smokincracker, BEST OF LUCK!!!
I've judged Big Pig Jig now 6 years; will skip this one... (long story)
Big/large flat field; prepare for ants (have ant killer ready).
The biggest difference, largely, is the on site judging. That, and the amount
of meat you'll need to cook to handle 2 turn-ins and 3 on-sites. One whole hog
is fine, however you'll probably cook between 10 to 15 racks of ribs for this.
On site, as I said in earlier stuff, is still about the taste of the Q. However, the
site judging itself is about a) cleanliness and b) presentation. Have a 6 to 8
minute "show n tell" about your cooker, the wood you use, time & temperatures,
blah blah blah. However, realize that they have 13 minutes from start to finish.
You want them to eat your Q as much as possible. Go through your spiel, then
have them sit and present the Q to them (bring it from the cooker). Also, dont
feel the need to talk the whole time while they're eating, especially if it requires
them to respond. Let 'em eat.
Also, MIM/MBA dont sauce much if any. IF you present sauce on the side, it is
required that the judge use it and judge based upon it (rather than taking his
opinion without and another with and then determining what he/she likes best).
If your Q is fabulous with sauce, go with that. If it's better without (and most
are, IMHO), then go sans sauce. 90% go sans sauce. Sauce is WAY WAY WAY
too regional and personal... One guy likes sweet, the next doesn't, etc.
For the onsite, have a table and a chair for the judge under a tent. Some really
go all out with fine china and table linens, etc. That's nice, but not judged. As
long as it's CLEAN, it's fine. I suggest a simple fairly cheap vinyl tablecloth that
can be wiped quickly between onsite judging (you have about 2 minutes between
them). I do suggest using a good quality paper plate; chinet. Hate to hand over
a piece of Q on a plate and have it hit the ground... Clean fork. Water; have
a fresh bottle of water for the judge to cleanse his/her palate. NAPKIN. Some
like to display their rub with a small sample there in a small/tiny bowl. Not a bad
idea. Perhaps a tiny sample spoon there with it...
Cleanliness is judged on the cooker, your site, tables, and all your team members.
Best to have everyone wearing similar clothing, and CLEAN clothing. If you have
someone stay up all night working the fire, etc. it can get a bit nasty. Change
about 15 to 20 minutes before all of this starts.
You should find plenty of Hog displays online. Most create a bed of cabbage or
lettuce around it, trimmed with purple grapes, tomatoes, lemons (for yellow)
and pineapples, etc. Also, many do this on a smaller scale for their ribs (create
a display).
Use the rib that's on display. Dont cut the rib, except perhaps slice off the ends.
The judge should get about 1/2 a rack+-. NOT cut. They need to pull it apart.
The meat should pull cleanly from the bone with a little resistance (not falling off),
but only a little resistance. If done correctly, the bone will turn white in a
minute or two... After that, same as KCBS basically.
HAVE FUN.
