Rookie GBA comp question

Some teams will tell you they do in fact hold product from the initial turn-in....I find that hard to believe for ribs and loin. Butts may make it.

We always cooked 2 rounds....starting the second round 2 hours later.

That is one of the pitfalls of the GBA. Lots of people think GBA is Triple A ball, it ain't. It is just as tough or tougher than any other sanctioning body. If you realistically feel you have a chance of making finals, I don't see how you can be honest with yourself and not cook 2 rounds of each meat.

We consistently made finals in at least one category the year we cooked GBA contests. We always cooked 2 rounds of each meat. It's like doing 2 contests....buying 2 contests worth of meat, prepping 2 contests worth of meat, 2 contests of foil, pans, sauce, rub, injection, etc.

It's a lot of work but it generally paid off for us, at least with awards. The prize money seems to have increased since then.

Good luck.

> Lots of people think GBA is Triple A ball, it ain't.

You're now the 3rd or 4th person I've heard say this... I wonder how this ever got started? It *MIGHT* be Triple A as compared to MBN (which has the on-sites and whole hog), but otherwise it's at least as hard to compete as KCBS and others, if not harder IF you make finals. Like you said; 2 cooks. You have to have equipment to handle the volume (much like MBN) of 2 cooks, timing can be a real *****, staggering things 2 hours or so, etc.

I think the prize money has increased, steadily.

Boom..., glad to have you giving GBA a try. I look forward to meeting you.

Most teams do stagger their cook times to allow for finals. The finals round really adds another level of excitement to the contest. You could bomb on pulled pork & loin, but if your ribs knock the judge's socks off, you win the Grand Championship.

The GBA also uses comparative scoring. It does not judge based on a set of described criteria. Your box today is judged against the other boxes on that table today. In the preliminary rounds, boxes are placed on tables in random order & judges are seated at tables in random order. The 5 judges that sat together at table 1 for loin will not sit together as a group for pulled pork.

A couple of tips for your first GBA contest:
1. Fill up that box. GBA judges like to see full boxes. I've seen pulled boxes that would weigh 4-5 lbs. I've seen 12, 15, 18 ribs in a box.
2. Have fun.

If you have any questions about GBA, feel free to ask.

Jim Sewell
GBA Vice President

Speaking of GBA....I was thinking of competing at the one in Richland, GA. What are the normal rules for the Friday night "From the Water"? If I wanted to do something like a gumbo....would I need to find 6 ramekins that will fit in the 9 x9 box? or could they just be turned in on a platter?