todays practice run boxes

[mobow]

Practice run today was very educational. After reviewing pictures already see hings I would do different. Also learned the value of a good sharp knife. Plan to get one soont.


chicken

[mobow]

ribs

[Mad About Que]

other than sizing the chicken... looks pretty good. getting picky, top right looks like there's something on the meat.. might be the light, might be a brush hair.. might be???

Looks good tho.. any more shots? meats?

[mobow]

pork

[mobow]

last but not least brisket. I know some things I would change. Lets hear your thoughts.

[Mad About Que]

yoou were posting as i was replying.. (note that i need to change the time on my account..). are the ribs bone up? kinda of a small shot but it looks like the meat is down and bones up.. bones 2 and 6 are darker than the others.

man.. i'm even more hungry now.. what else ya got?

[mobow]

all 4

[mobow]

Originally Posted by Mad About Que

other than sizing the chicken... looks pretty good. getting picky, top right looks like there's something on the meat.. might be the light, might be a brush hair.. might be???

Looks good tho.. any more shots? meats?

agree. only cooked 8 pieces. next time will cook more to have some choices. Also have several of the pieces that I would rotate so all are going same direction

Originally Posted by Mad About Que

yoou were posting as i was replying.. (note that i need to change the time on my account..). are the ribs bone up? kinda of a small shot but it looks like the meat is down and bones up.. bones 2 and 6 are darker than the others.

man.. i'm even more hungry now.. what else ya got?

The ribs are side ways. They were a train wreck. Was not sure I was gonna get any in the box. Knive did not want to cut well and they were a little over cooked and not as meaty as I would have liked. Also need to find a way to add the sauce without smearing the rub.

[AZScott]

Looks really good for your first time. My one thing I would recommend is figure out how to fill your boxes more. Bigger thighs and more ribs. Subconsciously, your pork screams out to me stringy. It more than likely isn't but maybe play with some chunks. All in all, I'd be proud of what you put together your first time.

[Rookie'48]

Ok Keith, here we go buddy:
Chicky - nice color, sauce a bit uneven, they need to be more uniform in size & shape.
Ribs - I'm really liking the bottom three bones, they look great. The top three are uneven in color & the sizes are too different.
Pork - add a few chunks to the pulled & give it a light spray of AJ and you've got a winner.
Brisky - The meat itself looks good, a little shine here would help, too. The pieces are uneven and cut a bit raggedy (you already mentioned getting a new knife). You need to trim the pieces to fit the box better, maybe trimming before cooking would work. I've seen some great looking slices that were trimmed square before cooking that were all the same shape & had bark and smoke ring (that we don't pay attention to) all the way around.
I think that you're on the right track, but you knew that, right?

[mobow]

Originally Posted by Rookie'48

I think that you're on the right track, but you knew that, right?

I got a pretty good idea of what to do. Doing it is the hard part.

[paydabill]

I think you are getting it. When Are you going to try it out for real?

[huminie]

I really like the putting greens for the chicken. Way more than the lettuce for the briskie.

Color of chicken looks good. As mentioned, you need to shape them more consistently. This is hard, so keep practicing. You might also want to rotate the chicken pieces 90 degrees so the judges see the nice edges rather than the bone sides.

Ribs need some work. Get that top coat looking consistent and you want the "slab" to look like it is from one rack, even if it is not. So make sure they are all lined up and even.

Pork should look more "random". Mix it up a bit and as mentioned, add some chunks as well.

For brisket, trim ahead so it fits the size of the box better. Also, make your slices the same width and line them up straight with each other so they all look uniform.

All that said, good first attempt! Keep practicing...you will be amazed by your improvements each time!

[mobow]

Thank you to everyone on this forum that has shared information on this thread as well as the many other hundreds of threads I have read over the past couple of years. My wife and I have enjoyed judging competitions very much and will continue to do so but we do look forward to being a competitor on occassion. Again thank you to all. Keith and Susie. Soon to be MCBJ's and members of "In the Key Of QUE.

[mobow]

Originally Posted by paydabill

I think you are getting it. When Are you going to try it out for real?

Have few more contest to judge to finish up our master judge requirements and then will do a cook. Right now I am thinking Versailles if they do it again this year and then Sedalia after that.