Our Homepage | Donation to Forum Overhead | Welocme | Merchandise | Associations | Purchase Subscription | Amazon Affiliate |
|
Competition BBQ *On Topic Only* Discussion regarding all aspects of Competition BBQ. Experiences competing or visiting, questions, getting started, Equipment, announcements of events, Results, Reviews, Planning, etc. Questions here will be responded to with competition BBQ in mind. |
|
Thread Tools |
07-25-2013, 10:01 AM | #1 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 05-06-12
Location: austin
|
New to comps
So i want to start doing some BBQ competitions I am Newbie green how ever you want to call it. I will be competing in Texas only for now
How do you practice? What advice will you give me? When doing brisket chicken and ribs What should i be looking for? My knowlegde What i know is you want the brisket to have a little bit of elastistcy and break away easy Chicken should be able to take a bit with out pulling off the skin ribs a clean bit through with hardly no pull What else do i need to learn? |
|
07-25-2013, 10:11 AM | #2 | |
Moderator
Join Date: 12-09-04
Location: Wandering, but not lost
Name/Nickname : Captain Ron
|
My responses below...
Quote:
__________________
"Ron Rico, Boss. You can call me Captain Ron..." Naked Fatties Rock! PKGo X 2/PK360/ |
|
|
Thanks from:---> |
07-25-2013, 10:12 AM | #3 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 12-18-07
Location: Western burbs of Chicago, IL
|
Here is a GREAT place to start
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=13677
__________________
2 Skinny Cooks Competition Team [URL]http://2SkinnyCooks.blogspot.com[/URL] KCBS CJ/TC #17139 Member ILBBQS Too many cookers to list :crazy: |
|
Thanks from:---> |
07-25-2013, 10:32 AM | #4 |
On the road to being a farker
Join Date: 04-19-12
Location: Broken Arrow OK
|
Competition is far more about organization and timelines than it is the food. If you do not master your organization, the food will suffer. If you have the process down, then your food will perform well. (This coming from someone that is still trying to master the process).
Two things that I did not sufficiently consider when i started: Practice by cooking all contest foods prepared for turn in at the same time as would be in the competition. If that means staying up all night, so be it. Put all of your supplies and equipment in the garage, and you only get to use things in the garage. No going in the house for more. If you do not have it, figure a way to accomplish your task with the tools you have. If you put something in the pile that does not get used, then take it off the list and do not take it to the contest. I hauled WAY too much stuff to my first contests. You will thank me at load out time after a night of little or no sleep. Water is always an issue. If you are taking a camper/RV, then practice out of it and only use the water supply that is in it. If you are cooking under a tent, get a 5 gallon drinking water container and a 5 gallon bucket to catch the drain and cook/clean from that. NO going into the house to the kitchen sink. You can refill the 5 gallon container as often as you like from the outside faucet. You will be surprised at how much it changes the way you have to cook when you are restricted on your water use. No cheating - you still have to keep things clean even on water restriction. Aluminum foil and disposable pans will become your new best friends. Best of luck to you.
__________________
Know Bull |
|
07-25-2013, 10:40 AM | #5 |
Take a breath!
Join Date: 06-12-12
Location: Hampshire, IL
|
Well said.
Have fun with it, make sure you don't lose track of that.
__________________
"Onyxwoods" clone, a Guru and some of Tennesse's finest whiskey. Creators of "Reverse Shigging": When your competition wants to know what your doing so they know what doesn't work. |
|
07-25-2013, 10:47 AM | #6 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-09-11
Location: Boston, NY
|
Practice, practice, yes we're talking about practice! I cooked everything for a full year getting my times down before I did my first comp. I had a 20'x30' concrete pad outside of my house, and I set up there, exactly as I would on site. And yeah, it even rained lol...A LOT! I spent the night in my Zero-G chair outside and everything. I even went so far as to get some 9x9's and did complete turn ins with garnish. I didn't write stuff down, or make piles of stuff I didn't use (wish I would have), but a couple of weeks later I felt I was very prepared. Nothing will prepare you for your first official turn in though. Staring that clock in the face watching the minutes pass by is pretty intimidating. Just be sure to have fun with it. Treat your practice like a real comp.
