What do they want in pulled pork?

We'd all like to know THE answer to that one! :mrgreen:

In a KCBS or FBA type event, you have 6 judges and possibly the table captain to contend with.
You may have a "sauce queen" or one that focuses on bark or "whatever". It really always "depends". Just focus on doing what you do as best you can and taste, taste, taste. Taste other people's food as often as you can.

Good luck and welcome to the dark side.

Low texture points usually means under / over cooked. CBJs are taught in the class to see if the pork is mushy so if it was they would ding you on that.

Mushy pork will tank your scores. Over-sauced will do the same, by that I'm talking about the entry that has so much sauce that you can't see or taste the meat.

How do you know sauce wasn't the issue if you didn't use any? I'd be willing to say it is part of the issue.

At 180 to 185 it may have been under done vs over, normally pull ours at low 190's. We have had best results pulling chunks with bark on them and filling the box with them, brushing on a little glaze (thinned out sauce) right before turning in. We butterfly our butts to get more surface for the rub and smoke rather than injecting.

You might want to consider resting prior to pulling. If you pulled right after being in the cooker and then let it rest you may have ended up with very dry pork. Try resting the roast whole and then pulling just prior to boxing/plating after resting. I think you will find the meat will retain much more moisture this way.

Adding a little of a good sauce when pulling is definitely a good thing.

Pork is a sauce contest.

Jacked UP BBQ said:

Pork is a sauce contest.

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NOT!!!

It is all about the flavor of the meat shining through with a wee bit of smoke and sauce to enhance the pork flavor!

I find LOTS more pork entries to be a bit chewy than those that are mushy. Both are detractors. Make sure you have at least 6 bites (pieces) of pulled pork that are as identical as possible in your box, as well as at least 6 helpings of anything else (chopped/sliced/bark/etc.) so that the judges can each grab a sample of the different pork types (IF you are putting more than one type in the box).

Overcooked or mushy pork will not have much or any of the natural meat grain left. You will be able to eat it with almost no chewing -- it will liquify in your mouth. If you try to separate a piece with your fingers it will just disintegrate rather than splitting.

A good pork entry (no matter how presented) will be tender but retain the natural meat texture. It should present some resistance when bitten into. As to flavor (the heaviest score weighting) there should be an interesting and pleasing blend and balance of the natural meat flavor, the cooking method, and any spicing used (rub, injection, mop, sauce) with no one thing dominating the flavor profile.

I think most judges concentrate on juding taste when it comes to pork. Very seldom do we ever get a tough entry, but there are some overcooked and mushy ones. Pork tastes good even when overcooked so most judges aren't too discerning about the texture of it.

As to appearance, pork is always a challenge. Other than the vague "marking" rule there are no presentation rules or standards. The box should be an attractive presentation featuring meat of good color, consistent sizing, and apparent moisture. The lowest scores go to "dumped in the box to get it over with" (which is somewhat common) and the highest go to creative presentations that entice the judge to want to taste it ( good looking pieces of uniform appearance ).

> It was a local backyard bbq, with local, uncertified judges.

Honestly, this is probably 90% of your answer (ala. the problem). When you bring together un-trained un-certified people to judge they tend to bring their personal biases with them (judges are trained to drop most of those at the door). Not that CBJ's dont have biases, but non-CBJ's REALLY REALLY bring them to bare. Un-sanctioned comps, frankly, IMHO, are willy-nilly. Go, have fun, and dont read anything into any scores you get.

TBS-BBQ said:

Went to my first comp this past weekend. We did ribs, pork, and brisket. I was happy with the way it all turned out, but I have a question. What do the judges look for in pulled pork? If I would've had to pick one of the meats to enter, it would've been the pork. It was without a doubt the best I've ever done, and in the top 5 of the best I've ever ate. They killed me on it. They dinged me on the texture. Are they talking about how well it was pulled, or was it over-cooked? Let me know what you all think.

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Remember that it isn't a Pulled Pork category. It is a pork category. A traditional pulled pork, if that is what you did, is the wrong way to go. It loses flavor and moisture too fast. Sauce won't save you.

Jacked UP BBQ said:

Pork is a sauce contest.

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Totally disagree. I use 2 tablespoons of sauce on my pork.