ButchB
Full Fledged Farker
My first comp is coming up 10/12-10/13. I signed up for the backyard(BY) division but the lady called today and asked if i would change to pro. They had it set up for 25 pro teams and 5 BY teams. They have 5 BY but only 21 pro. She said two BY teams already agreed to go pro. One BY team said he wanted to stay BY regardless. I figured I want my food to be judged against more than just one or two teams so I agreed to also move to pro. Now instead of cooking just ribs and pork I also need to do chicken and brisket. I feel pretty comfortable with my ribs and pork but chicken and brisket not really. Heres a few questions.
chicken- I've cooked the cupcake chicken a few times and everybody likes it, but it seems from reading on here that judges might be tired of seeing round balls of chicken and may score it lower?? The recipe/taste profile I have is good according to all my friends and family I guess i'm just trying to figure out which is the proper way to trim and shape the thighs to appeal to the judges.
brisket- I've only tried one and it didn't turn out good. I followed the blackhawk v2 somebody on here wrote, and i followed it to a t, but it just didn't turn out good to me. I'm gonna go buy another one tomorrow and try again but i'm thinking i should go back to the basics of salt, pepper, and just cook it at 225 til it hits 200. No foil, injections, etc. BUT, If this is just gonna be a waste of time and not cut it for competition, is there a good technique for a beginner trying to compete?
Any more tips? I've been practicing plenty on ribs and pork. Now the chicken and brisket are throwing a curve at me. Any help at all is greatly appreciated.
Thanks guys!
chicken- I've cooked the cupcake chicken a few times and everybody likes it, but it seems from reading on here that judges might be tired of seeing round balls of chicken and may score it lower?? The recipe/taste profile I have is good according to all my friends and family I guess i'm just trying to figure out which is the proper way to trim and shape the thighs to appeal to the judges.
brisket- I've only tried one and it didn't turn out good. I followed the blackhawk v2 somebody on here wrote, and i followed it to a t, but it just didn't turn out good to me. I'm gonna go buy another one tomorrow and try again but i'm thinking i should go back to the basics of salt, pepper, and just cook it at 225 til it hits 200. No foil, injections, etc. BUT, If this is just gonna be a waste of time and not cut it for competition, is there a good technique for a beginner trying to compete?
Any more tips? I've been practicing plenty on ribs and pork. Now the chicken and brisket are throwing a curve at me. Any help at all is greatly appreciated.
Thanks guys!