You are gearing up an practicing for a contest in sept? Quit wasting time and money and find something in April/May. Nothing will prepare you like actually competing. And no amount of practice between now and September will let you win a kcbs contest right off the bat
Well, the head cook is taking a CBJ class in April and ideally would like to judge 2 or 3 events before cooking in September so he can see first hand what competition cooks turn in. Plus the September competition is in our home town, so that would eliminate travel. I plan on sitting-in on the same CBJ class as I was certified 10 years ago and not only are the sit-in "refreshers" recommended, they are free, you just can't plan on sampling. As far as winning anything, that might be a reach... it would be great if we're in the upper 50% and if not we're certain to be in the bottom 50%. :twitch:
Just a heads up. That Carolina "twang", may sink or sail you depending on where you're at.
A sweeter, savory piece of chicken with a little back end heat "pop" is what you're after.
Yes, that is what we're after. I probably mis-spoke. The "twang" is not noticeable, but it knocks the edge off the (super) sweetness of BH Original, and helps thin it as does a little apple juice. (Maybe similar to mixing in BH Tennessee Red?). At any rate in the judges tent BH is still very popular in my area and has that great color. I have never heard a judge admit to scoring down meats with BH (nor should they), but many do recognize it straight away.
I took a competition cooking class 6 or 7 years ago and really need to dig around in the basement and go over the notes.