Our first comp turn in pics - please comment

definately better than 13th place chicken for sure

Not bad overall...

Chicken looks like maybe some skin is pulled back but really looks appetizing to me. Try for a little more consistency in size and shape.

Ribs - I don't see much wrong with appearance other than the gap between the back two bones. I also quit turning bones on their side and started scoring a bit better.

Pork - sliced does better in the KC area. Think about trying that next time. I'm a pulled pork fan though so I would be fine with this. Trouble is, everyone can make a pile of pulled pork look good so the competition is a bit tougher here.

Brisket - Not a fan of how you chose to place it in the box... too much empty space at the upper left. Appears to be a couple of places where the bark is broken on the first slice. It may just be my personal preference but I like to TRY to keep all slices close to the same length.

On all boxes, I think you over-did the garnish. It looks "bushy" and a bit sloppy. Keep it inside the box! :lol:

Pretty decent work for your first contest... keep working at it and after ten or so contests, compare your turn-in pictures to these... you'll laugh at yourself! I know I did when I compared mine. :wink:

Oops... almost forgot to critique the final photo... you look too damned sober! :lol: Drink more beer!

i think the brisket slices should of been cut on one size to make them all a more uniform length

I agree that there is too much garnish. It shouldn't hang over the side of the box

I think the Chicken looked good in the box, may have sit down just a bit low in the box but not too bad.
Ribs- first thing that caught my eye was the rib at the top. It looks like a different size. Try to keep them all from the same rack if possiable.
Pork- the meat looks good. the greens are spilling over the edge of the box.
Brisket- again, I think the meat looks good and the greens are spilling over the box. Also,try and get even overlap with each slice. And if possiable, add burnt ends. They seem to always score higher for me.
Overall - nice job. What were your scores?

p.s. I would agree with Jeff, looking too sober in the last pic.

Ron_L said:

Chicken - pin back the skin with toothpicks while cooking to keep it from pulling back. Keep track of the toothpicks!

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One other comment on pinning with toothpicks. Do not use colored toothpicks otherwise the color will bleed into the meat. Had a friend that ran into that problem.

I have never competed in KCBS but everything looked real good to me. I liked the brisket with the nice even smoke ring. It did look too moist for what we do here in IBCA. We probably would have had to soak up that juice with a paper towel at the turn-in table. The chicken looked real good, but one piece (lower left) looked like it was missing some skin and lower right looks like the skin shrunk too far back too. I think the ribs looked great. That one piece on the top does look off kilter but I think it is just the way it is sitting in the box. I honestly didn't like the way the pulled pork looked. It actually looked like chunked pork and not shredded enough to be considered pulled to my liking. All that said, because you asked, everything looks awesome and it looks like it tasted very very good.

I do not normally comment on pics of turn-ins.
And that is just a personal decision about cameras and all of that

In this case:
Please remember-- it is a meat contest and not a garnish contest.
Too much garnish will take away the beauty of the meat.
If you elect to garnish, it should just frame, highlight, or compliment the meat.
It should not be the focus or "draw the eye" (for good or bad) of the beholder.

Just some thoughts.

TIM

Sledneck said:

i think the brisket slices should of been cut on one size to make them all a more uniform length

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For once, I will agree with Steve (other than his lack of chicken cooking skills :lol: )

As a Judge and Competitor, I try for and like to see slices that are from the same brisket and presented in the original order.

Whether they are trimmed on one or both sides before or after cooking, or they just wind up in order is immaterial to me.

Chad and I have trimmed both sides, just one side, or not at all. It really depends on the brisket selected and it's width.
We do try to make each peice "stack" on the next with the same amount of meat showing--just attention to detail.

The top flight entries will be from the same brisket, presented in order, with some good looking organization.

JMHO.

TIM

I would have added that perhaps you could have pre-trimmed your brisket and it would have came out with a more uniform look.

One thing I can say about IBCA is that I am glad we do not garnish. I also like that we turn in the half chickens. I am starting to appreciate that more and more as I read and view these KCBS turn-ins.

tony76248 said:

I would have added that perhaps you could have pre-trimmed your brisket and it would have came out with a more uniform look.

One thing I can say about IBCA is that I am glad we do not garnish. I also like that we turn in the half chickens. I am starting to appreciate that more and more as I read and view these KCBS turn-ins.

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Yeah, the garnish is a "nut-roll" issue in KCBS.
Stroing and valid feelings on both sides of the fence there.

FBA is like your TX folks--"it be about the meat" :lol:
But, that presents it's own challenges also

Then jump over to MIM and you get a whole new set of standards and expectations

CEE LA VIE----???

I guess, pick something ya like and go cook!
Have a great time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TIM

First off , Great looking First turn ins!!! You are definately on the right track!! Very smart of you to ask for opinions, if you are sincere about the answers that you will get.

My answer to all of the pix is that , make the meat the show case and not the garnish. Fill the box with as much ( same size ) pieces that you can without crowding the box. I use very little garnish in my boxes so that I can build a monument to meat that when the judges see it, it's the meat they remember and not the garnish. Chicken--- same size pieces!! Ribs-----nice box but co-ordinate size. Pork--- Show more bark!! Brisket---- More pieces, more uniform in size.

Just my 2 cents but what the hell do I know!!

I've noticed most of the above comments say too much garnish and I agree fully. Let the meat standout, not the greens. Plus think about this, what happens to the turn in box after you try to close it with this much garnish, in other words what does it look like when it is opened at the judges table. (Did sauce get all over the lettuce and make it look sloppy or did the meat shift in the box.) I've seen this happen. Anyways the meat did look real good and I bet tasted better you did good on your first time out. JMO

One thing I have learned is you will improve with each event. I think all in all you have no place to go but up. That is a good thing. Congrats on your first cookoff.

That is a really good finish for your first time out. You almost made the top 1/3 of the field on your first cook. Almost got a call in ribs. That's damn good for a very tough contest your first time out.

That is great

I have to say that is great first time out. I rember my first competition, talk about getting hooked!

As a CBJ, I have started to try and think what could be done to make the boxes look better...I think all 4 of those are 8's. All I could think was less leaf hanging out the sides!