Competition Ribs

W

wormdrink67

Guest
Continuously getting my @ss handed to me in ribs at kcbs comps. Anyone willing to offer advice on what they're using that's doing well I'd greatly appreciate it. 3 comps and haven't scored over 155, don't have the slightest clue as to what I'm doing wrong. Appearance scores are good, taste is what's hurting me and as with any kcbs comp, when your taste is suffering, the tenderness scores are down also. I'm using a variation of the 3-1-1 method at 230 degrees on a backwoods party. Tried a couple different rubs, couple different sauces, can't hit the magic numbers with any of them. Again, I'd really appreciate any help you guys can offer. Thanks.
 
Forget all the methods, 3-2-1, 2-2-1 etc., just forget them all. Simply use a good commercial rub and sauce and cook them until the bone pulls back 1/4" and the rack bends at a 60 degree angle.
 
assuming you're doing st louis, you are probably undercooking them. 250 for 6 hours with 2 hours in foil.

Taste - do they taste like spicy candy on a stick? If not you can add rub and heat and add lots of brown sugar, honey and butter when wrapping. It may take you 3 or 4 cooks to get it down but then you'll see higher scores. Of course the ribs taste like S*&T when you eat more than a couple of bites.
 
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Ford said:
assuming you're doing st louis, you are probably undercooking them. 250 for 6 hours with 2 hours in foil.

Taste - do they taste like spicy candy on a stick? If not you can add rub and heat and add lots of brown sugar, honey and butter when wrapping. It may take you 3 or 4 cooks to get it down but then you'll see higher scores. Of course the ribs taste like S*&T when you eat more than a couple of bites.
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I'm cooking back ribs that are trimmed down to around 2.0lbs....I can assure you they aren't under done, possibly over done, but not under and I assumed that they tasted exactly as you said "candy on stick"....the judges just don't seem to be tasting the same thing I am. Guess its time to change to st. louis, that what everyone seems to be cooking.
 
back ribs - start at 2-1-1 at 250 and tweak from there. Sounds like it's the rub or rub/sauce combo. Try a commercail rub and sauce from the same company - smoking guns, slabs, rib rangers, etc. of course add honey to the sauce.
 
Frank Sacco said:
Make one change at a time. Don't change every aspect of your ribs each time you don't score well. Have a base line rub and sauce that you use. Tweak as you see fit to your pallet. Then let the judges make their decision. Gotta start some where!
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one rib win and suddenly your an expert, pffffft :twisted:
 
Any chance it might be too much wood or the type? Everything else you mentioned seems to put you pretty close to the spot.
 
Fishiest1 said:
Any chance it might be too much wood or the type? Everything else you mentioned seems to put you pretty close to the spot.
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I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess you could be right. I'm using mesquite, so maybe I'll change the wood and see how that goes. Thanks.
 
wormdrink67 said:
I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess you could be right. I'm using mesquite, so maybe I'll change the wood and see how that goes. Thanks.
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A few chunks of cherry or apple wood in lieu of the mesquite may remedy this for you. Ford actually talked to me before about the potential heavy smoke we can get with our BWS since then I try to take it lighter. Good luck!
 
^^^ Yeah, mesquite is awefully heavy. We use hickory, which is also fairly heavy, but not nearly as heavy as mesquite. I use a 1.5,2.5,.25 at 250 on baby backs. They're a little overcooked by traditional KCBS standards, but more to a MIM/MBN standard. Being in TN, your judge base may prefer something closer to a Memphis rib.

I do like the recommendation about a baseline and change one thing at a time. It takes time, but otherwise you'll never understand what they liked better, etc.

Also, I'm not so much for the judging class as actually judging a few competitions to see first hand what comes across the table and what scores well, and why. I know you're certified. Have you judged a few competitions?

Also, another thought, how warm is your entry? Sometimes things that taste great hot dont taste nearly so well luke warm, and honestly some dont taste worth a darn cold. I've seen entries where folks are hell bent to keep the garnish fresh and cold that they put small sliced ribs (which lose heat fast) atop only to find they're getting cold, fast.
 
I'm yet to judge a competition, but would love to for the reasons you mentioned. My boxes are parsley turf, set out about an hour before turn in so the garnish isn't cold enough to drag down my meat temp. As for how hot they are: on saturday they were off the smoker, boxed, and on the turn in table within 8 minutes. A few people have mentioned I might need to let them rest before cutting, but I'm not sold on that yet. Thanks for the advice, I'll take heed and adjust accordingly.

Lake Dogs said:
^^^ Yeah, mesquite is awefully heavy. We use hickory, which is also fairly heavy, but not nearly as heavy as mesquite. I use a 1.5,2.5,.25 at 250 on baby backs. They're a little overcooked by traditional KCBS standards, but more to a MIM/MBN standard. Being in TN, your judge base may prefer something closer to a Memphis rib.

I do like the recommendation about a baseline and change one thing at a time. It takes time, but otherwise you'll never understand what they liked better, etc.

Also, I'm not so much for the judging class as actually judging a few competitions to see first hand what comes across the table and what scores well, and why. I know you're certified. Have you judged a few competitions?

Also, another thought, how warm is your entry? Sometimes things that taste great hot dont taste nearly so well luke warm, and honestly some dont taste worth a darn cold. I've seen entries where folks are hell bent to keep the garnish fresh and cold that they put small sliced ribs (which lose heat fast) atop only to find they're getting cold, fast.
Click to expand...
 
wormdrink67 said:
I'm cooking back ribs that are trimmed down to around 2.0lbs....I can assure you they aren't under done, possibly over done, but not under and I assumed that they tasted exactly as you said "candy on stick"....the judges just don't seem to be tasting the same thing I am. Guess its time to change to st. louis, that what everyone seems to be cooking.
Click to expand...

This could be your problem. Are you getting low scores on taste or tenderness?
 
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