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Now I see why Johnny Trigg says he doesn't eat his comp ribs.

What I don't get is that there are real one bite contests. Unfortunately, comp Q has turned into one bite and throw a bunch away contests. I actually think part of the criteria needs to be the ability to eat the product as part of a meal.
 
i always thought it was a bit hipocritical to say you won't eat your comp meat and also misleading to newbys. for a while i even thought it was a tactic to get everyone gobbing on tons of stuff when it was not necessary. i guess some do well with that but imho what you are really looking for is balanced flavors of spices AND meat and perfected cook times.
 
JM2C I think ya'll need different judges I'd be givin -5's on that stuff. If I can not distinguish the flavor of the meat from all the glopity goo it's no bueno in my book.
 
Bamabuzzard said:
I was watching the travel channel this weekend and they had a tour of some bbq regions by state and one was Tennessee and the Memphis in May BBQ event. Almost every shot shown of teams preparing ribs absolutely caked on brown sugar, honey, butter or all of the above.

I looked at that and knew without having to taste it. There's NO WAY I could eat those ribs. I understand the "judges only getting one bite" thought process and I agree. But as a general spectator there's no way someone could actually taste much of the meat on many of the ribs I saw. I guess that is the difference in competition ribs and backyard ribs.
Click to expand...

Perhaps in KCBS, but no so in MBN nor GBA (for what it's worth). In these, the judge will eat an entire rib or two if they're worth a darn. Onsite, probably even 3 ribs...

That which you describe probably wouldn't make it into the top 50th percentile in these other sanctioning bodies.

I'd say it's the difference in KCBS "style" of judging vs. other styles...
 
It's interesting to read what makes a perfect rib for one person and a perfect rib for another person. Maybe some of that difference is how sweet the food we grew up eating was. I'm just starting to cook with sugar a little, finally gave in to putting half a teaspoon in a big bowl of coleslaw and despite what I wanted to discover, it tasted better. I'm at the other end of the spectrum taking a few steps toward the middle.
 
I can't speak to other regions, but, in California, most people seem to prefer a sweet, over-cooked rib, they also seem to prefer sweet, mushy, strings of pork. I have noticed that they also seem to prefer brisket that has been braised in beer and syrup.
 
Lake Dogs said:
Perhaps in KCBS, but no so in MBN nor GBA (for what it's worth). In these, the judge will eat an entire rib or two if they're worth a darn. Onsite, probably even 3 ribs...

That which you describe probably wouldn't make it into the top 50th percentile in these other sanctioning bodies.

I'd say it's the difference in KCBS "style" of judging vs. other styles...
Click to expand...

You are correct. It is a difference in the sanctioning bodies and the judges of each.
 
landarc said:
I can't speak to other regions, but, in California, most people seem to prefer a sweet, over-cooked rib, they also seem to prefer sweet, mushy, strings of pork. I have noticed that they also seem to prefer brisket that has been braised in beer and syrup.
Click to expand...

That certainly explains California Corn Bread then...
 
Bamabuzzard said:
I was watching the travel channel this weekend and they had a tour of some bbq regions by state and one was Tennessee and the Memphis in May BBQ event. Almost every shot shown of teams preparing ribs absolutely caked on brown sugar, honey, butter or all of the above.

I looked at that and knew without having to taste it. There's NO WAY I could eat those ribs. I understand the "judges only getting one bite" thought process and I agree. But as a general spectator there's no way someone could actually taste much of the meat on many of the ribs I saw. I guess that is the difference in competition ribs and backyard ribs.
Click to expand...

You can't knock it until you tried it and try it without any preconceived notions which at this point is probably impossible. Certainly those extra ingredients do add sweetness, but it isn't like every ounce of brown sugar and butter ends up in the ribs or sitting on top of it when you take a bite. It all becomes a liquid that adds an additional layer of flavor to the ribs that is then drained off before finishing. I have added those things and in some variation still do and do not think my ribs are candy or overly sweet at all.

Not all that different than slapping a sugary (honey, brown sugar, molasses, etc) sauce on there. And yes some folks don't like those sauces either I know. But sugary sauces seems completely acceptable vs the butter/brown sugar step which is not.
 
fnbish said:
You can't knock it until you tried it and try it without any preconceived notions which at this point is probably impossible. Certainly those extra ingredients do add sweetness, but it isn't like every ounce of brown sugar and butter ends up in the ribs or sitting on top of it when you take a bite. It all becomes a liquid that adds an additional layer of flavor to the ribs that is then drained off before finishing. I have added those things and in some variation still do and do not think my ribs are candy or overly sweet at all.

Not all that different than slapping a sugary (honey, brown sugar, molasses, etc) sauce on there. And yes some folks don't like those sauces either I know. But sugary sauces seems completely acceptable vs the butter/brown sugar step which is not.
Click to expand...

