Why does sweet win?

Bigmista · Mar 31, 2010

This is a question that has been stuck in my craw for a while now and I haven't gotten a satisfying answer yet. The BBQ I grew up on was savory and spicy. Most of the BBQ joints I've been to serve savory BBQ. The judges I've talked to say that sauces shouldn't hide the flavor of the meat.

Meat isn't sweet. But inevitably the entries that win are coated in a sugary sauce that most people say they wouldn't eat at home because it's too rich and too sweet.

So why does sweet win?

chambersuac · Mar 31, 2010

Thanks for asking this here - I'd like to know, too...

Bigmista · Mar 31, 2010

CBJ's please chime in since you are the one's making the choices.

G$ · Mar 31, 2010

no clue, but the sooner i get it through my head, the better off I'll be.

(by the way, a guess: When you go to a Q joint, you get a meal (or two ro three) and have more time to 'savor the flavors'. A comp is a bite (or two), and you better notice the flavor.)

Jacked UP BBQ · Mar 31, 2010

Here is my thought. Whether people admit it or not, sweet is a good flavor. Spice is good, but may insult some people. If you take ten people, three will lie and say they love super spicy food, two will really like it and the other five will not like spice at all. So my thoughts are if you are throwing your food into a lottery and have a chance of playing the odds on your side, go with sweet, people more people just like it that way.

Bigmista · Mar 31, 2010

Are you suggesting that sweet is easier to recognize as a flavor?

Bigmista · Mar 31, 2010

Jacked UP BBQ said:
Here is my thought. Whether people admit it or not, sweet is a good flavor. Spice is good, but may insult some people. If you take ten people, three will lie and say they love super spicy food, two will really like it and the other five will not like spice at all. So my thoughts are if you are throwing your food into a lottery and have a chance of playing the odds on your side, go with sweet, people more people just like it that way.

Then why not savory? Savory and spicy are different. People love beef and it isn't sweet.

G$ · Mar 31, 2010

Bigmista said:
Are you suggesting that sweet is easier to recognize as a flavor?

Perhaps it is 'easier' and 'safer' to 'jolt' someone with sweet (not hard to add a bunch of brown sugar) than to jolt them with spice (relatively more complexities to spice and you may ruin a palate when overdone).

BBQ_Mayor · Mar 31, 2010

Not everybody likes spicy but everybody likes sweet. Then you also have the tang, don't forget to throw that into the mix of savory, spicy, and sweet.

Jacked UP BBQ · Mar 31, 2010

Savory and spice are different correct. I think that a mix of a savory rub and some sweet sauce is a great combination. If you want to add a little spice go for it. A marriage of the flavors is great. I would not want to eat a plain savory rib because that is all it would be. SO if you marry all the flavors like we do, it is like a orgasm in your mouth and all of your taste buds will be popping!

Jacked UP BBQ · Mar 31, 2010

Bigmista said:
Then why not savory? Savory and spicy are different. People love beef and it isn't sweet.

MY beef is sweet!:redface:

leanza · Mar 31, 2010

IMO, because the palate responds to a sweet contrast to savory.

Bigmista · Mar 31, 2010

jacked up bbq said:
my beef is sweet!:redface:

tmi.

ZILLA · Mar 31, 2010

Is it possible that sweet wins more because sweet has become the expected norm for the CBJ in a KCBS competition? The "more common standard" that reigns in KCBS judging may be the answer. Diva has aluded to this a few times in other posts concerning % of CbJs at a contest. That's what judges want, that's the way they're trained, and cooks are expected to cook to that end to win. The more common standard.

Grillman · Mar 31, 2010

Possibly some people don't understand that they like sweet meat flavor.
They think it's spicy or savory; but, it's really just sweet.

A number of years ago a Krispy Kreem Donut store opened up close to where
I worked, so the manager went there one day and bought several dozen
Donuts for us all.
I had a chocolate one...I couldn't taste the Chocolate or the donut itself.
All I could taste was SWEET (sugar). I said to the guy next to me "these
don't have any flavor; all they are is sweet"....he replied "yeah; it's great,
I love sweet".:doh:

This was about 9 or 10 years ago here in Denver, Colorado. Cars were
lined up for hours at these Krispy Kreem Donut stores that had just come
to Denver.
Most people like sweet; whether they know it or not.:crazy:

Don't believe what people say.....believe what they do!:thumb:

BBQchef33 · Mar 31, 2010

Agree with everythign said.. I'd like to add another twist too.

Its hard to explain thsi mindset.. but instead of looking at winners as high scorers(999)...its not always like that. They are just the highest scorers of a group. The winners are just NOT the low scorers. Using the kcbs weights, a 968 beats a 995 where that 5 was because u used the damn oregano that someones taste bud found bitter.

but its hard to get your score whacked by "sweet"..

To hot, to bland, too spicy, to salty... those profiles may score u down.. but we have to be WAYYYYY over the top to be 'Too sweet', so the taste(heaviest weighed) score stays up there.

Sometimes when experimenting, I look at it as " dont PISS OFF the judges" . All it takes at the table is to be the LEAST offensive with a winning 788 whereas the 995 got whacked because of too much of something in a risky profile. So it may not be that sweet wins, it just doesnt come with the risk of the other profiles. They bullseye to me is balance within your profile.

SmokeInDaEye · Mar 31, 2010

Bigmista said:
Then why not savory? Savory and spicy are different. People love beef and it isn't sweet.

I go for umami.

Kosmo's Q · Mar 31, 2010

Here’s my take.

Thousands of years ago all man had was their taste buds to judge if something would poison him or not. Sweet usually meant it was ok to eat whereas sour, bitter or salty probably was iffy. So it's probably in our DNA to be naturally attracted to sweet. Hell I don't really know just taking a stab at it. LOL

Bigmista · Mar 31, 2010

Kosmo's Q said:
Here’s my take.

Thousands of years ago all man had was their taste buds to judge if something would poison him or not. Sweet usually meant it was ok to eat whereas sour, bitter or salty probably was iffy. So it's probably in our DNA to be naturally attracted to sweet. Hell I don't really know just taking a stab at it. LOL

Then how did we ever become meat eaters?

KC_Bobby · Mar 31, 2010

I wouldn't necessarily say sweet wins. I would say that sweetness being part of the overall flavor profile is a worthwhile element - at least for chicken and ribs and a touch on pork - not on brisket.

Why does sweet win?

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

is One Chatty Farker

Babbling Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

is One Chatty Farker

is Blowin Smoke!

Babbling Farker

Babbling Farker

Babbling Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

is One Chatty Farker

is Blowin Smoke!

Grand Poobah and Site Admin

SmokeInDaEye

Guest

is one Smokin' Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

Babbling Farker

Similar threads