What do you think???

Don't do that at a 25 team comp, you'll have people wanting to hunt you down. If at least 25 teams turn in all 4 categories I guess you're not hurting anyone but yourself as you're not going to outscore anyone overall who turns in all 4 categories without a DQ. But I still think it would be frowned upon - especially if you started getting calls regularly without cooking any other category.

Or just find a team that doesn't like cooking chicken, join them for the comp and cook theirs for them! (see me for details)

A small brisket flat, one pork butt and a slab or two of spares aren't going to cost too much more and the entry fee is the same. Might as well spend $75 or so more and do them all. I think we're going to be limited this year in how much we can spend so we're gonna make a lesser quantity of meat force us to do a good job with what we have.

No reason why you couldnt do that. It wont really effect the overall outcome... and if your chicken is the best, it should get a call. who cares if it is all you cook!

I dont know anyone that would be mad about that. It is your entry fee, use it as you see fit.

I do have to agree with Jeff though - might as well pick up a slab of ribs on sale, throw em in the freezer, chick, a buttt, a brisket.. .etc. and cook a little... or do two catagories maybe? get a little bang for your buck. Maybe chick and pork. Lower cost meats and some time between the turn ins.

ModelMaker said:

At our 1st and only contest last year, full entry fee (40x4+20 elec) was $180 plus $60 for meat (1 brisket,1 butt, 2 slabs, and chicken), plus fuel was close to a $300 deal. I was thinking one $40 entry fee and chicken would be a wash for fuel and camping fee just to judge.
ModelMaker

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Ed, I forgot about this. It's not uncommon for the IBS events to break down the entry fee per category. If the organizer wants to sell the comp to competitors this way - go for it.

The con is the rule that requires 25 teams to turn in each category to make it an official KCBS comp (as long as it's not a first year comp). So if someone was to do this at a comp where only 25 teams show up, the winner would not get their Jack draw for that comp.

KC_Bobby said:

Ed, I forgot about this. It's not uncommon for the IBS events to break down the entry fee per category. If the organizer wants to sell the comp to competitors this way - go for it.

The con is the rule that requires 25 teams to turn in each category to make it an official KCBS comp (as long as it's not a first year comp). So if someone was to do this at a comp where only 25 teams show up, the winner would not get their Jack draw for that comp.

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I'm going to have to disagree with you Bobby. Look at it from this perspective, if he didn't enter the contest, there still wouldn't be 25 teams. I think the number of teams should have nothing to do with whether you enter a contest or not. If the organizer can't get 25 teams, it shouldn't fall on the shoulders of a team that didn't want to cook all the categories anyway.

KCBS actually encourages teams to enter a single meat in a contest to get their feet wet. The first contest we did (State Center) we entered chicken and pork. The extra time between categories did give us a break.

I would however have to agree with everyone else who said that it isn't that much more money or effort to cook the other categories. The other teams aren't going to be visiting with you between turn-ins, the gas cost the same, the food and beverages and other items for the night before cost the same, the cleanup is pretty close to the same, the equipment you bring it pretty much the same, but you are correct that the entry fee is cheaper. It's your call, but I'd save my $$$ for a couple of full contests, before I started doing jmultiple partial contests.

My advice would be to see if any brethren members are looking for an extra pair of hands and offer your services. I know there are a lot of Iowan's on this board that compete and might be interested in pairing up. Another option would be to contact the contest organizer and offer your time, I think they are always looking for help.

ModelMaker said:

We are starting to think what we are going to do BBQ wise this year. I know I'm going to judge 5 or 6 contests, we are going to cook again at
Brew-B-Que in Independence. One other thought popped into our heads, what about cooking just one catagory so we could hang out at the contest site and visit and make some new aquaintences?
What are your thoughts if we were to sign up at say the state Championship at Marshalltown IA and only cook the chicken catagory?
One line of thought is you pay your fee you cook your chicken. How can anybody get cranked about that,right?
The other thought is you as cook teams put alot more time and money into each contest than I do (I'm saving up to do a full contest in Sept.)
What do you think if I actually do well (hey it could happen) in my one catagory and it affects the outcome in your total contest results? Would that put a burr under your saddle? I would not want to cause any grumblings as the whole purpose of this would be to have fun and experience one more contest a year.
Please feel free to make your opinion known, if I didn't want to know how you really would feel about this I wouldn't have bothered even asking, I would just do it and think tough nuggies.
I understand that there are a gaggle of teams that go to the Royal just to drink but that wouldn't affect total scores.
Maybe some of the reps could weigh in with their opinion or if they see it anywhere at the different contests.
Like I said, just a thought.
Thanks
ModelMaker

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The wife and I judged an event last year that had plenty of room available and they let us camp with the teams. Just asked us not to have any contact with the teams after midnight friday until after the judging was concluded. We had a blast.

As an organizer, we specifically require the full entry fee from each team, regardless of how many of the 4 main categories they choose to turn in. I don't really understand why an event would allow per-category entries unless they were really desperate to attract contestants regardless of the cost.

You must provide the same services for a team that only cooks one category as you do for a full competitor: space, power, water, ice, parking, goody bag, etc. Perhaps things are done differently elsewhere, but in these parts the cash prizes are financed by the entry fees the teams pay. If we had a bunch of single category entrants, our charity and the other cook teams would suffer because we would be paying full price to support a team that isn't making a full contribution toward covering the costs of putting on the event.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but especially in these times you must run your contest in a fiscally responsible manner if you want to be around next year.

I like the idea of getting up a team of a few more people and let them do the other 3 catagories. I find plenty of time to talk with others and I do most of it myself. If I had someone else doing 3 catagories I would have all kinds of time to talk and still feel like I was in the whole comp.

Keep in mind you won't be illegible to win GC or RGC, if you don't do all four meats, at least in KCBS cookoffs. But if you do just one category thats fine with me, it just ups my chance of wining more because essentially you are a Dq in the remaining categories and giving me a chance to be bumped up a notch or two.

Have you thought about doing some backyard entries, there are a lot of them around in congunjtion with other cookoffs and usually cheaper.
Dave

Do what you want, but like my buddy says about his boat (he says that the cost of fuel is the cheapest ingredient to boat ownership)...I say that the cost of meat is the cheapest ingredient to doing cookoffs.

By the time you go through all the effort to get there, I'd spend the extra $75 on meat. The experience is invaluable for a new team. My buddy that competes regularly will sell his meat to co-workers and neighbors. He's sorta got a little caterin thing going.

i agree with the expense part.. bite the bullet and get the full experience.

but if thats not possible, or u just flat out dont want to do it, its up to you.. If another teams gets a wedgie because you only cooked one catagory, they have their own issues.

If you're going to all the work of loading up equiptment...I'd go ahead and enter all categories!
If you just want to enjoy the comradierie,show up and do someone's dishes.

Sure you can, and you'll probably have a great time. Especially shutting down the cookers at noon, and drinking beer while everyone runs around doing the other three categories.

But why go to all the trouble of packing up and shlepping yourselves out to a contest and not get the whole experience? Just think, if you just do chicken, you'll be starting from ground zero on ribs, pork and brisket when you do your next one. Do all 4, and you've already started building your "system" for the next one.

Good luck, whatever you decide!
Chris

I just looked at the score sheets for last years contest and Marshalltown was the only one I saw where one team cooked a single category. You sure would get a lot more sleep just doing chicken