Quote:
Originally Posted by ulikabbq
what are your thoughts on KCBS/MBN dual santioned contest? has anyone ever cooked one of these? what are the +/- ?
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I have not personally participated in a dual sanctioned event but do have experience with both MBN & KCBS contests as a competitor.
I think it is a good idea to help promote the cross participation. The big difference between MBN & KCBS is the quantity and type of meat to prepare for the MBN judging versus what is needed for KCBS and the on-site judging. A positive for MBN is a team can cook in a single category and be in contention for Grand Champion.
The MBN whole hog category is not for the meek, you have to have a cooker that can cook at least an 85 lb dressed hog, it must be cooked as a single unit, not divided. All the meat for the preliminary judging (both blind and on-site) and finals are to come from that one hog.
MBN shoulders category is just that "whole shoulder" not butt and/or picnic, but the whole shoulder. Most MBN teams will cook a minimum of 6 shoulders. I've seen as many as ten being picked through. The teams prefer to use at least one shoulder just for the prelim. blind box, each on-site judge is served thier own shoulder, plus some for the finals round. This category will also require a fair amount of cooker surface for this quantity of meat.
MBN ribs are the most user friendly for the newcomer to this style of competition. This category only requires about 12-15 racks of ribs for the judging process. Many teams will cook more, though (they like options).
Going the other direction the KCBS entries would be easier to add to the existing cooking surfaces for the MBN teams. The differences in box presentations and tenderness standards would require research and practice. We learned many years ago what worked in Memphis didn't nesessarly work in KC.
I see where the Nashville contest is being billed as a dual sanctioned event, that should draw a good mix of teams if the prize money is right.
