Thoughts please - First KCBS Pro Cook!

[frayed knot]

We did our first KCBS competition this weekend in Kennesaw, GA at Pigs & Peaches. We tried to enter the backyard division, but it was full so we went ahead and cooked pro. There were 54 teams. We placed as follows:

Overall 33 of 54
Chicken 29 of 54
Ribs 25 of 54
Pork 34 of 54
Brisket 33 of 54

Below are some pics of our boxes. Would love to hear thoughts from some of the veterans here...I feel pretty proud and it seems like we did well given the fact that it was our first cook and there were some heavy hitting teams out there.

Seems like one judge was the difference between us being in the middle of the pack and maybe top 10-15. For example, in pork and brisket we had one judge each time who scored us significantly lower than the other 5, i.e. we had one 7 in brisket...otherwise all 8's and 9's except for one judge who gave us 866. Is this common, or is it a sign that we just need to work on our product?

Thanks to all for input and advice. I'm trying to curb my enthusiasm so I don't get addicted to this sport! We had a blast, and it was super intense and competitive

-Matt

[big brother smoke]

Nothing stands out with "popitude*." However nothing looks bad. Chicken is the best box to me, but needs more sheen. Ribs look a little dry and could use sheen and better placement; lay ribs flat, stacked if possible (4 on 4), bones down (some will say up).

Pork box is full, but perhaps too full. Try standing your money muscle slices up add more sheen and use chunks (sauced) versus the pulled.

Brisket needs even coat of au jus and perhaps burnt ends should be considered; if they are good. Maybe trim brisky before smoking will make it more symmetrical in the box.

*All these things plus what comes next from others defines "popitude"


A great first contest for you, my first boxes looked horrible.

edit: And to further answer your question, you have experienced the infamous Judge 6. This judge seems to visit all us from time to time.

[porkingINpublic]

Tell judge 6 hello and to Go F$@&?! Himself from me! Lol. He bit me a few weeks ago too

Even up your portion sizes... In every category.
Trim those ribs to st Louise style.
I personally like a lil sauce on the pork....

Welcome to kcbs and judge 6

[Qbert60]

I have only competed in a few contest thus far and here is some advise that was given to me.

- The Chicken box doesn't look full. Good size though. If you have the ability to put nine in the box, make sure you do.
- Trim the ribs to St. Louis style. You can find some videos on Youtube.
- Pork box looks good. Give it some sauce for the "stand out" factor
- Brisket is OK. Try to clean up the presentation a bit. How long did you cook it? Reason I ask, I can't see much of a smoke ring. Also, some slices are starting to break.

The first competition is the most fun experience for any BBQ cook. I loved it and I didn't finish as good as you. Keep it going. It will become a disease that is hard to shake, but fun to have.

[dhuffjr]

Try to get pieces of chicken closer together size wize. In my opinion I think you trimmed them up a bit too much. Ribs as mentioned I'd do a St Louis cut if I was going spares.

Your more or less middle of the pack so I'd say you've got a good base to start with. I'd keep the recipes the same just work on appearances for the next contest or two. I always hear give it 2-3 contests before you change something.

[Ford]

Good comments already, especially trim ribs. Take them right back to the bone. Brisket if not using burnt ends then 9-11 slices and trim them up to fit nicely. Chicken less trimming or put more in the box, experiment.

Overall a very good first cook. Lots of reasons why "judge 6" scores were low. As its thrown out don't sweat it. Keep practicing. When I took the lotta bull class I ate chicken every weekend for 3 months.

[CBQ]

Good advice in these replies. Congrats on your first "pro" cook, and keep at it.

That's about how we finished our first time out, and now we are heading to The Jack, The American Royal, and the Sam's Regional. Took a while to get there, but lots of fun along the way. Best advice I ever got was to take one class a year.

[richardnoodle]

Good luck on not getting addicted to comp BBQ! This isn't the last time you're gonna get low scores from judge 6.

[Pelkster]

DOWN WITH JUDGE 6!!!

[Pelkster]

By the way, these shirts have been printed and are available for $15 each

[Stoke&Smoke]

Originally Posted by Ford

Good comments already, especially trim ribs. Take them right back to the bone. Brisket if not using burnt ends then 9-11 slices and trim them up to fit nicely. Chicken less trimming or put more in the box, experiment.

Overall a very good first cook. Lots of reasons why "judge 6" scores were low. As its thrown out don't sweat it. Keep practicing. When I took the lotta bull class I ate chicken every weekend for 3 months.

first thing I thought was you said 1 score each made the difference. As Ford points out, the lowest score is thrown out anyway.

I thought the chicken was inconsistent in size, and as steph said, lacked "poptitude"! All the other comments were right on, but you were middle of the pack for a lot, and I'm guessing all the teams under you weren't on thier first comp, so good work!

By the way, reading judge score sheets will make you nuts!