your first compition what went wrong

I turned in slightly raw chicken

I bought a box of thighs, about 20 lbs, they were frozen and we could not find 6 pieces that were similar.
They got over cooked, and the skin was rubbery. So we turned in skinless thighs. I still can't fathom how they were not DAL.
We did get a comment card though, praising us for the "perfect bite through skin".:loco:

1st comp, I had my charcoal chimney on a fish fry burner, lighting some coals and I fell asleep and it started a small grass fire + ribs were undercooked.

2nd comp, I forgot my sink and hoses, and my ribs were undercooked.

3rd comp, my ribs were undercooked.

Got 1st in ribs this weekend, problem solved.

I think the standout moment was finding out that our brisket was so spectacularly awful that it left an indelible impression on the head judge (IBCA). See the "What NOT to enter" thread for the humiliating evidence.

Wasnt my first nor second... My worst contest was probably my 5th or 6th... Everything was perfect, except... Pork, awesome, but in the confusion it ended up getting pulled then set aside for about 30 minutes before putting in the box. WTF was I thinking?!?! It went out stone cold and gray. Awesome entry when fresh and hot was only middle of the pack after that fubar. Brisket, awesome taste, but overcooked to the point where we had to leave it out to cool so it could firm up a tad to be able to slice it at all. Somehow we did with a razor sharp knife, good cuts. I called it our duct-tape brisket; I have no idea how those slices hung together. Actually got *ok* scores all things considered. It was towards middle, but cooked less (and hot or even luke warm) would've really been a very competitive brisket. Chicken, awesome but slightly overcooked with VERY rubbery skin. I should've sent it out skinless (I didnt check). We were trounced in tenderness, but very good presentation and taste scores. Even with good taste scores we were in the bottom 1/3rd. Ribs, cooked perfectly, sliced perfectly, timed exactly right, went out piping hot. Fantastic appearance and tenderness scores, and 998444 on taste. WTF? One of the slabs was skunky. Didnt know it until afterwards... Thankfully noone was hurt. Never again. I buy only the best from trusted sources. Overall we were WAY down in the bottom third; this after walking in most everthing the previous comps and an RGC in the mix. THUD. Worse, this was an event very close to home; we were known and there were expectations... We FAILED.

got to drunk on Friday night

Lets see, at my 1st contest I was still a practicing alcoholic, you can fill in the blanks there. At the awards, I sat in one of the judging chairs, snapped it like a twig, fell backwards and did not even come close to losing a drop of my Miller.

Got a 5th in Pork, 1st in Ribs and 16th in brisket...There were 14 teams entered in the contest.

Thermometer broke on the smoker and didn't have a back up. Also not keeping track of time.

We used toothpicks to hold the chicken skin in place and left one in a thigh. DQ.

Ran out of chicken rub, but Indianagriller came thru with a half a bottle of what iI was using and saved the day. Thanks again JT.

Overslept Saturday morning. I will never forget that 'oh spit' moment thinking that I had totally screwed that comp. Just worked through it as best as I could and ended up in the middle of the pack.

Russ

Inadequate tie downs for 60 mile hour winds and did not get canopy taken off in time. Ez-ups can fly a pretty good distance in a very short amount of time. keith

The worst thing that happened to me was a top 10 in ribs............then I was hooked.

Good luck and have fun.

I know it isn't what you're asking for, but IMHO, the worst thing you can do at your first comp, is to forget to have fun. Practice lots ahead of time, go in prepared, and just aim to get everything turned in on time, and try not to be DAL in anything. Beyond that, it's all gravy

rgrizzle said:

everytime I sit and start thinking about the comp we are entering I get nervous just thinking of it. I know I have a good product, just need to be more confident. I really want to think everyone for the info. this is helping me alot. thanks

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write your time line down. Everything you need to do and when. Will help you not forget something when/if you get flustered. good luck. What is your team name and which contest. I will root for you. keith

Didn't check the dampers on the WSM after lighting it off and they were closed. It was a SLOW fire.