Winter Haven Cook Off - Saturday

FBA is sanctioning a cook off Saturday, Feb 12, at Winter Haven. I'm going over to see if they need another judge. If not I'll just hang for a few hours and schmooze.

It's at 2400 Havendale in Winter Haven. The "charity" is the Boys & Girls Club.

I'm planning on getting there between 8:30 and 9:00 in time for the judge's meeting. This is an inaugural event and I'm hoping they get a good showing.

I'll have my Brethren hat on.

Jack's Old South - Grand Champion
Woodhouse Grill - Reserve
HomeBBQ.com -3rd

No surpises here - the top 10 looked good with Smarr, Swamp Water Boys, etc. all in the hunt.

I judged the backyard division (hey, somebody has to do it!) - and had some monumentally BAD BBQ. Don't get me wrong, there was some decent food, too, but too many backyard teams try to emulate the "pros" and screw up - they ought to do the food they know and love and turn it in.

I saw boiled ribs and a boiled pork butt - nasty! I even wise-cracked to the table captain asking if I had to take a rib - they smelled boiled. :twisted: The boiled pork but was grey and NASTY.

The chicken didn't distinguish itself but only one needed to be spit out! One team did boneless skinless breast - real pale presentation and DRY - seasoning was good but they overcooked it. A couple of teams submitted legs and thighs in the same box. It was OK but just looked a bit strange in the box.

The ribs were the biggest disappointment - none that were edible were tender and the tender ones just pure-D sucked.

Since it was backyard they are allowed to do pork loin and one team did - it was pretty good. Moist with good flavor. Sliced about a 1/2 inch thick - just a bit salty - but otherwise pretty good. It got decent scores around the table.

A couple of brisket were close - a bit dry and one had a ketchup based sauce (?) - one would have been excellent if he'd just left the lousy sauce off of it - nice bark, tender moist, etc. Guess he didn't taste the sauce or had had too much "fun" the night before!

I'm not trying to be harsh but this was the most disappointing time I've had judging. I'll judge backyard again - I'm not so vain as to think it's beneath me to judge it. I'm just encouraging anyone that is doing the backyard division to cook like you do at home - don't change because it's a competition - your're being judged with your peers - seperate table and set of judges. Oh yeah, we got all entreies from every team so we had a LOT of food to judge!

Oh yeah, in case anyone is going to test the waters by doing the backyard division (some only do chicken and ribs - this contest let them do all four) talk to the pro teams - I guarantee they'll help you out with presentation tips, timing, etc. Honest!
Maybe I'm being too picky but it's because I haven't cooked in a few weeks! Come on Mobile

Most teams won't be vending until later - they don't have time. A lot of vended food is NOT cooked on-site - it's brought in. Temps had an influence on a lot of teams - I got to Winter Haven about 8:30 and did a walk-around.

Some events have concession people come in - but they do the snowcones and that kind of stuff. Some do a variation on grilled stuff - some events you must compete to vend and some let anyone pay to vend (Plant City is like that - snowcones, funnel cakes, etc.

After about noon a lot of teams start selling the "left overs" from the competition stuff. Others, like Buttrub.com bring enough staff that they start vending earlier. Prices vary but tend to be around $1.50-$2 for a rib and about $4 or so for a pulled pork sandwich. Chicken and brisket are hard to find unless you schmooze and beg a bit! :mrgreen:

To get the stuff that actually is entered you need to schmooze Find a team that seems friendly and hand around and watch. Stay out of the way during the turn-in windows but if you ask questions and look hungry you'll often get to taste whatever just went to the judges.

The other option is get judge's training and start judging! At FBA and most KCBS events find the judging area (no, you can't observe!) and shortly after the last (brisket) turn-in the judges are released. Find one that looks like he/she won't bite your head off and start asking questions. Often they (we) go out to the teams for a taste of what they sent in (it's blind judging so we don't know who's food we judged) and see how they felt the event went for them.

This is when you can look at the cookers and ask questions. The beers are opened and most teams will talk while they cleanup.

I read recently that, allegedly, Nu-Temp told a customer that their probes are not accurate above 170. I don't own one so I can't really say.

I do use other electronic thermometers and have used them to calibrate ovens up to about 250 - I was double checking with analog oven thermometers and they agreed w/i about 5 degrees. Maybe I just got lucky.