Parsley Beds

lwest99

lwest99

Knows what a fatty is.
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If you were a judge and were judging a chicken entry would you judge down if when you pulled the thigh from the box it also pulled several pieces of parsley? Because in many cases the parsley will stick to the BBQ sauce I suspect this happens quite frequently. Thanks in advance for the feedback.
 
Last edited:
lwest99 said:
If you were a judge and were judging a chicken entry would you judge down if when you pulled the thigh from the box it also pulled several pieces of parsley? Because in many cases the parsley will stick to the BBQ sauce I suspect this happens quite frequently. Thansk in advance for the feedback.
Click to expand...

Good question, we use lettuce because of this. I actually think that all parsley looks better though. Do the judges write down the appearance scores after looking at the box or after they eat?
 
lwest99 said:
If you were a judge and were judging a chicken entry would you judge down if when you pulled the thigh from the box it also pulled several pieces of parsley? Because in many cases the parsley will stick to the BBQ sauce I suspect this happens quite frequently. Thansk in advance for the feedback.
Click to expand...

That was always a concern of mine but I think it happens less then you and I worry it will. I only say this because several "top teams" use a parsley bed and they beat the pants off of everybody. I've gotten to the point I think your leaving points on the table if you don't do it because when the judges see the parsley box they immediately think "now here is a team that knows what they are doing". I have no proof of that but it's a feeling I have.
 
Before they eat. All boxes are scored on appearance then the food is passed along the table to the judges. I also think the all parsely looks better. We use both methods.
 
Pig Headed said:
Before they eat. All boxes are scored on appearance then the food is passed along the table to the judges.
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Well, if this is the case then I don't see how they could mark you down. Can they mark you down on taste or texture for parsley sticking to the food? My guess is that they shouldn't, but you never know. I am going to approach the rest of my team about trying all parsley either way.
 
What would you get marked down for? Taste or tenderness? They can't change their appearance score. I don't worry about it.
 
The appearence has already been scored as been said above, no you can't change your score, if a piece or two comes with the chicken no big deal. You are already past that part any way.

Good question but the short answer is NO
 
Worst part of the competition - making parsley beds. I'd rather do dishes. But damn do they look nice.
 
I judged a couple comps and heard complaints from others around the tables about having to pick the Parsley off before tasting, I literally had to wipe it off a couple entries. But we were reminded not to score it down because of it. I think it looks nice.
 
Ok, now that that has been answered, lets see some pics of parsley beds. Also, maybe some tricks of making a good looking one if there are any.:wink:
 
When I judge KCBS (or FBA), I evaluate and score the meat "as presented".

So, if there is a bunch of parsley or chopped salad sticking to the entry, that is the way the cook "intended" and I score the taste accordingly.

If they included the salad flavor in their planned flavor profile, they are good to go. If not, well.......:oops:

TIM
 
Garnish is optional. You can't be scored down because a judge gets a little salad with his/her chicken. I have never scored down because of it and don't know anyone that has. It's just one of those things that happen.
 
The_Kapn said:
When I judge KCBS (or FBA), I evaluate and score the meat "as presented".

So, if there is a bunch of parsley or chopped salad sticking to the entry, that is the way the cook "intended" and I score the taste accordingly.

If they included the salad flavor in their planned flavor profile, they are good to go. If not, well.......:oops:

TIM
Click to expand...

Do you compete as well?
 
jtfisher63 said:
Ok, now that that has been answered, lets see some pics of parsley beds. Also, maybe some tricks of making a good looking one if there are any.:wink:
Click to expand...

You can save a ton of money on parsley by buying it by the case from a produce supply house...
 
slat said:
Garnish is optional. You can't be scored down because a judge gets a little salad with his/her chicken. I have never scored down because of it and don't know anyone that has. It's just one of those things that happen.
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If that was only true.
As I said, if the salad affects the taste, "Sorry Charlie".

Jeff Hughes said:
Do you compete as well?
Click to expand...

Well...Um...Yes.

TIM
 
KC_Bobby said:
You're not serious are you?
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I think he is, but even if he isn't I don't doubt that there are judges out there that feel the same way. This was the reason I was hesitant to use all parsley. I'm willing to bet that only maybe 10% of the judges would eat the garnish with the meat and score it on that flavor.:shock:
 
jtfisher63 said:
Ok, now that that has been answered, lets see some pics of parsley beds. Also, maybe some tricks of making a good looking one if there are any.:wink:
Click to expand...
Make the boxes Friday night while everybody else is out partying. That way you aren't spending 2 hours Saturday morning and not getting the boxes done. Cover with damp paper towel and keep boxes in a cold cooler.

Pack the parsley fairly tight. Line them all up in the box facing the same way. Of course if you're putting a big glob of pork over 3/4's of the box then the middle doesn't all have to face the same way.

Practice a lot.

Make sure you know the lid will close without hitting the tops of the chicken. At one class a top level cook did a parsley chicken box, closed the lid, opened it and oops 5 pieces had smudges. Now the judges are instructed not to score down for sauce on the lid but they can score down for a mess on top of each piece of chicken rather than a nice smooth glistening surface.
 
KC_Bobby said:
You're not serious are you?
Click to expand...

Are you talking to me?
If so--serious as a heart attack.

There are folks out there that think garnish is not "scorable" since it is "optional".
Simply wrong.

Those same folks (one of which is a vocal member here) will tell ya that "garnish makes the meat look better", or stuff to that effect.

So, I should give credit for a great looing garnish box, but ignore one that is poorly done??? I think not!

You simply can not have it both ways.

If you elect to use it, it can and will be used in the scoring.

Great garnish should help the scoring somewhere.
Crappy garnish should result in deducts for being crappy.

And, if it sticks to the meat, the cook obviously felt that was fine and it should be judged accordingly.

Simple. Not rocket science.

TIM
 
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