Going to enter my first comp next year and need advice please..

[cmreagin]

Right now the plan is to enter the backyard division in KCBS. I have been doing some studying, observing ect... I am a t a phase where I am going to start practicing a lot, particularly chicken. Any extra advice would be helpful. A specific question I have is where to buy my chicken thighs, should I try to get those at the grocery store or a butcher shop. Usually when I do ribs I get a 3 pack of Smithfield ribs from costco, should i upgrade on those? Also my pork butts come from my local butcher. What suggestions do you have there? Also if anyone reads this who is near Suwanee, Ga who is a certified judge or comp cook I would love to have you sample some food at some point so I can get some feedback.
Thanks in advance
Chuck

 

[Kimo1]

Hey Chuck!
First things first, don't over think it and have fun. Thighs you can just pick up at the store. No butcher needed. Costco ribs, Sams ribs, or what not is fine too. We ordered those higher priced "competition ribs" once and what a waste. 2 racks out of a case were worthy and the flavor difference was not noticeable.

What I would suggest is to take a class or become a judge to see what is going on out there. Doesn't have to be a top name class either. Also, go to a comp and talk to the teams. You will find almost all will help you in some aspect.

 

[ronbrad62]

Hi Chuck, I am rather close by in Johns Creek. I am no CBJ, but I also do BY comps, and have been since 2014. As a former meat cutter, I can tell you that if you can find an old time butcher shop, you will definitely get better cuts that the stuff the grocery stores throw out there. I pretty much haven't gone that route myself, mostly because my wife thinks that I spent too much on comps, so I try to curb it where I can. Chicken, however, I won't buy from the grocery store. It is so inconsistent and the quality is horrible. I will buy it from Whole Foods, the sizes are more consistent, and I have done well with it.
Some advice for your first event, I did not fully understand the rules, so I did my trimming and prep after meat inspection. KCBS rules allow for you to pre-trim and prep your meats beforehand, just no seasoning or marinates of any kind added before inspection. There are going to be so many things running through your head at the first comp, this will be one less thing to worry about, then you can focus on the little things, and those are the ones that will make or break you. Good luck, and I will try to assist where I can, as will anyone else here.

 

[Ron_L]

Next year, as in 2018? You really plan ahead :-D

What are you cooking on? That makes a difference.

One thing that everyone should do at least once is run a full mock competition. Set up in your driveway exactly as you would at the competition and run the same timeline, even doing boxes. Keep track of anything that you have to get from the houser and add that to your packing list.

 

[Roast Beast]

Lots of GA teams successfully use chicken, ribs, and butts from some combination of Publix, Sam's, and Costco. If you're going to spend on premium meat, save your money for a nice brisket.

 

[cheapbeer]

A lot of basic information is available in this book

 

[Jason TQ]

Good luck! Pretty much ditto on what Jonathan said. Pick your poison for all those selections. Teams win with everything. That can be confusing, but in the beginning make your selection (don't think to hard) and just start cooking/practicing. It can take many comps to have a big enough sample size for what works.

In the beginning it is easy to fall into "analysis paralysis". So grab some meat and get rolling :-D.

Pretty easy to snag chicken, ribs and butt from 2 different locations and do side by side. If you are doing backyard you don't have to worry about brisket too much (most don't make you cook it).

Holler if you got any questions. Lots of GA folks here that love to help and other teams as well of course :-D

 

[Shiz-Nit]

Don't get caught up he said she said is the magic combo.
Many teams win from different brand of Rubs, injections, cookers, cook temps, timeline ect...

 

[Coz]

Write down your timeline and follow it .DONT CHANGE WHAT YOU HAVE PRACTICED AND ARE HAPPY WITH BECAUSE THE GUY NEXT TO YOU IS DOING IT DIFFERENT !!!! As Alexa says practice till you cant do it wrong .

 

[cmreagin]

Thanks for the advice guys. To answer some of the questions yes probably 2018. Too many commitments for this year already. Also I will probably be using a couple of Weber smokey mountains or maybe two big green eggs. Weber is the plan for now which I will have to purchase, season, get used to ect.... I just feel like they would be so much easier to transport for a comp than eggs.
Ron Brad is there a butcher shop like that around here that you recommend? I usually use Pattons in Duluth.
Thanks again for the advice guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[mbigtoe]

I started doing competitions a couple years ago. I skipped the backyard and just jumped right in. I only do 2-3 a year, but I'd like to share a couple thoughts from a relative newby.

I completely agree with all the suggestions above. Just to add a little more:

Practice making boxes. That was the thing that was really challenging for me when starting out. I cooked good looking, tasty, tender meat, but did a poor job in presenting it to the judges. Practice with parsley, green leaf lettuce, kale, etc. to see which presentation works best for you. There's a facebook group called Turn-in Box Pics. You can submit your boxes there for feedback. More importantly, you can look at all the different turn in box pics and get some ideas for how you'd like to structure your boxes. I've never submitted a box, but I've learned a LOT by just looking at the boxes that are submitted and the comments other people make on the boxes.

I would also recommend listening weekly to the BBQ Central Show if you don't already. It's a weekly podcast that has great guests each week from the world of competition BBQ that can give you some good insights. It's actually live Tuesday nights at 9 EST, but I catch on podcast.

Have fun and enjoy your competition journey!

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

Hey Chuck! We're in Suwanee, and I'm always open to chat BBQ, so feel free to send me a PM here or on FB.

Pattons, or any other butcher in the area, is great for premium meat, but you really don't need that for BY division. We did an entire season as a BY team, and we got our ribs and chicken from costco, and butts came from RD in Norcross. Now, we still get our chicken from Costco, ribs from Walmart, pork is from a specialty supplier, and brisket is wagyu. Like was mentioned, save your money for an expensive brisket over specialty products in other areas.

When you're ready to do a practice cook, let me know. We'd happily come by and give you some feedback as well.

 

[ronbrad62]

I agree with Beth, Pattons is as good as there is, but there are plenty of good sources without spending the extra $$$. If you are yet undecided about your cook vehicles, between your options of WSM or BGE, hands down the WSM. Just the transporting alone would make that a no brainer, but would you rather drop the WSM or BGE? Accidents happen and that one could be costly.