Please give me feedback on these boxes

[landarc]

I disagree, I think the fuller the box the better it looks. We normally try to put in 11 to 12 ribs in two rows with the front row over lapping the back. The key is to make sure that your front row has your very best ribs and that there are 6 of them. That way the odds of a single judge getting a sub-standard rib (at least not your best) decreases.

Again, you did a great job Dan!

This is interesting, I have seen the ribs stacked 6 over 6, I assumed it was to present the top ribs at an angle. I can see the logic though that it also means there is less chance of a judge getting a less than ideal rib.

 

[Bentley]

Well, having looked for 10 seconds and not reading any other comments, I would give both a 7. It is after all a meat contest, and to me that meat looks a little above average. I thinks your chicken color is very appitizing, you skin is some what messy. Your ribs seem a little over cooked, but that's what taste & tenderness scores are for...Now to read everyone else's comments and scores...

 

[Captain Caveman]

Chicken: I like the color. use toothpicks to hold the skin while cooking (don't forget to remove them before turn in).

Ribs: Again I like the color, clean up your cuts (ragged) . It looks as if you cut too close to the bone. maybe go a little lighter on the sauce.

 

[CBQ]

Agree with skin comments on the chicken. Also use a small pastry brush to touch up the chicken sauce so it's evenly applied. There are some spots that are not sauced, and as you already gathered from the comments, making all the chicken look the same helps your appearance score.

Everyone has mentioned the cut of the ribs, and I agree. The ribs are also different LENGTHS. A lot of cooks start with a 4.5 pound rack and cut it down to a 3.5 pound rack, squaring the ribs off. Did you start with a big rack, or get it already trimmed from the store?

It looks like the ribs came from one rack, and the ribs taped off in size along the rack. The judge ending up with the shortest ribs may hold that against you, even though they aren't going to eat all of it. Square your racks, and cook more than one (at least 4) and try to select ribs that look the same. (Maybe you can get away with a store trim if you have a lot of racks to pick through.) I also agree with the prior suggestion that you want to slice evenly between the ribs so the bones are centered.

 

[chambersuac]

Guys, thanks for all the awesome comments. It's obvious that I didn't win on Appearance scores, but the judges there scored me higher in some cases, lower in some cases than you all did - I think they ended up scoring us higher, so they might not have been CBJs.

As far as I know, the judges that judges us (the backyard guys) were the same CBJs that judged the "big guys" - I'm not sure. Below is how THEY judged our boxes. You can tell Texture was a big plus for us

As far as the ribs, I only cooked two racks. I had cooked six the week before and used only one of them, so I thought I'd save some money and trouble. The first rack I pulled off was the larger/longer rack - and they fell off the bone. Obviously, I couldn't serve them. The second, shorter rack felt perfect, so I used only ribs from that - that's why the taper.

Thanks again for all the feedback and advice so far...more is appreciated.

Chicken
Ap Te Ta /Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta /Average App Te Ta
9 9 9 / 9 9 9 / 7 6 7 / 8 7 7 /8 6 7 8.2 /7.4 /7.8117

Ribs
Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta / Ap Te Ta / Appear Text Taste
8 9 8 / 9 9 8/ 8 9 9 / 8 9 9 / 9 9 9 / 8.4/ 9 /8.6 130

 

[Divemaster]

Dan, I'm glad you got some good comments... As for the number of slabs, I normally do 4 slabs (OK, sometimes maybe 6)... I would rather take some back and give them to my office (they have no taste) than not have an extra slab if some thing comes up...

 

[LGHT]

Very interesting scores. I'm really surprised that you got 2 9's for appearence in chicken.

 

[chambersuac]

Very interesting scores. I'm really surprised that you got 2 9's for appearence in chicken.

Yeah, well, there IS a chance they had a couple of beers that day :heh:
Maybe it just goes to show how subjective judging is - or they really wrote down 3's and when the cards got totaled, the top of the threes looked curled and they thought they were 9's. I don't know. But...I'm glad I asked you guys for advice/comments. I've learned a lot.

 

[Dale P]

If you cook the chicken well, you dont need any staples, or tooth pics..

 

[BigOlBoysBarBQ]

They look nice I would say Dan, the only thing I see and most have already said it. A little more parsley in the box and no ragged edges on the ribs.

I am guessing that you got a trailer smoker set-up? I am still in the process of building my next one and saving up for a spicewine.

 

[Ford]

I disagree, I think the fuller the box the better it looks. We normally try to put in 11 to 12 ribs in two rows with the front row over lapping the back. The key is to make sure that your front row has your very best ribs and that there are 6 of them. That way the odds of a single judge getting a sub-standard rib (at least not your best) decreases.

Again, you did a great job Dan!

Jeff

Don't assume that the judges will all take from the top row. Some will intentionally grab from the second row just to see if you have 12 you are proud of or 6 plus 6 box fillers. Same with brisket. If you have 10-12 slices somebody will pick from the back.

 

[Divemaster]

Jeff

Don't assume that the judges will all take from the top row. Some will intentionally grab from the second row just to see if you have 12 you are proud of or 6 plus 6 box fillers. Same with brisket. If you have 10-12 slices somebody will pick from the back.

Ford,

I agree that there are judges that are going to do that, but unless the first judge does it, I'm willing to bet that most are going to pull from the front row.

I think we need to break this down into two parts. The first of which is appearance. I still believe that a full box looks better than one with only six bones. I also believe that the front row needs to be not only the best tasting but the most beautiful bones you've ever seen.

I'm not saying that the back row should just be some filler bones. They should be held to the same quality level for both taste and tenderness as the front row. The only difference is that the bottom half of the back row bones don't need to be as perfect in appearance as the the front row.

Please understand, if I don't have enough "Farking-Tastic" ribs for a back row, I won't put them in.

As for the brisket question, I only take slices from one of the two briskets I cook. To me it's a point of pride that when the judges look at my brisket box they can tell that each slice looks like it's in the same order that it was sliced. Now if you want to talk about burnt ends, those can and do come from either of the two points that I cook.

 

[chambersuac]

They look nice I would say Dan, the only thing I see and most have already said it. A little more parsley in the box and no ragged edges on the ribs.

I am guessing that you got a trailer smoker set-up? I am still in the process of building my next one and saving up for a spicewine.

Thanks. Actually, the ribs were cooked on a WSM and the chicken on a BSK.
My current trailer smoker is just to big for these contests.

 

[WeekendsAreMine]

I compete in chicken a lot and agree with most everything that has been said up to this point. One additional trick you can try is creating a heavy marinade with your rub, start from scratch(oil, vinegar, your rub, etc) and then don't reapply the rub after they thighs come from the marinade. Doing this will cause the skin to cover more evening. Applying the rub to the meat seems to me to cause more inconsistent coverage than using a liquid and nothing else.

Again, a good sharp knife and give judge meat on both sides. I like a full box as long as every bite is as good as another.

Both look very good to me.