What's more important - The prep before or after the meat comes off of the smoker?

[QTEX]

This - you can memorize and calculate prep to the point it's foolproof and you do it perfectly every time. It's the aftercare during and after the cook that matters.

Myself? I don't have any "tricks" other than vigilance. My best results have come from obsessive fire control, precise timing by paying attention to what the meat tells me when I check on it and reacting to changes that I can't control.

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE - the more mistakes and unplanned obstacles you overcome over time, the less you'll screw up when it matters.

That pretty much sums it it very well.

OR,

THEY ARE FLAT OUR CHEATING, THEY PAID OFF THE HEAD JUDGE, ITS WHO YA KNOW YOU KNOW, THERES NO WAY ANYONE CAN BE THAT CONSISTENT, ITS RIGGED!.
LMAO thats the kinda bull I hear all the time down here in Texas, there are a couple of us that have been pretty consistent and thats the baloney we put up with week in and week out. Do any of you guys hear that kinda bull up north?, Have been wanting to ask for a while.
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, Trial and error and lots of practice. Everyone is looking for that magic something but there really is none, like all success in life its just hard work and a little intuition and paying your dues by actually putting out in front of the judges over and over again till you figure some things out that a wide range of pallettes like.
Good luck

 

[Mad About Que]

when the precook prep is going on, be thinking about the finished product. I know a lot of folks that box out the butts to get it more uniform. folks pre trim a brisket so that you don't have cut edges in the box, chicken (good cluckling luck...), ribs - cut down the end 2 bones, not gonna use them, so why cook them.. also keeping in mind your end product.

dont' worry so much about sauces/injections/whatevers. you can buy that stuff and then learn to doctor it or do your own. consistency is the biggest prep item you can work on.

 

[BrotherInArms]

Ok this maybe a pretty dumb question. But I'm still a newb and will ask it anyways so please forgive me. I've cooked some boston butts and shoulders. My question is where exactly is the "money muscle" that folks are talking about? Please help.

 

[MarleyMan]

. My question is where exactly is the "money muscle" that folks are talking about? Please help.

In general it is on the opposite side of the bone.

A little google and here you go!

http://barbecuetricks.com/the-money-muscle-secret/

:thumb:

 

[BrotherInArms]

Bark Bros. Much thanks.

 

[Eggspert]

I think that getting quality meat for competitions is critical to get in the top ten. Garbage in= garbage out. You might get lucky and do well with low quality meat, but with all the money that you put into a competition, why would you want to get lucky? Stack the deck in your favor and start with an excellent quality product. I also think chicken calls are due to superior prep. If your chicken is not looking perfect then it's not going to get a call.

That being said, putting the meat in the box is where you could end up placing 10-15 or 1-10. Slicing skills, saucing, finishing glaze, tasting the meat and adjusting seasonings. This is critical. I think that 10-15 minutes while your boxing up the meat is when things have the potential to go wrong.

Pretty much everything needs to be perfect anymore. Even perfect meat doesn't get in the top 5 every time. Unfortunately, there is a little "luck" in this sport that needs to be on your side.

Eggspert

 

[Lake Dogs]

> THEY ARE FLAT OUR CHEATING, THEY PAID OFF THE HEAD JUDGE, ITS WHO YA KNOW > YOU KNOW, THERES NO WAY ANYONE CAN BE THAT CONSISTENT, ITS RIGGED!.

Boy, if I had a nickle for every time.... Anyway, this come from people who are largely noobs and dont know their *** from a hole in the ground. Years ago I'd address it, but now I just dont suffer fools well, so I pretty much ignore them, perhaps drop them a small tid-bit like "I suggest you become a CBJ and judge a few" while walking away...

 

[CBQ]

THEY ARE FLAT OUR CHEATING...LMAO thats the kinda bull I hear all the time down here in Texas, there are a couple of us that have been pretty consistent and thats the baloney we put up with week in and week out. Do any of you guys hear that kinda bull up north?, Have been wanting to ask for a while.

Not really. There is more grousing about the judges than the top teams. Since judges up here are not using the 'three point system' ("We have fours and we aren't afraid to use them!") people are more upset about getting scores like "999 989 978 655 464 999" than they are worrying about who won.

 

[polishdon]

This is a great topic, and something I've been wondering about when you see the same teams win at every competition. Is it really the tenderness of the meat or does it come down to taste more than anything?

When I see the same teams win time and time again it makes me wonder, do they really have a perfect cook every time, or are the able to compensate for an off day with some incredible finishing sauce\glaze\rub???

 

[Lake Dogs]

Not really. There is more grousing about the judges than the top teams. Since judges up here are not using the 'three point system' ("We have fours and we aren't afraid to use them!") people are more upset about getting scores like "999 989 978 655 464 999" than they are worrying about who won.

Now this (above) would and should drive anyone nuts. Question the data entry (score keeping), and what about table monitoring? To me, variance like this should be explained.

That said, particularly with chicken and to some degree with ribs, someone can get a bad piece that others didnt get. We had a time where I had two wonderful and beautiful rib racks that we used in the box, only to find out later that one of them was skunky. Seriously bad. I'm glad nobody got sick. 3 ribs perfect, and 3 that were AWEFUL. Scores showed it too...

Also, watch carefully if you're using a Money Muscle display in your pork box if you dont "feather" the display. It can look like a dog turd real fast. I dont know about you, but honestly to me, when I gaze upon a dog turd I dont think "Hey, I'd like to eat that"... Could be me... :blabla:

 

[G$]

I have come to a point where I believe that there are certain popular rules of thumb that are not necessarily 100% true. I think that many top teams know the full truth regarding what the averge judge likes. Obviously its not an exact science, or a few teams would win every time.

I'll give an example. The general KCBS BBQ public has been taught that the bite mark on a perfectly cooked rib will be perfectly shaped. The truth is that a perfect bite mark can just as easily be found on an undercooked rib. IMHO a bite mark that is slightly ragged around the edge and leaves the bone clean in that one spot is a more accurate description. Despite the negative stigma associated with the term, I think the ideal texture is closer to "fallin off the bone" than many would admit.

That's just one example, but I'm sure that there are quite a few others that folks keep to themselves.

I think this post is spot on.

 

[Muzzlebrake]

Now this (above) would and should drive anyone nuts. Question the data entry (score keeping), and what about table monitoring? To me, variance like this should be explained.

While I won't go as far as saying this is normal here in the northeast, it is certainly not uncommon.

Anyone that wants to see more of the scoring scale being used, come on up this way. I promise the teams aren't as harsh as the judges!

 

[Meat Man]

A lot of great information here. I would agree that teams that do well on a regular basis because they miss nothing. The devil is in the details, and top teams leave very little to chance.

 

[Untraceable]

To the teams using Waygu/ specialty prime meats, are you doing your practice and test cooks on the same meats your using in competition as well? If guy wants to venture into using waygu in contests, do you have to be cooking it at home week in week out to get the feel of it? or do you just sub in the good stuff come contest time?

 

[Muzzlebrake]

To the teams using Waygu/ specialty prime meats, are you doing your practice and test cooks on the same meats your using in competition as well? If guy wants to venture into using waygu in contests, do you have to be cooking it at home week in week out to get the feel of it? or do you just sub in the good stuff come contest time?

Practice like you play