at comps and they are probably right. We dont listen real well and have a couple trophies because of our stupidity.:-P

[VA BBQ PIRATES]

Hey Tom
Are you getting good tenderness at 170?? You might try taking it further. We have a few 2nds in pork this year. Another good thread.
Cheers!
Chris

Chris - I foil at 170 - it comes off closer to 200. I am experimenting with slicing. I'm pulling those around 170 and it's pretty tender.

Hey Tom, ya'll did ok in pork this year.. (I've been spying on the Pickled Pig site.)

Chris - Our pork only did OK twice. :icon_frow It's all about consistancy and a good flavour profile like you said. I'm just not sure where it needs to be.

Tom

[SmokeInDaEye]

Interesting.

[Mike - CSBBBQ]

Tom, would gladly add my .02 buuuutttttttttt with our scores it wouldn't help:cry: Thanks for starting the thread:-D