so instead of turning in this:

[boogiesnap]

i turned in the wings.
and they were not recieved very well.
IMHO, they just taste better than a thigh.
unfortunately, the judges don't agree.
do y'all think i should just abandon the wing?

[Lake Dogs]

A few problems with going with wangs:

First, if not fried it's almost impossible to get the skin to be bite through or crispy,
especially after sitting in a box with sauce on them for 20+- minutes. Rubbery skin
will get you killed ala. quick.

Second, how hot/warm are they 20 minutes later? They're thinner (than a thigh)
so my guess is they're colder (averages being averages).

Finally, less meat. Ultimately it comes down to the meat. In this case, less isn't
more.

[rxcellentq]

I think they look great, probably taste great too. The problem is if they don't score then why turn them in. It's the same as the argument about what we like to eat vs what we cook for competition ribs etc

[Q-Dat]

In a box of fried chicken which pieces usually disappear first? With most people I know its the wings.

What is the only part of the chicken to have entire restaurant chains built around it as a theme? Wings.

If you had most judges over for dinner and served wings they would probably love them, but for some reason sit them at a table with five other judges and all of a sudden its wierd. Ive never judged and Ive only cooked four comps, but all I have read and heard tells me that this is the case.

[smalls65]

Wow!!!!!! from the pic's...thighs would've been WAY better!!!!!! what I learned from older teams...."ALWAYS GO WITH WHAT THE JUDGES ARE LOOKING FOR!!!" that's if you wanna win!!! But I'd love to have one of those wings..they look great!!

[G$]

Not only does the thigh look better, it appears as if it can actually levitate on it's own! Turn the thigh in next time, it will practically jump up to the judge.

[Lake Dogs]

Originally Posted by Q-Dat

In a box of fried chicken which pieces usually disappear first? With most people I know its the wings.

What is the only part of the chicken to have entire restaurant chains built around it as a theme? Wings.

If you had most judges over for dinner and served wings they would probably love them, but for some reason sit them at a table with five other judges and all of a sudden its wierd. Ive never judged and Ive only cooked four comps, but all I have read and heard tells me that this is the case.

Actually, you hit on a major key as to why. It's because they cant be and/or aren't fried. Baked (basically), grilled, ends up with rubbery skin and very little meat. That's why. At home you can throw the skin away and have at the meat and just suck the sauce off the outside. Judging, 'ya can't. That skin must be eaten. Not good.

A major key to barbecue competitions is the simple understand that if you present it in your box (other than garnish), it will be eaten/sampled, whether the judge likes it or not. Think of it as averaging down, not averaging up. Wings will not cut it in a sanctioned comp. Perhaps in an anscillary, where we've fried the wings before, but not KCBS or others sanctioned.

[boogiesnap]

good points all. thanks for the thoughts. i appreciate it.

hance, next time i cook some wings i'll snap a shot of a bite...the skin is as bite through as the thigh. it can be done.

but, i can't argue at all with your other points. i did get a call with them last year, so i worked on improving the cooking, hoping for a walk!

alas, i suppose back to the drawing board.
thanks again everyone.

[INmitch]

We learened the hard way also. Tried it ONCE. We got a good smoke on them then sauced & finished on the grill. Best wings I've ever had. Our box looked awsome the way we arranged them. placed in the low 50's out of 70 some teams.

[Arlin_MacRae]

Originally Posted by INmitch

We learened the hard way also. Tried it ONCE. We got a good smoke on them then sauced & finished on the grill. Best wings I've ever had. Our box looked awsome the way we arranged them. placed in the low 50's out of 70 some teams.

I've seen this too. I won't say where and I won't say who, but it was similarly dissapointing because the wings were GOOD.

[Q-Dat]

On a UDS with no heat baffle of any kind I have no trouble getting wings with skin that is both crispy and bite through. That being said I aint about to turn them in.

[ammoore]

I'm with ya...I love wings 100x more than thighs.
I turned them in during my last three contests last year.
First time we got a call
The next two times were not a success. (17th and 33rd)

Ultimately it is your call. If you know they are that good and they should score....give it another go. But don't get so attached to them that you are unwilling to abandon them if things aren't working out.

Just as an illustration for what the others are saying.....
At the contest with my 33rd place wings....I also entered the wing contest and finished 7th.
They may be awesome wings.....but it's hard to stack up against a thigh in the judges eyes. But if you figure it out, let me know. I'll jump on the anti-thigh campaign bandwagon.

[landarc]

What was wrong with that thigh that you didn't turn it in? Did I miss something here?

[Sweet Breathe BBQ]

I did wings this weekend, that I thought looked good and tasted good and placed 17th/26 yesterday. I did the same wings at Harpoon last year and got called for 4th/42. IMO the ones I turned in yesterday looked better than the ones at Harpoon.

Heard that one judge commented in regards to wings that were turned in "this team must be new b/c they turned in wings". IMO chicken should be judged on taste, texture and presentation without bias because it's not a thigh.

Lexington Wings Comp.jpg

[boogiesnap]

Originally Posted by landarc

What was wrong with that thigh that you didn't turn it in? Did I miss something here?

thats the point, the wing TASTED better!

i did side by side testing. same cooks, same flavor profiles. more than once.

it's all good though, i need to improve taste scores anyway, so i'll practice that with thighs and see how they go.

and BTW, those are nice looking wings sweets.