Question Regarding Regional Sauces at Competitions
 

I was just thinking as I sat here at my desk at the office, enjoying leftover pulled pork sandwiches (OK I ate THREE of them!) for lunch... the Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce I'm eating on them is more of a Carolina style sauce. If I use it on pulled pork at a local contest (i.e. where Kansas City style sauces are king), are local judges more apt to freak out and be turned off by it? Am I better off just going light on KC style sauce on pulled pork or just spray with apple juice instead and leave the KC style sauce for the sliced pork?

RE: Question Regarding Regional Sauces at Competitions
 

Never, repeat never try and read the minds of the judges. Cook what you think tastes good and submit it. Judges come from all over. You could be in Colorado and the judge comes trom Florida.

RE: Question Regarding Regional Sauces at Competitions
 

Quigley is SO right. Forget regional preferences in KCBS events. The judges are from ALL over and you cannot outguess them. Cook the rules - cook for tenderness and taste. The sauce will make a difference but not like you think it would/should. For example: in NC you won't see KCBS winners doing vinegar sauce for turn-in even though you may be in a vinegar based sauce preference area. All the judges may be from Mephis, Ohio, Maryland, and Alabama. Learn to cook your flavors and tweak from there - don't even try to chase regional differences.

Middle of the road, sweet with a touch of heat, will get you over a lot more than a truly distinct flavor - except for the one time you get an all California judge table and a sauce with ginger-soy fused with vanilla and truffle oil RULES! :D

When i judged at Mandalay Bay in Vegas we had sixty judges from fifteen states.

I cooked with a guy that used this a couple of weeks ago and he took 8th. I used it in Laurie and took 63rd - he probably used it at Laurie and took 16th. You never know which group of sis you will get.

Thanks for the ideas, guys. My only thought on the vinegar based sauce is that unless you're very careful, you can easily completely mask the taste of the meat with the stuff. I personally like it and the spicier the better but man, one little slip with the bottle and you have a ruined vinegary mess! :shock: Chad, you mention sweet with a touch of heat... I have just the thing for that! :wink: