Here is an example of a time line that insures that consistancy is the stable part. The judges are the unstable part of the equation.
325 grams Competition chicken marinade
2 quarts chicken broth
18 ea chicken thighs
Competition Barbecue Rub
BBQ suace
apple juice
[FONT=Arial,Bold]All times assume a 12 noon turn in[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](measure travel time from cooking location to turn in point and adjust times as necessary)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]4:00 to 6:00 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](6 to 8 hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Cool chicken broth prior to use (40 degrees or lower)
Trim chicken and remove all fat
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic]do not over trim skin[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Add Competition chicken marinade batch to water and blend with a stick blender
Place chicken and water/marinade mixture in 2 gallon zip lock, remove air and then massage chicken to distribute marinade
Allow to marinate up to 8 hours in refrigeration maintained between 34 & 40 degrees
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]8:30 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](3½ hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Set smoker to 325°F
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]9:00 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](3 hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Place a large foil pan with a ¼ inch of Parkay on smoker
Remove chicken from marinade, rinse and drip dry
Apply light coating of competition Rub under skin and then pin the skin to prevent it
pulling away during cooking
Count the number of pins and record to insure all are removed before turn in
Apply a light coating of competition Rub on underside and and skin side of thighs
Roll thighs into as tight a configuration as possible
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]9:45 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](2¼ hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Remove foil pan from cooker
Set temp to "smoke" setting
Place chicken thighs, skin side up, in pan
Apply light coating of rub
Return to cooker on smoke settings
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]10:15 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](1¾ hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Remove from smoker
Set smoker temp to 300°F
Place chicken on grill with skin side up
Apply light coating of rub
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]10:30 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](1½ hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT]
Combine selected bbq sauce and apple juice in sauce pan and bring to a simmer, keep warm until end of process
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]10:45 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](1¼ hours prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Turn chicken to skin side down
Apply a lite coating of selected BBQ sauce blend to underside of thighs
[FONT=Arial,Italic]Monitor from this point forward to prevent burned chicken as time for next two steps can vary[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]11:15 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](¾ hour prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Turn chicken to skin side up
Apply coating of selected BBQ sauce to skin side of thighs
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]11:45 am
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic](¼ hour prior to turn in)[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic]
[/FONT]Remove from cooker
Remove all pins ensuring that the count is the same as recorded above
Select best thighs for turn in
Sprinkle bottom with a light coating of rub
Touch up top with selected BBQ sauce
Place in box
[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]11:55 am
[/FONT][/FONT](12 noon ±5 minutes)
Final inspection of box
Proceed to turn in location