ROLLING the DICE at BBQ comps

[Alexa RnQ]

We've always preached consistency, and not-fixing what works. Nevertheless, one year when we'd gotten a GC that included 1st chicken and ribs, we had new recipes for both two weeks later, simply because we could get a better product with them.

I don't recall having ever made a practice of going to contests with untested recipes. Contest expenses are a pretty hefty cover charge for a test cook.

 

[Rich Parker]

I am always switching up one thing or another. That's the joy of it to me. Everybody has different reasons for competing and for me if i did the same thing week in and week out, i would be bored out of mind. But when i change things i don't get too drastic but just little things here and there.

 

[BruceB]

I am always switching up one thing or another. That's the joy of it to me. Everybody has different reasons for competing and for me if i did the same thing week in and week out, i would be bored out of mind. But when i change things i don't get too drastic but just little things here and there.

like what??

 

[bam]

I want to but can't talk myself into it. :crazy:

 

[Rich Parker]

like what??

That Arby's sauce is my secret ingredient for my ribs.

 

[bogyo1981]

I've always wanted to see how McDonald's BBQ sauce would do

 

[Sledneck]

I've always wanted to see how McDonald's BBQ sauce would do

9th place:redface:

 

[HarleyGirl14226]

We might test something prior to a comp. and then pray the first time we did it (like this past weekend in Brockport, NY) but we'll never change a recipe on the fly.

The only thing we might change is when we put the meat on if something is bigger or smaller than our "norm".

Now forgetting something in our program is more likely to happen (again, like this past weekend in Brockport) - much to our chagrin when something that had been doing well comes in 23rd out of 29... Sigh...

 

[txschutte]

I used to do it.

It's called "Second Guessing".

And since I quit doing it, I went from a 37th rib to a 1st. 9th briskie to 3rd.

I want to win. I have plenty of time to do new things at home.

 

[Lake Dogs]

Mind you, I think every competitor is competing for the joy of it, but there definitely are two types of folks out here; 1) those that really just enjoy the outing (damn glad to be here), and 2) those that came to try to win. I think those in #1 above are more likely to wing it and try something new at comps, and those in #2 are much less likely to change things and do what works for them consistently.

 

[Smokedelic]

So for those of you who try new stuff at home before you try it in a contest, have you ever tried anything at a contest that you didn't like at home? If not, have you ever tried anything at a contest that you liked at home, but it didn't do well at contests?

We never change what's working, but if we hit a dry spell, we'll change flavors on the fly. You'll never know if a tweak is gonna work until you run it a few weeks in contests. We could love it in the driveway all day long, but it doesn't mean a thing if it doesn't score well in comps.

It makes me wonder how many killer recipes people are sitting on, that would hit it hard at contests, which they don't run because they didn't like it at home first?