Practice Box....Comments Please

[tonto1117]

Well, the time grows near to our first comp in two weeks. Did a full run through last night and into today using the actual turn in times.

Would appreciate your comments and critique. I know the lettuce is a bit skimpy in a few spots....didn't buy enough, will know better next time. Also was not happy with the rib"tenderness" or lack there of. And of course I going to probably die trying to get my chicken skin right.....FARK.........Also know we need to adjust some time on the board now.

Pork:





By tonto1117, shot with KODAK CX6330 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2007-06-30

[MilitantSquatter]

All the meats look really good (except that one piece of chicken that is out of shape compared to the rest).

As you mentioned garnish was an issue. I think that's the biggest area of improvement. I'm not a fan of the flat leaf parsley either on the chicken. I prefer the curly parsely. A lot of dead space in the brisket and rib boxes. I'd suggest trying to fill that in with more meat and garnish accordingly.

[Mooner]

Everything looks really good but the lettuce is horrible. Meats are right on though. All of the lettuces and or parsley need to be even and uniform. HINT: Ever see a putting green? Try and make it look like that. Love your brisket. Some of the best I have seen.

[bcis93]

Looks Great! I would remove the parsley from in between the chicken. The garnish needs some work as mentioned. We spend 2-3 hours preparing the garnish/boxes. They say garnish does not make a difference but.... Here is a link to some pics on my Flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/doragq/ Not that we are experts but just something to look at for reference.

[Sawdustguy]

Originally Posted by bcis93

Looks Great! I would remove the parsley from in between the chicken. The garnish needs some work as mentioned. We spend 2-3 hours preparing the garnish/boxes. They say garnish does not make a difference but.... Here is a link to some pics on my Flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/doragq/ Not that we are experts but just something to look at for reference.

bcis93,

I looked at your turnins also and they are indeed very nice. I would like to make one suggestion to you though. I noticed that in a few cases the garnish overhangs the meat. We did that a few times ourselves. I bet your presentation scores will go even higher if you trim the garnish around the meat. Ours did.

[bcis93]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will give it a try. I was really proud of our rib presentation in Smyrna. We got all 9's in appearance. Thanks

[Sawdustguy]

You should be very proud! All 9's are next to impossible to come by. Congratulations!

[tonto1117]

Thanks for the comments and feedback. Will definetley work on the garnish, and be more picky when I choose it. Also will go with the curly Parsley next time.

Originally Posted by bcis93

Looks Great! I would remove the parsley from in between the chicken. The garnish needs some work as mentioned. We spend 2-3 hours preparing the garnish/boxes. They say garnish does not make a difference but.... Here is a link to some pics on my Flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/doragq/ Not that we are experts but just something to look at for reference.

Great pics, thanks for the links. I did not leave enough time for sure, lesson learned. I saw on your site that you will be in Lebenon, TN in August, we signed up for that one a few weeks ago...hope to get a chance to say Howdy!!

[River City Smokehouse]

I agree that the garnish needs attention in all the boxes. Me I use curly parsley only. You could use a bed of green leaf lettuce ,put your meat in and use curly parsley to frame it. I am one of those who thinks garnish is a waste of time but I can't beat them so I have to garnish untill everyone else stops.
The pork?
Give the judges something different than a pile of meat. I like the bark and the color of your pork. It looks moist too and I like it being more chunkier than stringy. Break it up and put in some sliced along with the pulled. Give the judges something that sets your aside from everyone else if you can. There is nothing that cates my eye more than a box that is different.
Ribs?
Look great! I'd put them together so the touch. Maybe helps keep moisture in them while waiting for the judges to sample.
Brisket?
Looks nice! I'd add a pile of burnt ends in the box as well.
Chicken?
The chicks look pretty good. I think most judges ar going to knock for uneven sized pices and skin that is pulled back from the edges. Go easy on the sauce too.

This is only my opinion and I don't claim to know everything, it's just what I've noticed from both judging and cooking. Have fun at your contest, I'm sure you'll do well. ~Jim

[tonto1117]

Originally Posted by River City Smokehouse

I agree that the garnish needs attention in all the boxes. Me I use curly parsley only. You could use a bed of green leaf lettuce ,put your meat in and use curly parsley to frame it. I am one of those who thinks garnish is a waste of time but I can't beat them so I have to garnish untill everyone else stops.
The pork?
Give the judges something different than a pile of meat. I like the bark and the color of your pork. It looks moist too and I like it being more chunkier than stringy. Break it up and put in some sliced along with the pulled. Give the judges something that sets your aside from everyone else if you can. There is nothing that cates my eye more than a box that is different.
Ribs?
Look great! I'd put them together so the touch. Maybe helps keep moisture in them while waiting for the judges to sample.
Brisket?
Looks nice! I'd add a pile of burnt ends in the box as well.
Chicken?
The chicks look pretty good. I think most judges ar going to knock for uneven sized pices and skin that is pulled back from the edges. Go easy on the sauce too.

This is only my opinion and I don't claim to know everything, it's just what I've noticed from both judging and cooking. Have fun at your contest, I'm sure you'll do well. ~Jim

Great suggestions Jim, thanks for the input!!!