when to change recipe/process?

[boogiesnap]

hi all.

i've done 4 KCBS comps. middle pack 1st two. i changed up everything and practiced another solid 2 months. earned RGC. i was pretty stoked i had found a repeatable and successful process. i continued practicing the same cooks and recipes. yesterday they earned 14th.

now, i know a couple things went a bit off track. i'm on board with that, it happens and i'll address it, but they weren't catastrophic failures by any means.

my question is, what are y'alls thoughts on changing up again? is that swing too far to continue with the same recipes? or do you guys think 2nd to 14 is common(ish)? or more likely the RGC was a fluke?

i'd appreciate any thoughts. thank you!

[AZScott]

What happened? Did all of your meats not do as well? Was it only one or two that tanked? You said a couple of things went of track so I would correct those first and see how you perform with everything working as they should.

[Pigs on Fire]

Here in GA, it has as much to do with the geographical area, the sanctioning body and the other cooks who are there as to where your (consistent) meats will place.

We can go to south GA and cook in an FBA or GBA competition and be hit or miss with the exact same procedure and recipe as we will cook for a KCBS in North GA and come out with a few dollars and a trophy fairly consistently.

I would not change my recipe or procedure until I saw consistent (poor) results cooking in the same general geographic region with the same (more or less) competitors and saw some of the same judges to and fro the tent.

[MattyB]

I wouldn't go as far as calling it a fluke...obviously you did something right.

Few questions to help me understand your situation better...
You placed 14th out of how many teams?

Depending in the size and quality of the field, your disappointment in dropping 2nd to 14th might not be a huge deal.

Were these comps in the same general regional area?

We did fairly well in NY last year (taking RGC at 3 of 5 comps), but got completely killed in Louisa, VA.

Did any turn-in drop significantly or did you all 4 generally drop off. Might help you focus your attention as to what "went wrong"

Or, you just had an off day. It happens. Brush it off and get back to it. If you continue to finish middle of the pack (where I'm assuming 14th place was) after 3-4 more comps, then I'd start to take a look at what's going on, talk with neighbors at comps and sample their food. Take note and see where you place relative to them...

[Podge]

Whoever said "you can't do the same thing every time and expect different results" has never competed in BBQ.

[MattyB]

Originally Posted by Podge

Whoever said "you can't do the same thing every time and expect different results" has never competed in BBQ.

Amen, brother!

[TheJackal]

I would pay less attention to what place you finished and more attention to your scores in each category (weighted and unweighted). A 650 can be RGC one weekend and be 14th the next.

[Fatback Joe]

After meeting you this weekend, I would say it was a fluke.

Of course, I am just kidding. Based on talking with you, I would say to give it a little more time before you tweak things unless you are sure that someting needs fixed..........and I suppose if you were sure you wouldn't be asking about it now.

I wasn't happy with my results this weekend either (well, minus the pork) and I don't plan on changing a thing before the next one.

Give it some time. You know what flavor profiles generally work well up here, just keep fine tuning that execution. And I would also suggest that if you make changes, make small ones. Things can get confusing as hell when you start revamping everything and it doesn't work.

Good luck.

[Lake Dogs]

Sit behind a few hundred judging tables and you'll realize that many times the difference in a top 3 vs. a 10th place is a complete luck of the draw. Luck (or unluck) as to who else's BBQ is at your table, and luck/unluck as to what judges are sitting at your table. It just is. Then, what teams are at this particular contest, and how well did they fare? It all plays in. If you GC'd or RGC'd or were 3rd or 4th overall in a contest with 30 or more contestants, then I wouldn't change a thing for 4 or 5 more contests.

[boogiesnap]

hi everyone. thank you so much for the replies.

i would say the skill level of the teams at both contests was equal. this one had 25, the RGC had like 35.

i don't think i adapted quickly enough to just how warm it was outside. brisket and ribs finished up way before i was expecting so didn't catch it. both were a bit on the overdone side...but nothing disastrous.

pork was consistent with the other contests i've done. a 4th, 5th, and 6th.

this is how the others dropped:
chicken from 5th to 11th, ribs from 8th to 15, and brisket from 13 to 17. what concerns me is i have swings of 6 to 9 and 5 to 8 in multiple categories from multiple judges.

not sure how to approach that.

i'll go over my notes and pics and take a close look at what exactly i left on the table for points.

thanks again for all the thoughts everyone.

[boogiesnap]

Originally Posted by Fatback Joe

After meeting you this weekend, I would say it was a fluke.

Of course, I am just kidding. Based on talking with you, I would say to give it a little more time before you tweak things unless you are sure that someting needs fixed..........and I suppose if you were sure you wouldn't be asking about it now.

I wasn't happy with my results this weekend either (well, minus the pork) and I don't plan on changing a thing before the next one.

Give it some time. You know what flavor profiles generally work well up here, just keep fine tuning that execution. And I would also suggest that if you make changes, make small ones. Things can get confusing as hell when you start revamping everything and it doesn't work.

Good luck.

naw, you ain't kidding. all things considered i'm lucky i didn't finish DAL in anything.

but seriously, i know the product and it was pretty close to where it needed to be.

[Jorge]

If it was me, I'd cook the same program and recipes again and see how I did. If something goes wrong or I didn't nail it, I'd take that into consideration. You have to many variables involved for me to consider drastic changes in the same situation.

[va92bronco]

Im in a similar boat as I just did my second contest and really didn't do as well as I thought. I do feel that my pork needs to be changed because I have not been happy with it. The other three I am making some small changes, but staying pretty true to what I started with.

It sounds to me that you are confident that your system worked. You just expected a different outcome. I think you need to stick with what you have at least a couple of more times. Sounds to me like you are just second guessing your self rather than actually have a possible issue with your system.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

BBQ is a lot of luck and skill. Are you using "popular flavors" if not, do so and tweak to make them better or different. We changed our ribs and chicken every comp, once we hit with chicken we kept it going. We finally just may have gotten ribs. I dont know that they will do well for every comp, but last two comps two top tens, If get 18th next week I am not gonna change. Its gonna take a lot of time.

[Big Ugly's BBQ]

Originally Posted by Jacked UP BBQ

We finally just may have gotten ribs.

AAAwwwwwww crap, didnt need to know that tidbit of information..........

Now we gonna have to work that much harder.......