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Old 02-29-2012, 09:14 AM   #15
Lake Dogs
Quintessential Chatty Farker

 
Join Date: 07-14-09
Location: Lake Sinclair, GA
Name/Nickname : Hance
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capn Kev View Post
I tend to agree with most of what has been posted. However, from my personal experience, my friends, neighbors, family, etc. tend to give only positive feedback, so I thought my food would be competition-ready. My first comp I finished middle of the pack in both ribs and pork. I bombed in chicken and DAL in brisket.

I found that the biggest and most difficult difference I had to make was managing tenderness. Mushy pork, flavorless tough brisket, and fall-off-the-bone ribs won't win any comps. Flavor also had to be stepped up... but wasn't completely different, just more complex than what I was cooking at home.

Now, entering my third year and having just finished my 25th competition, I can now say that my cooking skills have only improved since I starting competing. I'll also be the first to admit that my food (although was good before) it was nowhere near where it is today. I have substantially improved my ability to control tenderness, as well as how to make food more appealing to the eyes (presentation). My flavor profile for the backyard is now closer to what I turn in for comps, more than what it used to be before competing -- but I do tone it down a bit when cooking at home.

If you want to find out what competition BBQ tastes like, see if you can find a local team willing to allow you to be their dishwasher/helper for one competition. I'm sure they will let you taste their food after turn-ins. That will give you the best feel for the difference between backyard and competition BBQ.

My feedback is dive right in, and don't look back. You will love it! Good luck!
Kevin, I would say the exact same thing on mine. However, it seems that many folks have a tough time coming to terms with this. They seem hell-bent on cooking how they like it. They dont realize that you have 5 or 6 average people (who are usually in their 30's - 70's; mid-point probably being 55 yrs old) who have had no alcohol sitting at a table judging against a standard set by the sanctioning body.

I've written LOTS about the true difference between that middle-of-the-pack BBQ and the top-10-percent BBQ is in one thing: tenderness. Hit the tenderness, as defined, consistently and you'll consistently be in that top 25% if not higher. Then, dont offend, meaning dont do any of the "terrible too's"; being too salty; too mushy; too sweet; too bland; too spicy; too hot; too ... because you'll offend some of your judges and that spells death.

I did a few additional things than apparently most do before I entered a competition, and that was compete against myself with friends judging. We even had a sauce judging party with 12 judges, meat cooked 2 different ways, and 16 base sauces. This way I found out which (in this case I was testing injections with rubs as it pertains to sauces) which truly tasted best. Ends up we had 11 of the 12 choose one particular combination as their favorite and that 1 judge chose it as their 2nd choice. That's when I figured I had a competitive combination....

Note aside: the sauce we chose wasnt even one of the 16 base sauces but a combination of 3 of them, and wasn't one we'd have come up with had we not gone this route.

Anyway, that's how we (as a team) did it.

As a judge I surely see the need for something like this (above) MANY times during every competition. For example, in this last one I judged last weekend, one of the better pulled pork entries came with the sauce on the side. It was a mustard sauce, and frankly the sauce by itself was one of if not the best mustard sauce I'd ever tasted. Problem: the flavors in this sauce conflicted with the flavors in the meat (either his injection, rub, or both). This day this really good entry was at best middle-of-the-pack. Great sauce + great meat do not necessarily = great product. Ends up we had an entry on that table that needed a little extra flavor and after judging we found that it went GREAT with this other guy's mustard sauce...
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Hance - MiM/MBN/GBA CBJ and comp cook
Lake Sinclair, GA (strategically about an hour from darn near anywhere)
My competition daze are probably behind me now; I pretty much cook for family, friends, and frankly the peace and solitude I get from smokin' on an offset...
Was Lang 84DX, now Bubba Grills 250R and many Weber grills
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