__________________
Keith-KC and the Smokeshack Band-Backwoods Fatboy x2, Red Thermapen, Webber Kettle |
|
Thanks from:---> |
07-25-2013, 11:14 AM | #7 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 05-06-12
Location: austin
|
thank fro all the advice :)
|
|
07-25-2013, 11:58 AM | #8 |
On the road to being a farker
Join Date: 02-27-12
Location: Orange County, California
|
You've come to the right place - WELCOME!!!
I recommend searching this website with the search bar at the bottom. Almost every question you'll have will pop up with a ton of great wisdom. Good luck!
__________________
Matthew Stark Twisted Brisket BBQ Team - CBJ [B]Disposables [I]By STARK[/I] [/B]Disposable Cutting Boards on a Perforated Roll, 5 gl Bucket Liners, Steam Pan Liners, Cooler Liners, Stark Naked BBQ Pit, Probe & Grill Cleaner, Stark Kitchen Food Grade Surface Cleaner [url]www.starkboards.com[/url] |
|
07-25-2013, 12:05 PM | #9 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 01-10-11
Location: Lawrenceville, GA
|
Definitely hit up the search bar at the bottom. It helped me find a ton of information about competitions. But if you do have any additional specific questions post away. A lot of topics have been covered in various threads of course, but new discussions on popular topics are great and bring about new information and new opinions/techniques/ideas .
The link Stoke&Smoke put up will lead you to a ton of great stuff.
__________________
-Jason I didn't choose D-Canoe life.......... |
|
07-25-2013, 01:15 PM | #10 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 07-20-12
Location: Springfield, MO
|
If you have the time and the money, take a competition cooking class. Not a requirement, but it will speed up the learning curve, depending on the class you take, and hopefully you can skip some of the common rookie mistakes. Enough practice and you won't make mistakes, but picking someone's brain in a class certainly helps to skip right over the common mistakes we all made starting out..
__________________
Smooth Smoke BBQ Team, KCBS CBJ, porch mounted Jambo. |
|
07-25-2013, 01:22 PM | #11 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 05-06-12
Location: austin
|
How many different pits does a normal team have
|
|
07-25-2013, 01:26 PM | #12 | |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-07-13
Location: Smyrna, GA
|
Quote:
Do you know of a resource that lists such competition classes? |
|
|
07-25-2013, 01:28 PM | #13 |
Moderator
Join Date: 12-09-04
Location: Wandering, but not lost
Name/Nickname : Captain Ron
|
Most guys who teach classes list them here. Look for the Cooking Class prefix on a thread or check this thread in the stickies section...
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=87743
__________________
"Ron Rico, Boss. You can call me Captain Ron..." Naked Fatties Rock! PKGo X 2/PK360/ |
|
Thanks from:---> |
07-25-2013, 01:36 PM | #14 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-14-12
Location: Buna, Texas
|
Hellraiser, if your just going to be cooking in Texas right now, mainly IBCA, LSBS or TGCBCA, tenderness is the big key. The judges take their samples with the flimsy, white plastic forks and knives, they are not allowed to touch the meat otherwise. Chickens, you cook half chickens, wing tips on, if you can get bite through skin great, if not, you'll still do fine since by the 3rd judge or so, the skin is obliterated anyway. As far as timelines, not as tight a schedule as KCBS, whose turn ins are every 30 minutes, IBCA is typically every hour to 1 1/2 hour, but it is still important to know the time frame it takes each of your meats to reach the correct doneness. Everytime I cook at home, I consider it practice, keeping notes on cook times so I will hit my marks during a comp. There are a number of us Texas cooks here on the Brethren whom I am sure will be along shortly with their take on Texas comp cooking as well. Best of luck and most importantly have fun!
__________________
Hale of a Good BBQ Pitmaster...2013-14 IBCA Third Coast Cooker of the Year...... |
|
07-25-2013, 01:45 PM | #15 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 05-06-12
Location: austin
|
Thanks Bruno I been cooking the meat for about a year and a half now I do hit my mark as far as when i want the meats done. its a good start but i am sure its going to be little different in a comp. I plan on making some trips to comps to watch. I am hoping by next year i can start competing. I plan on taking a class as well. Thank you for your insight on what the judges are looking for. IBCA is that the largest Organization out of the 3?
|
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|