Competition Ribs and Chicken

[BBQchef33]

Phil,

I agree with your rant. I am just trying to figure out these judges. I can cook the ribs at home for friends and family with no problem. I can let the ribs tell me when they want to be eaten. However, I am fairly new to Competative cooking and that 12:30 turn in time is staring me in the face. I have had decent success, especially with pork and brisket that can be finished 5 hours early and be just fine wrapped up in a cooler until turn in. I guess I struggle with the ribs in competition there is such a little window before they go from tough to fall of the bone tender. The fact of the matter is that I just need to practice my ribs and chicken more and I have a wife that can't stand the smoke. Sucks for me, but going to suck for her for the next 2 months because I AM going to be cooking plenty of ribs and chicken before the next competition.

Anyone can hit a golf ball or a baseball or catch a football, but its different on the field at gametime with and opposing team staring at ya.. or racing a car around the oval... anyone can do it, but only a few at 200MPH.

Anyone can cook BBQ to "be done when its done".

Thats the endzone in a comptition.. thats 90% of the challenge. TIMING to get your "A" product complete in a 10 minute window. The other 10% is taste, texture, tenderness. If you blow the timing, You dont score..

The biggest thing about your first competitions is Learn "how to compete", learn your timings.

You know how to cook, now ya have to figure out how to hit a bullseye on a clock.


Look at early threads in this forum, theres a load of info on first competitions.