competition flavor profiles

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Coat

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Hey y'all-- I'm fixing to stick my piggy toes into the competition world, and wondered whether you could help me think through whether to start with KCBS or MBN. I'm equally comfortable with all of the meats, but what I'm wondering is if there is any difference in the flavor profiles between the two major groups? I know that with KCBS, slightly sweet and a little heat is a winner, and most of the competitors I've talked to seem to agree that they are cooking to a certain standard, not necessarily cooking the food they would most like to eat.

Is this the same in MBN, or is there a broader range of winning flavor profiles? Or is the winning flavor profile significantly different? I understand this also varies with region, but I'm curious about the big picture. Thanks in advance for any insights!
 
KCBS is far more than just slightly sweet with a little heat. Balanced flavors of sweet, salty, savory, spice and umami applied to a properly cooked piece of meat scores well. The last part is the most important part.



I have no clue what MBN flavors are as I've never cooked it. There are some good cooks out there that cook both and also put on classes. This would be your best money spent on getting going in the right direction.

As a competitor I cook my entries to what I feel the judges will score well. That's not to say that I wouldn't eat it at home. But eating at home and how the judges eat are 2 different things so it's not a good comparison. Judges each take only 1 bite of your entry and form their opinion off of that. Everything you need to tell a judge about your entry needs to be said in one bite. At home I do not want to eat one bite BBQ, so I cook it differently.

I don't buy into the whole need to change flavors by region. Consistency is what wins and If you look at cooks like Darren, Brad, Tim, Travis Clark, Blane, Matt Walker..... those guys win everywhere and do it with consistency. Good BBQ is good BBQ no matter where you are at.
 
tduffy said:
KCBS is far more than just slightly sweet with a little heat. Balanced flavors of sweet, salty, savory, spice and umami applied to a properly cooked piece of meat scores well. The last part is the most important part.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response! That's reassuring. I've heard so many guys repeat the mantra "flavor is king" and then go on and on about the candy sweet flavor profiles, that it's been hard for me to imagine cooking for contests. But i can get down with going for balanced flavors and properly cooking meat!
 
Coat said:
Thanks for the response! That's reassuring. I've heard so many guys repeat the mantra "flavor is king" and then go on and on about the candy sweet flavor profiles, that it's been hard for me to imagine cooking for contests. But i can get down with going for balanced flavors and properly cooking meat!
Click to expand...
Flavor is far from king. As far as I'm concerned flavor doesn't even matter if it doesn't have good tenderness. A certain world champion cook was once quoted saying "Give me salt, pepper and ketchup and I'll beat you with tenderness".



Some focus too much on flavor and not enough on tenderness. I was the same way the first couple years I competed.



I think it's basic human nature that if the texture/tenderness of something isn't good, flavor isn't even factored in an opinion. At least for me anyways. A couple months ago I went to a well known steakhouse in my area and ordered their prime rib. When i got it, It looked like it was cut with a chainsaw by the marks their electric knife left on the meat. It was tough and it was dry. And I complained about it. I told the owner exactly what I thought about it and their response was "But how did it taste?" Honestly I didn't even know because I was already so turned off by the texture that nothing else even mattered.




Judges are no different. Tender/moiste meat tastes better.
 
MBN has a slightly different flavor profile but it's basically similar. Most cooks do baby backs for ribs instead of spares. Also have to be prepared to do on site judging which is a whole other world. Lots of pomp and circumstance.

We went with KCBS. We dabble in MBN but only in some small backyard contests as tune ups for KCBS.

Heath Riles probably has the best class to learn both MBN and KCBS. He rocks both circuits.

If you're not in the Memphis/Mississippi area then i can't imagine there are many MBN contests your way. Maybe 2-3 for the whole year. KCBS has dozens in your area.

Absolutely feel free to dive into MBN though. These are just the reasons we chose KCBS

1. Don't want to deal with on site judging (lots of BSing)
2. IMHO onsite judging leads to biased judging but I see the merit in it
3. Cheaper to do KCBS contest than MBN pro contest
4. Availability of KCBS contests anywhere in the country
5. My wife and I can do a KCBS by ourselves. Not sure we could do an entire MBN pro ourselves

Hope this helps
 
tduffy said:
KCBS is far more than just slightly sweet with a little heat. Balanced flavors of sweet, salty, savory, spice and umami applied to a properly cooked piece of meat scores well. The last part is the most important part.
Click to expand...

I am a KCBS judge and I agree. I want balanced flavor. Put the food together any way you like to...just make it balanced. If you use heat, dont go overboard. If you use a sauce, make sure it compliments the meat and balances the rub.
Some time ago, I heard that the best judges of your bbq are the women in your life (family and friends) Ask them to judge it and give you honest specifics about what they really liked, down to what they didnt like. Hope this helps a little!
 
i am far from an expert but I've been doing this long enough to tell you that every single time I've gotten a call or even a top 5 it's been on meat that when I tasted it, i thought the tenderness and texture were "spot on" to what I hoped it would be.

and I've gotten calls with all kinds of different rubs and sauces, homemade and commercial......I think there are tons of sauces and rubs you can score with.....but if you dont cook the meat right you have no chance. focus on that first.
 
tduffy said:
KCBS is far more than just slightly sweet with a little heat. Balanced flavors of sweet, salty, savory, spice and umami applied to a properly cooked piece of meat scores well. The last part is the most important part.



I have no clue what MBN flavors are as I've never cooked it. There are some good cooks out there that cook both and also put on classes. This would be your best money spent on getting going in the right direction.

As a competitor I cook my entries to what I feel the judges will score well. That's not to say that I wouldn't eat it at home. But eating at home and how the judges eat are 2 different things so it's not a good comparison. Judges each take only 1 bite of your entry and form their opinion off of that. Everything you need to tell a judge about your entry needs to be said in one bite. At home I do not want to eat one bite BBQ, so I cook it differently.

I don't buy into the whole need to change flavors by region. Consistency is what wins and If you look at cooks like Darren, Brad, Tim, Travis Clark, Blane, Matt Walker..... those guys win everywhere and do it with consistency. Good BBQ is good BBQ no matter where you are at.
Click to expand...

You lost me at “Blane”
 
Take a couple of classes from top teams. You're in Nashville, so find a couple of classes close to you from one of the top teams and make the investment. This will take much of the guess work of of it. Or, go down to Georgia and see JasonTQ this weekend.:laugh: Seriously though, he knows what the fark he's doing!

Next, I would go and get your KCBS Judge Certification. That way, you can go judge a few competitions and learn what the judges are looking for. After judging about half a dozen Comps, you'll figure out what their looking for. YMMV.
 
I think the local smoke on the shores contest has a judging class (according to the search function on the KCBS site) Can I just walk up to signup for that?
 
Coat said:
I think the local smoke on the shores contest has a judging class (according to the search function on the KCBS site) Can I just walk up to signup for that?
Click to expand...

Maybe, but sometimes judging classes will have a cap. It wouldn't hurt to RSVP a day or two early. I have to agree with this idea; I had a different perspective after becoming a judge.
 
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