Please give me feedback on these boxes
- Thread starter chambersuac
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ModelMaker
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Chicken
Postage stamp , toupee looking skin. Mighty red looking.
Size and placement look pretty good. Little more greens around edges. 7
Ribs
Pretty nice color, box filled well (not a fan of sideways placement).
The killer in apperance is the ragged edges and uneven cuts( rib all the way to one side). Also, slops of sauce spilled along sides of rib and in greenery. Again needs a little more green around edges. 6.5....alright a 6.
Ed
Postage stamp , toupee looking skin. Mighty red looking.
Size and placement look pretty good. Little more greens around edges. 7
Ribs
Pretty nice color, box filled well (not a fan of sideways placement).
The killer in apperance is the ragged edges and uneven cuts( rib all the way to one side). Also, slops of sauce spilled along sides of rib and in greenery. Again needs a little more green around edges. 6.5....alright a 6.
Ed
Rich Parker
Babbling Farker
Make sure the skin is covering the whole piece of chicken. If you are competing at a KCBS contest - Don't submit more than 6 pieces unless you are sure the additional pieces are just as good as the others. An example would be your rib box where that top bone should have been left out.
Thanks guys. I'm VERRRRYYYY new at this, as you can tell. How do you keep the skin covering the chicken? BBS suggested using toothpicks.
Also, I'm not sure what's wrong with the cut of the ribs...or really, how to fix it...how do you NOT get ragged edges? Any help is much appreciated!
Also, I'm not sure what's wrong with the cut of the ribs...or really, how to fix it...how do you NOT get ragged edges? Any help is much appreciated!
F
Fyrman_Mike
Guest
Dan, we used an electric knife on ours. That was the reason we pulled our SUV in at the end. It was a Hybrid and had a built in inverter!:wink:
Course I don't know that MINE don't look raged? Yours look really good. (Oh, tasted good as well!)
Course I don't know that MINE don't look raged? Yours look really good. (Oh, tasted good as well!)
G
gjdad
Guest
Wow I had no idea apperance was graded that closely. I was also curious about the red color on the chicken, was that a modified Open Pit sauce?
On the ribs should each piece be centered around the bone?
luckyduk
Full Fledged Farker
That middle piece of chicken looks awesome, try and duplicate that. Try and trim your chicken a little more to get more uniform sizes. Pinning the chicken with toothpicks works very well, it holds the skin around the meat, just make sure and count your toothpicks and get them all out, or that will guarantee you DAL or DQ
Personally the ribs don't look that bad except for the top one, try and cut your ribs either in the center of the meat or nearest the next bone to balance the bone and meat, as for cutting ribs I personally use a really sharp filet knife, when I cut I stand the ribs on end and cut on the backstroke.
Personally the ribs don't look that bad except for the top one, try and cut your ribs either in the center of the meat or nearest the next bone to balance the bone and meat, as for cutting ribs I personally use a really sharp filet knife, when I cut I stand the ribs on end and cut on the backstroke.
No, the sauce was a super secret special sauce sent to me by a Brethren that shall not be named unless he wants to be :becky: It may be on the red side, but it tastes AWESOME.
landarc
somebody shut me the fark up.
Dan, although I do not compete, I will put in my two cents from what I have seen when hanging around. Chicken seems to score best when the piece are presented in two rows of three and are all the same shape. I find this odd, but, apparently competition chickens are all shaped identically. One of the benefits of the pickled pig process is that scraping the skin stretches it a bit, so that once you pin it in place, you cannot see the edge of the skin from the top. I do have to say that piece in the middle looks great.
As for the ribs, I prefer a long thin sharp slicing blade, whether it be a slicing knife like you see at buffets, or a filet knife, they work because the blade is very thin and can be razor sharp. I am a top down cutter, I figure I can dress the ribs up with a little thinned sauce and a silicone brush once arranged. It takes patience, but, as long as you make long slices, it can be done. I also like to cook more than one rack, so that all the pieces are just about the same length, although your taper is very nicely worked out.
As for the ribs, I prefer a long thin sharp slicing blade, whether it be a slicing knife like you see at buffets, or a filet knife, they work because the blade is very thin and can be razor sharp. I am a top down cutter, I figure I can dress the ribs up with a little thinned sauce and a silicone brush once arranged. It takes patience, but, as long as you make long slices, it can be done. I also like to cook more than one rack, so that all the pieces are just about the same length, although your taper is very nicely worked out.
billm
is Blowin Smoke!
a good sharp knife will take care of that or an electric as others have suggested
R
RedPig
Guest
Great comments. Definitely use electric knife or very sharp filet type knife. Appearance counts the least but why leave money on the table.
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
jman1972
Knows what a fatty is.
unless you had to have 7 ribs in the box, I would stick with 6 it looks better and doesnt make the boy look overfilled. With chicken I use a pair of scissors to trim all the pieces about the same shape before i cook them, if you are using thighs there is a lot of extra fat and skin around the outside that can be trimmed off I have just found that scissors work the best. Keep up the good work and continue to practice.
