I've looked at the rule, and talked to several people about making some changes to the pork category. Feedback has ranged from do it, to leave it as is, and I'm still thinking about it.
My primary concern, and the reason I started looking at the issue has already been brought out. The rule is virtually unenforceable. Unless we pull Reps out of bed at 4AM to start looking in cookers to determine what is actually being cooked we have created a system where the playing field favors those willing to cheat, period.
When the pork collar issue was raised I ordered two to see what the issues were. The first thing I did was trim one and foodsaver it. I will tell you that in my opinion it could easily pass for a butt during meat inspection, and a conversation with someone that has forgotten more about meat and meat processing than most of us will ever collectively know, confirmed that. When I cooked them, I found areas where I believe a cook willing to cheat could gain an advantage based on what they would have available to place in the box.
If we, as an organization don't have the willingness or ability to enforce the existing rule then I think we need an honest discussion about changing the rule. I don't believe the current situation benefits the overwhelming majority of cooks that will play by the rules.
A well known cook thought about a suggestion I made that we need to open the pork category up, and thought about it for almost a week. His reply was that he couldn't support a change that would allow virtually any pork product and his reasoning was sound. He believes that we need at least two long cooks, and at the end of the day it comes down to the honor system. That carries a lot of weight with me. I'm still looking for some middle ground to adequately address all of the issues.
My current proposal would be to form a committee of cooks to review the rules annually at the end of the season. The process would be simple. In each category we would ask the top 3-5 cooks in each category to serve, and possibly allow board members to place additional cooks on the committee to hopefully balance out regional representation. Those cooks would be given 2-3 months to discuss the issues related to the rules for that category and submit one or more interim reports to the board on their progress. The final product would go to the board for a vote, and follow the current policy to insure cooks will be cooking under one set of rules for the entire season. Changes, if any, are coming from the membership and in a more timely manner than a rules meeting at the banquet.
If anyone has concerns or criticism, I'd like to hear it so that I can make changes as needed. It's a process that I think has the potential to benefit everyone.