I've cooked enough ribs and messed with enough rubs and sauces that I can get a pretty good indication how sweet something will be by seeing the amount of sugar and or butter is put on a slab of ribs. I've done it myself and know what the tasted ended up as.

I may not know the exact taste but I bet I can get a good idea as to where the taste will fall on the taste profile.
 
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Here are my two cents... If you're into competitions you can be right all you want and finish middle down or conform to the standard and have a chance. You're cooking for judges and sweet is clearly their preference. If you're not into KCBS competition BBQ, pay no attention to the method. Make the ribs the way you and your family prefer.
 
Balance

fnbish said:
You can't knock it until you tried it and try it without any preconceived notions which at this point is probably impossible. Certainly those extra ingredients do add sweetness, but it isn't like every ounce of brown sugar and butter ends up in the ribs or sitting on top of it when you take a bite. It all becomes a liquid that adds an additional layer of flavor to the ribs that is then drained off before finishing. I have added those things and in some variation still do and do not think my ribs are candy or overly sweet at all.

Not all that different than slapping a sugary (honey, brown sugar, molasses, etc) sauce on there. And yes some folks don't like those sauces either I know. But sugary sauces seems completely acceptable vs the butter/brown sugar step which is not.
Click to expand...

It's all about a balance of sweet, salt, spice, savory and good pork flavor in general. The rib is judged on it's own merits and is not compared to others. If the judge does his job correctly, any combination or lack of the above criteria are ignored and the rib is judged on it's own. I've given high scores to properly cooked ribs with only salt an pepper notes. KCBS MCBJ...
 
Bamabuzzard said:
I've cooked enough ribs and messed with enough rubs and sauces that I can get a pretty good indication how sweet something will be by seeing the amount of sugar and or butter is put on a slab of ribs. I've done it myself and know what the tasted up as.

I may not know the exact taste but I bet I can get a good idea as to where the taste will fall on the taste profile.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. So then would it be safe to assume that if I had tasted a lot of bbq sauces in my day and know I don't like overly sweet ones that I could steer clear of a sauce that has dark brown sugar, molasses, high fructose cornsyrup and corn syrup because I make the assumption that is has to be over the top sweet with those 4 sugary ingredients without actually trying it??

Or maybe I would try it because even though I see what is going into it someone said it has a nice combination of sweet, spicy and tangy flavor. So the dark brown sugar, molasses, highfructose cornsyrup and corn syrup were only one level to the sauce as there were other ingredients that went into making the end product well rounded and balanced. But sometimes folks only see the shock value step that is highlighted without seeing the others steps/ingredients involved to make an excellent end product.........
 
My my, what a topic:blah:
I cook in competitions in KC area.
I cook against some of the best teams in the country.

I hold the following as facts!

I have eaten a lot better ribs at a BBQ restaurant than some back yard ribs.

I have never eaten better ribs at a BBQ restaurant than at a BBQ contest.

I cook on a BBQ team and I also judge at contest.

NO, I do not judge at the contest I cook in ;):mod:

A flavor balance is key!

I like them sweet but not to sweet, spicy but not two spicy.

We have placed first in ribs a a contest with over 180 teams.

I could have eaten 2 racks of those ribs. :shock::shock:

Yes I do use honey for the money.

And like it!:drama:
 
LongTong said:
It's all about a balance of sweet, salt, spice, savory and good pork flavor in general. The rib is judged on it's own merits and is not compared to others. If the judge does his job correctly, any combination or lack of the above criteria are ignored and the rib is judged on it's own. I've given high scores to properly cooked ribs with only salt an pepper notes. KCBS MCBJ...
Click to expand...

I 100% agree here. And to me the step of foiling with all previously mentioned stuff is just adding a layer of sweet. All of that doesn't penetrate the meat or coat it in some 1/2" layer of sugar crusted "overthetopness". There are other steps to balance it out. Granted some folks may top it with a sweet sauce as well, but you can definitely balance it out to make it have a little sweetness with some boldness too.
 
landarc said:
I can't speak to other regions, but, in California, most people seem to prefer a sweet, over-cooked rib, they also seem to prefer sweet, mushy, strings of pork. I have noticed that they also seem to prefer brisket that has been braised in beer and syrup.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Landarc. Keeping in mind I did not really have a very good grasp of BBQ until I started to frequent this site, I "grew up" in Arizona and had never foiled ribs or braised them in anything remotely sweet. After moving to SoCal it seemed that everyone liked the "fall off the bone" texture and I just never really got it. The first time I cooked the Johnny Trigg foil, butter, brown sugar,Tiger Sauce, all of these Californians thought it was the best.
So I basically try to do ribs both ways when I can. I still dont get it but hey, I'm just the cook.:wink:
 
To some extent don't we all cook for the "judges" whether the judge is in a competition or the judge is your client base or friends and family.
 
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