Why do we cook ribs comp style?

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jimstocks53

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Okay, the obvious answer is, 'to win, Duh!' But I have noticed repeatedly comments about preferring ribs, 'falling off the bone.' Does anyone except judges actually like them comp style? And if not how did competition style come about? Just curious - I'd appreciate the history lesson.
 
I prefer my ribs so that you have to bite them off the bone, personally, but still cooked enough to be good and tender.
 
Same as the above replies. I don't like the texture of fall off the bone ribs, either. As long as the meat pulls cleanly off the bone and I'm not left gnawing little pieces of meat stuck to the bones, that's tender enough for me.
 
I think the OP was just wondering how the so called "comp style" criteria came to be. I have no idea personally.
 
I actually like to chew my food. I won't be going for Gerbers "fallin off the bone" pork ribs untill all my teeth fall out first. No offense to those who like that style.
 
Toney Marconi said:
I think the OP was just wondering how the so called "comp style" criteria came to be. I have no idea personally.
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I think the criteria was established simply because it's more or less correct and consistent with properly cooked BBQ. Unfortunately, a large number of people in this country for a long time didn't have access to authentic BBQ. Instead, their experience with ribs was most likely boiled or steamed in some fashion, either at a restaurant or at home. And when restaurants promote the fact that they fall off the bone, consumers think that's the sign of a good rib.

There's nothing wrong with preferring one texture over another and it probably has a lot to do with the kind of ribs someone grew up eating, or having a poor experience with a certain style, etc. Kind of like how different people like their steak cooked to different temperatures. There's obviously a general consensus as to what a good steak should be cooked to, but if someone likes theirs more or less done, that's fine too.
 
I like them right in between fall off and comp. Not mushy but easily pulled off the bone.
 
I like mine so that you have to bite them off the bone. I like them sweet and sticky to a point, too, but not so much that it puts you off after a rib or two.
 
Maybe I'm putting words into Jimstocks mouth, but I think he might mean something else. I took his question to mean a couple of things.

One part was nailed, texture. I agree that fall off the bone, is overcooked. I like FOTB ribs, but I also like them when they have a little pull to them. Family prefers FOTB, so guess how I cook 'em.

I think the second part is, flavor profile. I've always read that most comp cooks don't even like their comp ribs, and almost never cook them for family or friends. If comp ribs don't taste "good", why are they cooked/judged? I understand that different regions have flavors that define them as such (Carolina style, Kansas style, Texas style, etc.), but why don't they get cooked that way? Does that make sense?

Hopefully I haven't hijacked this thread, as that was not my intention.

Matt
 
This has been a big discussion with lots of people on and off the board. Its funny I was with a KCBS judge over the weekend and this topic came up. Even has a judge he tells me many times himself and the other judges ask each other, what actually are we judging. Are we judging to taste the meat, the rub, the injection, the complication of the overall piece of meat etc.. He said that the food that wins, usually does not even taste like the meat should taste as it is covered with layer upon layer of rub and loads of sauce etc.

Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait to try my hands at comp cooking and I love to prepare my food to not only look well but taste well. Though if the judges and the cooks don't even like the final product, what are we doing? I agree appliance is huge, and making each cut of meat look as closely identical to the others is part of that

Personally I like my ribs to come clean off the bone with a little tug. I don't like to dig out meat from my teeth and nibble on the bone to get it clean, but at the same token I do not like my food to be mushy that it literally just falls off the bone that you can't even cut them.
 
I did mine like that trigg guy once and they were so freakin sweet I could barely eat them. Like el matt I don't get why they do them in a way they don't even eat them in themselves. 1 question I've always wanted to ask Myron Mixon and those guys on that BBQ contest show...are you judging on how you like them or on how they would be in a contest?
 
what's with butter and honey too, I ain't never heard tell of such a thing on ribs till I came here.
 
I like my ribs to bite off the bone cleanly. But, mostly, I want my ribs to taste good -- without sauce. Sauce should be optional on good ribs.

If I err one way, I'd rather the meat fall off the bone, than have to gnaw it off the bone.

CD
 
Tomorrow, I'm smoking individual spare ribs where the whole rack have been sliced already, between each rib, like we slice them after smoking the slab.
I got them like that at a Korean market, cheap. I'm not talking about short ribs.
 
Big M1ke said:
I like them right in between fall off and comp. Not mushy but easily pulled off the bone.
Click to expand...

I fall in this category...I don't want to shake a bone and have the meat fall off however I also don't want to fight with it either.
 
Pork rib jello has no place in my diet, bite through slight tug pull cleanly from the bone please.
 
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