KCBS rules clarification.

nope. not until after it's been inspected.

Ditto. Not until after inspection.
This is one reason injection for the brisket and pork is used so much. Brining in a bucket just won't get the penetration.

There is plenty of time to brine chicken pieces or ribs, assuming you get them going as soon as the inspector finishes.

You can use a brined/enhanced butt from the butcher/manufacture though.

Not sure about that one.

Its my interpretation that enhanced or injected product would include phosphates, water and salt to increase water retention and product weight. Primarily used with chicken. Not an actual flavoring. But used to increase the weight and retail price.

I don't think a butcher injecting pork with a flavored injection would qualify. You would still have to have the flavorings/additives declared on the package/label which would fall into the "and not limited to:"

Hot Wachula's said:

Its my interpretation that enhanced or injected product would include phosphates, water and salt to increase water retention and product weight. Primarily used with chicken. Not an actual flavoring. But used to increase the weight and retail price.

I don't think a butcher injecting pork with a flavored injection would qualify. You would still have to have the flavorings/additives declared on the package/label which would fall into the "and not limited to:"

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Agreed.

KC Smoke said:

:clap2: Thanks for the clarification folks. It seems incredible odd to me that I can use manufacturer enhanced products. It's like using pre-smoked sausage or something to me. It doesn't show personal talent. Oh well, rules are rules. Thanks again.

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Not everyone has access to meat that hasn't been pumped. Most chicken you buy has been pumped. Lots of pork products come "enhanced." If you tell folks they can't used enhanced products you might exclude a bunch of folks from competing.

KC Smoke said:

The current 2011 rules and regulations state

"All competition meat shall start out raw. No pre‐seasoned meat
is allowed other than manufacturer enhanced or injected
products, as shown on label EXCLUDING but not limited to:
teriyaki, lemon pepper or butter injected."

So can I brine or not?

Thank you for any help in clearing this up for me.

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Yes, if it comes from the manufacturer with an enhanced solution it is legal as long as that enhancement is not a flavoring. You can not brine your meats before the inspection no matter what.

KC Smoke said:

So can I brine or not?

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No! Basically, all you can do is pre-trim it...

Unless you have a good butcher -- one who still cuts on site instead of just moving stuff from the truck to the display counter -- it can be very difficult to find some meats that haven't been treated with something or other. That's why the KCBS rule is lenient in that respect.

KC Smoke said:

The current 2011 rules and regulations state

"All competition meat shall start out raw. No pre‐seasoned meat
is allowed other than manufacturer enhanced or injected
products, as shown on label EXCLUDING but not limited to:
teriyaki, lemon pepper or butter injected."

So can I brine or not?

Thank you for any help in clearing this up for me.

Click to expand...

I'm always confused by this rule too. I understand the intent of the rule, but I think the rule is badly worded. It's almost a triple or quadruple negative: "No..other than..EXCLUDING...but not limited to..." Bleah! Are teriyaki et al. excluded from allowable manufacturer enhancements (and so are therefore NOT allowed), or are they excluded from "no preaseasoned meat" (i.e. they ARE allowed). You could also argue that the word "excluding" modifies the phrase "as shown on label"--i.e. that all manufacturer enhancements have to be on the label, except for teriyaki et al., which are allowed but do not have to be on the lable. Not to mention that the "not limited to" part means that there may be other things that either are or are not allowed, but we have no idea what they are. For example, if I brought chicken that had been manufacturer enhanced with a jerk-style seasoning, is that allowed or not? My guess is the rep would say no, but I defy anyone to tell me what in the above rule disallows it. It would certainly violate the spirit of the rule, but I do not believe it violates the letter of the rule.

Me? I just bring meat unseasoned in any way. No problems there!
--frank in Wilson, NY