T
Tweedle
Guest
After getting trounced this weekend in my first comp its back to the drawing board for me. so just a quick queston if anyone is willing to share what are the best sauces to use in comps?
musicmanryann
is Blowin Smoke!
I believe the ones used most on the circuit (at least in the midwest) are Head Country, Blues Hog, Russ and Franks, and Sweet Baby Rays. Perhabs TheSlabs are on the list as well.
Ford
is One Chatty Farker
It's more than just what sauce it's what rub to pair with it. I use all Slabs products with some success. I took Old School High Tech and they use different combos of 5-8 rubs and different sauces with their combos. So there's no real easy answer. I'd suggest trying Slabs and Head Country as a test using the rubs and sauces and see what the flavors are like. That might give you a better idea of how the 2 compliment each other. And FYI I add about 1 part honey to 3 parts of slabs sauce for my sauce/glaze. It needs that extra sweet.
Lake Dogs
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Tweedle, Sorry you got trounced. Hang in there!
For me the sauce started with my rub. Meaning, the sauce needs to compliment the
taste of the meat (not overpower it), which means compliment and work well with the
cooked/spiced meat (ala. rub). My rub contains absolutely no sugars, so for me a
slightly sweet sauce is desired. I tried a few (didnt try Head Country or Blues Hog
mentioned above; Blues Hog looks interesting...), but most would either clash with
the rub or just didnt work IMHO. I ended up with my own. At a competition I ran
across a guy who had a mild sweet and spicy sauce, that wasnt so complex that it
eat-up the meat. He told me the ingredients: Tomato Sauce, Pure Cane Syrup,
Lee & Perins, Grape Jelly, and a dash of cayenne pepper. I've stuck with basicly that
plus I add in a little chili powder and hungarian paprika, as those are the main
ingredients in my rub. Makes for a sweet & somewhat hot sauce that's very easily
adjusted to your taste. Dont like it so sweet, back off of the Cane Syrup. Less
hot, back off on the cayenne. More, well, you get the idea. Mind you, it's probably
not going to win a sauce contest, but honestly most sauces that compliment meat
without overpowering it probably wont win a sauce contest.... I like it best with plain
old WallyWorld tomato sauce. He used Hunts, and it had that certain *Hunts* flavor
that I dont care for...
Well, that's what we're doing. If you've seen the news, we're going to pray that
our cookoff this weekend isn't on the Ark (flooding everywhere down here, for
REAL).
Oh, I dont sauce the pork or the brisket. Also, I only apply a tiny coat of this sauce
to chicken and ribs. Again, dont want to end up tasting only the sauce, and I put
the sauce on it and put it back on the cooker for perhaps 5 minutes, 8 tops....
For me the sauce started with my rub. Meaning, the sauce needs to compliment the
taste of the meat (not overpower it), which means compliment and work well with the
cooked/spiced meat (ala. rub). My rub contains absolutely no sugars, so for me a
slightly sweet sauce is desired. I tried a few (didnt try Head Country or Blues Hog
mentioned above; Blues Hog looks interesting...), but most would either clash with
the rub or just didnt work IMHO. I ended up with my own. At a competition I ran
across a guy who had a mild sweet and spicy sauce, that wasnt so complex that it
eat-up the meat. He told me the ingredients: Tomato Sauce, Pure Cane Syrup,
Lee & Perins, Grape Jelly, and a dash of cayenne pepper. I've stuck with basicly that
plus I add in a little chili powder and hungarian paprika, as those are the main
ingredients in my rub. Makes for a sweet & somewhat hot sauce that's very easily
adjusted to your taste. Dont like it so sweet, back off of the Cane Syrup. Less
hot, back off on the cayenne. More, well, you get the idea. Mind you, it's probably
not going to win a sauce contest, but honestly most sauces that compliment meat
without overpowering it probably wont win a sauce contest.... I like it best with plain
old WallyWorld tomato sauce. He used Hunts, and it had that certain *Hunts* flavor
that I dont care for...
Well, that's what we're doing. If you've seen the news, we're going to pray that
our cookoff this weekend isn't on the Ark (flooding everywhere down here, for
REAL).
Oh, I dont sauce the pork or the brisket. Also, I only apply a tiny coat of this sauce
to chicken and ribs. Again, dont want to end up tasting only the sauce, and I put
the sauce on it and put it back on the cooker for perhaps 5 minutes, 8 tops....
Sauced!
Full Fledged Farker
Tweedle, are you asking because you think your sauce was the problem? I'd say after one contest its hard to blame one particular thing unless you got feedback about your sauce....If you drastically change what you do from one contest to the next and get the same results you really won't be able to zero in on the problem.
P
Pit Mama
Guest
I am a huge fan of your sauce!:biggrin:
The Giggler
is one Smokin' Farker
Skip
is Blowin Smoke!
