Peeling back the fat cap on pork but, not removing: legal?

BigButzBBQ

BigButzBBQ

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Like many, I've cooked pork butts a couple of different ways. Whole, no alterations. Trimmed up with no fat left in chunks on them. And, peeling the fat cap back and then replacing it. This is an example of one I did a little bit ago.
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Now, as you can see, I peel the cap back but, don't completely cut it off. I then rub down the exposed portion of the pork and then lay the cap back over it and keep it like that until the pork has finished cooking. I like this method alot because the fats from the cap help the seasonings soak into the meat but, I'm not waisting rub on the fat and not have it penetrate to the actual meat.
I was going over the KCBS rules for pork and came across the "the meat must remain whole without being seperated during the entire cooking process." part. So, I ask you, is this method for cooking pork "legal" or not? I had actually intended to ask the organizers when I arrived at the competition (better to be on the safe side afterall) but, figured maybe some of the brethren have had experience with this or would like to chime in on it.
 
As long as you leave it attatched to the butt for the cooking process you should be OK .There are a lot of folks who butterfly the butts for the cooking process as long as they all stay attatched to each other you should be good. My advice is to ask the KCBS Rep at the contest to be on the safe side .
 
As long as that butt is 5 pound or better do what ever the heck you want to that fat cap. If you cook it with the butt I do believe it has to be attached, but as long as the main prk butt is 5 pounds not sure it matters...meaning...bacon strips over butts???
 
We had a discussion about this during judging at the Lyons, KS contest a couple weeks ago. An entry looked like the money muscle had been separated and cooked - but after we took our samples from the container, we saw that it had been connected. So that was legal.

BUT!

I think the intent of the rule is to make cooking large contiguous pieces of meat the challenge. Just because one part is connected to another part by a thread - well, that meets the criteria of not being 'separated'. But it sure reduces the challenge and gives those cooks using that method an advantage.

So, technically legal - but morally?
 
I am not a rules guy, but, if you say that about a flap of fat on a butt, how about completely removing the skin from chicken thighs, scraping the fat off and replacing it for cooking?
 
I understand that part about the rules Phil, I was just making the point that if the intent of BBQ is to cook large unparted pieces of meat to perfection, that a competitor should not part any of the meat. As for the fact that there are parting rules for some meat and not others, I was not gonna mention that.
 
QansasjayhawQ said:
We had a discussion about this during judging at the Lyons, KS contest a couple weeks ago. An entry looked like the money muscle had been separated and cooked - but after we took our samples from the container, we saw that it had been connected. So that was legal.

BUT!

I think the intent of the rule is to make cooking large contiguous pieces of meat the challenge. Just because one part is connected to another part by a thread - well, that meets the criteria of not being 'separated'. But it sure reduces the challenge and gives those cooks using that method an advantage.

So, technically legal - but morally?
Click to expand...
I have to disagree. It is my understanding that the reason about the 5 lb minimum weight was to keep teams for cooking pork tenderloin or other small, lean, tender muscles and turning them in. I believe the original category was just "pork".

First, I think you would mean ethical and not moral. And regarding the "morality" of the issue, give me a break. We season the pork, inject the pork, brine the pork, sauce the pork, use wood, charcoal, etc. to get to our final product and somehow, cutting back the fat cap is immoral. Not even close.
 
I see it as no different than if you took a knife, sliced out a large pocket under the fat cap and seasoned inside of it. In fact that might even work better. If its only connected on one side that fat cap may shrink up on you considerably. You could end up with a giant cracklin.

Hmmmmm giant cracklin?.........DO It!!!!!
 
QansasjayhawQ said:
We had a discussion about this during judging at the Lyons, KS contest a couple weeks ago. An entry looked like the money muscle had been separated and cooked - but after we took our samples from the container, we saw that it had been connected. So that was legal.

BUT!

I think the intent of the rule is to make cooking large contiguous pieces of meat the challenge. Just because one part is connected to another part by a thread - well, that meets the criteria of not being 'separated'. But it sure reduces the challenge and gives those cooks using that method an advantage.

So, technically legal - but morally?
Click to expand...

It's actually hard to do that and have it turn out well...
 
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