first practice run with pron

[sitnfat]

Well my BIL came up from GA and we decided to have a practice run before our first comp in April. I cooked ribs and brisket while he cooked chicken and pork. I have been pretty happy with my ribs but the ability to cook a brisket hot and fast has been a little tough.This weekend I think I nailed it though and knowing I have a horrible memory I made notes on everything. He may chime in later tonight on what all he did with his meats I know he spent a ton of time preping that chicken. The ribs were done at 300 for around 5 hours and the brisket I smoked at 325 i cant remember how long that's why I made notes. But I did inject and I liked the flavor. We look forward to any and all comments and suggestions you seasoned vets may have for us!

[Ford]

For KCBS judges like to see the meat side of some ribs. All cut sides will probably not score as well as that honey glaze sheen on the meat side. Think Kodak moment.

A little hard to tell what the chicken really looks like from the pic but looks OK. Pork and brisket boxes loog great. That money muscle looks like something I'd be very proud to turn in.

[Mlukewow]

It all looks good to me

[Gowan]

Ditto on Ford's comment on showing cut sides of ribs.

Chicken might be a bit heavy on the sauce, and it looks like your brisket bark is somewhat lacking. Still this is nitpicking - definitely above average boxes and very impressive for a first timer!

[Cigarbque]

Agree with the other comments. That pork looks fantastic.

[MoGreen]

Funny about the pork... I had no idea how to build the box! Same goes with the ribs, but I guess I didn't fare so well with those. Actually, Ford... SitNFat doesn't sauce his ribs, and has no intention of doing so for comps, no matter how much I argue with him. Maybe you guys can beat some sense into him. He's not the one who has to eat them after all. ( I will tell you that the ribs were cooked absolutely perfectly! I was very impressed by his technique.) After the pic of the chicken box was shot, I rearranged it to fit 9 pieces, and I liked that one better, although there were some sizing issues between thighs. I didn't notice that the brisket was lacking in bark... I was too busy shoving it in my face hole. I bought him some Butcher's injection and rub, and will be buying more! First time we made burnt ends, too. Farkin' delicious. Keep the comments coming... second practice is three weeks away.

[Rookie'48]

From what I can see in the pics everything looks pretty good. The ribs might look better with more of the tops showing (I like to see the bark and the cut end). And if you are going to put 9 pieces of chicken in there it will be a big plus. A lot of the judges want to see the Table Captain get a taste also. That way when the scoring ends & the chatting begins everyone knows what each entry tasted like. A lot of judges also TC at other comps.

[topchefvt52]

Looks great to me...I'd pick every box clean as a whistle

The sauce smears on the side of the rib box might cost you pts on appearance.

[lunchlady]

I also think that everything looks great for your first practice run.
I agree with Ford on the ribs... even if you don't want to sauce them, all 'cut sides' are just not as appealing-looking.

One thing I gotta say though, and this is only my opinion... if those burnt ends were mine, I would not have put them in the box. Too ''burnt' looking. They probably tasted farkin' phenomenal, but you should remember that you only want to put your BEST in that box, even if you plan to put something in, have the ability to change it up if something happens.
just sayin'... the slices look like I want to eat them immediately, BTW!

Great job and best of luck in April!

[lunchlady]

Originally Posted by topchefvt52

The sauce smears on the side of the rib box might cost you pts on appearance.

REALLY ?
It is comments like these that TRULY annoy me. JUDGE THE MEAT, PLEASE!!!
I didn't even see those smudges until you said it, I was too busy looking at the meat.

[Divemaster]

Every thing looks great. I too agree with Ford on his rib comments thou. The thing I would worry about with having the ribs laying on the side is that they may end up looking dry as well. Remember that they are could be as much as a 10-15 minute delay between when you close the box and they are actually eaten. And while the appearance scoring is done, a dry looking rib is not as appetizing when you are about to take a bite as one that still looks nice and moist. You may not loose many points but why loose any?

Originally Posted by topchefvt52

The sauce smears on the side of the rib box might cost you pts on appearance.

Originally Posted by lunchlady

REALLY ?
It is comments like these that TRULY annoy me. JUDGE THE MEAT, PLEASE!!!
I didn't even see those smudges until you said it, I was too busy looking at the meat.

I too was looking at the meat but it's the little stuff like this that can knock down a score. Again, why loose any?

We actually take a picture just before we are going to turn in the box. For some reason it gives me a better overall view and I inevitably find some little thing to change.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

I think the food looks great, try some sauce on your burnt ends to lighten up those colors a little bit. What is the bright red color on the food, I like it a lot. You may want to get some kind of glaze on the brisket to brighter up the face color a little bit. Pork looks good, I don't use the money, but yours looks awesome. The ribs, I agree with ford, top up to show that beautiful glaze. Chicken, it's a crap shoot, I would throw your chicken in the mix anyday. Nice job on the MEAT.

[ModelMaker]

You've learned well grasshopper....
Excellent group of boxes.
ModelMaker

[Ron_L]

It's tough to do this via pictures, but the comments above are right on. If I was scoring those boxes here is what i would probably give.

Brisket - 8 or 9 - The burnt ends do look dark, and the slices could be neater. The spacing between the slices is not consistent.

Ribs - 7 - turn the ribs so the bark shows. Really consider a light glaze to make then shine. Also, if you can build the parsley base higher to bring the ribs up in the box they will stand out more.

Pork - 9

chicken - 8 or 9 - If I am going to get very picky the arrangement is a little sloppy. Also, turn the box 90 degrees so that the hing is at the back and look at it. that is the way hat the judges will see it.

Overall great job!

[lunchlady]

Originally Posted by Divemaster

... but it's the little stuff like this that can knock down a score.

(I may regret this later, but I doubt it....)

THAT, my brother, is the MAJOR problem with appearance scores...
CBJ's are instructed, over and over and OVER again, to JUDGE THE MEAT.
Not the parsley, not the smudges, not whether or not all your pieces are uniform or your slices are evenly spaced... I could go on and on.

Obviously, if those teeny smudges can 'knock your score down' there is something VERY WRONG with the way SOME judges are judging appearance.

S... M... A 's ...
(where the hell is YankeeBBQ when you need him? )

so, to try to get back to the original post...

I thought your boxes looked really great, especially for a first time practice run.

... these are my comments, from a 'seasoned competitor'...