Competition BBq.

Have you ever cooked bbq?

Rich Parker said:

Have you ever cooked bbq?

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Or at least been to a BBQ competition?

Yea, umm I think you'd be surprised how many teams win with plain old Sam's Club meat and no electronic devices at all. Electronics don't make a cook better, and good technique can compete with or beat more expensive cuts of meat.. no problem...happens every week.

I agree with the guys above, a lot of times the winners are guys with basic smokers, Sams Club meat and no devices. Its about the cook, not the equipment. I finished fourth out of 35 teams in my first comp with a WSM, grocery store meat and no devices.

DevineSwine said:

Now that would tell whose the best cook and not the best at making a sauce.

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People make their own sauce for contests?

85% of my meat comes from Sams Club, and you wont find any electronics on my Gator offset...so in a nice way:heh:...I totally disagree with your statement..:doh:

My chicken, ribs, and butts all come from Sams. Brisket probably would too if the Sams around here carried packers.

I think that you're saying that there should be a more even playing field at the competitions. It's not as uneven as you might think.

Most of the teams that win with electronic devices, could and have won with a lot more basic equipment. As for using superior meat...some do and some don't. The difference in those that win consistently and those that don't is the work and practice the consistent winners put in. Cooks win contests, end of story.

I see your in S.E. Mi. We have 9 comps this year in Michigan and several within a short ride from you. I suggest you come out and visit us sometime and see what it's really all about. :thumb:

Nothing is rigged, as the judges are the X factor. The same chicken that finishes dead ass last one week might place well the next. Or so I'm hoping...

Essentially you are looking for a tenderness contest correct? If appearance and taste are eliminated the only thing left is tenderness. I've placed near the top and near the bottom with a fancy FEC 100 and trust me, electronics may let you sleep a little more but those electronics have issues as well. I have also used wagyu, berkshire, air dried fancy chicken, etc and have done better with meat from RD and the local grocery store. Try competing some time and you will realize it still comes down to what techniques and skills the team possesses that wins competitions.

Yeah Devine Swine you really need to let us know if you have done or been to a bbq competition. I am a rookie in the comp world and the furthest thing from an expert, but get most of my meat from Costco and in my first 2 comps got 7th and 2nd in ribs with their meat in the Backyard division. So super high quality "butcher shop" meat, which I'm guessing you are referring to, I would say is not in play for most of the teams.

I also completely agree with AZScott in that if all meat, sauce, and seasoning were they same then really it would simply be a tenderness contest and what is the point of that.

Also when you end your statement with "this is not intended to discredit anyone by any means", but everything previous to that last sentence seemed to do exactly that then you are kind of being a little passive/aggressive in terms of instigating. I would say just leave that out since you were quite nice in the tone of what your wrote and not offensive at all. You were just giving your opinion.

DevineSwine said:

I have often thought about competition bbq and thought to myself that it seems kinda rigged. Now before everyone jumps all over me for this bold statement please hear me out. I don't mean in the terms rigged that the people who have tirelessly worked and busted there humps and shelled out tons of money didn't deserve to win! But more that these " competitions" seem lop sided in the fact that with all the new electronic devices being used and the best meat being used its kinda like taking a test with the answer sheet so to speak. To me a true competition would be having the meat purchased at the event and everyone using the same sauce and no one is allowed to use any flame gadgets. Now that would tell whose the best cook and not the best at making a sauce. This is purely for conversation and not intended to discredit anyone by any means.

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I suggest you attend a contest just to have a look and I think you will be surprised.

There are a couple of different topics here...

1. Recipe vs. Cook skill. Sure, it would be somewhat interesting to see what happens when everyone is given the same tools, same sauce, and it were just a matter of who was the most accomplished cook.

The problem therein is that, with semi-competent cooks, the difference between the worst entry and the best entry would be pretty small. In a field of say, 30 cooks, I'm guessing that any slight nuances between finished products would be so slight that even the most veteran judges wouldn't be able to tell the difference. At that point, it's a lottery, and the competition becomes meaningless. There would only be a precious few variables that the cooks could control, while FLAVOR allows for damn near infinite possibilities.

2. Technology. Yes, I miss the days of tending the pit, watching the heat, amount/quality of smoke, and the different temperature zones, and their effect on the meat.

Any large BBQ restaurant doesn't have someone watching their pit 24x7. They use large, commercial smokers that you can set to a temperature, and they will maintain it, like an oven with smoke. The premise of these high-dollar cookers is finding it's way into our backyards and campsites, and is definitely making a presence at BBQ competitions.

10 years ago, these multi-thousand dollar cookers gave some teams a huge advantage. Now, with iQue, Stoker, and many other portable solutions, everyone has access to managed heat/smoke. That's just the way technology rolls. You don't see a lot of Nascar engines without fuel injection.

I still miss the art of "pit management". It was my job on the team for a while. I miss the challenge, but I like amazing BBQ even more. The goal is to make the best BBQ you can... I think the rules are gonna allow anything and everything that makes that happen as time goes on...

I to don’t use ‘fancy quality’ meats. My briskets, pork butts, and ribs come from Rest. Depot and my chicken comes from my local Jewel. The only electronics that we use is a remote thermometer.

Last year we had both our ups and downs… I guess one of the ups would be taking 1st in brisket for the second year in a row against what I consider some of the best teams in the Mid-West and second over all for the comp.

It can be done. Remember, it’s the cook, not the cooker…

Thanks to Bubba for pointing out you are a fellow Michigander. I will be at all of the comps on your side of the State this Summer, and you are more than welcome to come hang out with me and see what it is about. Send me a PM if you want more details.

6/3 - Armada
6/17 - Mt. Morris
6/24 - Auburn Hills
7/23 - Taylor (maybe)
8/26 - Monroe

Fatback Joe said:

My chicken, ribs, and butts all come from Sams. Brisket probably would too if the Sams around here carried packers.

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Same here my Sam's carries IBP but when asked if they would carry IBP packers they say they can't get them. Funny as my local grocery store 5 miles away carries IBP packers. :crazy:

A WSM or a UDS can be pretty dang close to set it and forget it in terms of temperature consistency. Very minimal vent adjustment required. The only thing the pit controllers really give you is a little more sleep.

As far as meat quality goes there are teams that would still cook choice grade brisket over Wagyu or prime even if they were the same price.