Divemaster
somebody shut me the fark up.
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With just allowing myself no more than 5 seconds to look at each box, I'd give both the the chicken and the ribs an 8.
Now after looking at them here are my reasons...
Now after looking at them here are my reasons...
Chicken:
In general, I would have liked to see a darker color on the chicken (this could be the photo). Counting from Left to Right, Top to Bottom, Thighs 2, 3, and 7, looks like the skin got shoved around a bit leaving the meat exposed. I liked the use of lettuce but would have like to have seen more consistent use of the parsley. (It looks like you only got some in the upper corners of the box.
In general, I would have liked to see a darker color on the chicken (this could be the photo). Counting from Left to Right, Top to Bottom, Thighs 2, 3, and 7, looks like the skin got shoved around a bit leaving the meat exposed. I liked the use of lettuce but would have like to have seen more consistent use of the parsley. (It looks like you only got some in the upper corners of the box.
Ribs:
Overall, great color on the meat. The center section of the box looks good but I would have liked the ribs to be tighter against each other. Also, when you are slicing make sure you are using a VERY sharp knife and you wipe it between each slice. This would clean up the edges. The top and bottom ribs bother me because they are cut so close to the bone on one side. To be honest, I think you are asking for a downed score in tenderness because you have very little to hold the meat to the bone (bite test).
All in all, you did really good!Overall, great color on the meat. The center section of the box looks good but I would have liked the ribs to be tighter against each other. Also, when you are slicing make sure you are using a VERY sharp knife and you wipe it between each slice. This would clean up the edges. The top and bottom ribs bother me because they are cut so close to the bone on one side. To be honest, I think you are asking for a downed score in tenderness because you have very little to hold the meat to the bone (bite test).
Divemaster
somebody shut me the fark up.
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I disagree, I think the fuller the box the better it looks. We normally try to put in 11 to 12 ribs in two rows with the front row over lapping the back. The key is to make sure that your front row has your very best ribs and that there are 6 of them. That way the odds of a single judge getting a sub-standard rib (at least not your best) decreases.
Again, you did a great job Dan!
Stoke&Smoke
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Dan, the advice already given is great. Sharper knife to trim your ribs, I would also try and take from the middle of the slab. Those look like closer to an end, so the one on the right is a lot smaller than the one on the left. Also, I'd try to keep them closer together, and try not to have sauce splattered on the box and the greens. Trouble I always had with ribs is staying evenly between the bones. Finally started standing them up to slice and have much better results
They certainly look tasty though! They must have been...you won!
They certainly look tasty though! They must have been...you won!
Three porks
Full Fledged Farker
Dan-
Chicken- I personally like the color of the chicken. Reminds me of Peking Duck which I love! I would just work on the trimming/skin coverage some and try using a solider row type placement . (3 down 2 across) Otherwise nice work.
Ribs- When I buy ribs I always buy spares that look like the ribs are as straight as possible....this is definitely easier said then done. I usually buy about 5 racks and trim at home. Definitely evaluate its potential at home before the comp you don't want to use up your valuable real estate on the smoker. Like everybody else said before, invest in an electric knife. You'll be amazed how clean the cuts are. Sometimes after I cut, you can't even tell the ribs are separated. I think this is key for moisture retention in the box....keep those ribs close in the box....plus makes for a nice presentation.
Chicken- I personally like the color of the chicken. Reminds me of Peking Duck which I love! I would just work on the trimming/skin coverage some and try using a solider row type placement . (3 down 2 across) Otherwise nice work.
Ribs- When I buy ribs I always buy spares that look like the ribs are as straight as possible....this is definitely easier said then done. I usually buy about 5 racks and trim at home. Definitely evaluate its potential at home before the comp you don't want to use up your valuable real estate on the smoker. Like everybody else said before, invest in an electric knife. You'll be amazed how clean the cuts are. Sometimes after I cut, you can't even tell the ribs are separated. I think this is key for moisture retention in the box....keep those ribs close in the box....plus makes for a nice presentation.
Smokin' Aces
Knows what a fatty is.
i pull all my skins off the thighs, then trim them up and then rap them back up with and skin and toothpick them all up. just remember how many toothpicks you have used casue you dont want a judge bitting down into that
jman1972
Knows what a fatty is.
I had a certified judge working with me at the Arthur contestn he has already judged 30 contests and was working on Master Judge by cooking with my team. He said at one contest he judged he found 3 staples in a piece of chicken, he actually found the 1st one in his mouth. Now I have heard of cooks using toothpicks for chicken skin...but staples, anyone heard of that?
Smokin' Aces
Knows what a fatty is.
staples is a little ridiculous, wow hopefully noone has ever injested them from him
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