Champion BBQ Pitmasters won't eat their own competition food - now I get it

[Ron_L]

We do 12-14 comps a year. No where as many as the top teams. But, by the second comp we’re tired of eating BBQ, not just comp BBQ, but all BBQ. Our family, friends and neighbors sure enjoy it, however!

We also vacusuck some to use in the winter and tend to use it in non-BBQ dishes. Brisket chili, pork tacos, etc.

 

[thirdeye]

I'm a Judge and a friend just started judging this year, so I hear you about the sweetness of competition BBQ, some ribs I've scored were very sweet but still have a balanced flavor. Anyways, we cooked our first competition two weeks ago. Early on we decided on the flavor profiles using some typical competition rubs and sauces and practiced for several months having friends or family stop by for tasting or we would take food to the neighborhood watering hole. Our focus was people's impressions on taste and tenderness and there were some guidelines similar to a KCBS comment card. In other words we didn't want to hear things like "it's good", or "I like it", but rather we wanted to know if something was too salty, or too smoky, if the sauce hid the flavor of the meat, if flavors were balanced, if one ingredient stood out from the rest (like a distinct flavor of honey on ribs) and if the meats were chewy, tender or mushy.

We asked for comments after the first bite, not after finishing a thigh or entire rib so they understood how the one-bite played out. Not many people thought the first bite was too sweet, but they agreed (with the exception of brisket) it would be hard to eat a full meal of competition BBQ.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

I don't comp but do keep my meats and sweets separate. If you ever had a taste of LuzziAnn's Chocolate Pie you would understand. :becky:

 

[smoke ninja]

I've done a few local rib competitions. my typical rib recipe is similar to comp style so I turned it in and hit middle of the road. I tried the food from one of the top place guys and compared to his my normal food tasted a littl flat

fwiw ymmv

 

[harrybbq]

Franklin wrote that he hardly eats BBQ anymore. He is mostly outside tending the fires. There is only so much of BBQ that you can (or should) eat, in my opinion. When I do a brisket, it lasts for a month or more after the first meal. Its not something I want every night.

What these competitors mentioned on the show is that they don't like the flavors required to win competition, so much so that they won't eat it themselves. Its a little different than saying that they don't eat as much bbq in general. They specifically said things like "this is way too candy sweet for me...", or "I would just use some salt and pepper instead, ...".

And funny you mention Franklin....When I bought my Green Egg, the dealer, who also competes, offers paid classes on competition cooking. I mentioned Franklin once to him, and he was so quick on immediately putting Franklin down saying "He is 'just' a restaurant guy, and comes in last in every competition he enters". At the time I didn't really understand how could that be. Now I do. Franklin, who is obviously a salt and pepper guy, has no place in competitions where sugar is an unspoken requirement. How could it be that a guy who supposedly makes such a famous and killer brisket doesn't do well in comp?

 

[sudsandswine]

Because eating barbecue is not competition barbecue. Taste and tenderness are only a couple points of consideration. Someone that is a very successful competition barbecue cook can probably also cook very good eating barbecue. However, if all you've ever cooked is eating barbecue (no matter how good that tastes), it doesn't necessarily translate to successful competition barbecue skills. Taste, tenderness, and appearance are a certain way for competition barbecue. It seems like you're overthinking this.

 

[LloydQ]

I hardly think Aaron Franklin has the time nor the inclination to enter BBQ competitions!

 

[harrybbq]

Some people do like the sweeter stuff, some don't. This isn't anything new and hasn't been discussed a ton on this forum. Some regular folks love sweet stuff, including comp guys.

Also you are quoting Season 1 of pitmasters which just about aired 10, yes 10yrs ago. Comp bbq is a little different since then. Sweet is still a thing, but this feels like someone just now realizing the Bigfoot video is fake and being the town cryer and spreading the news.........

Comp brisket isn't sweet. Pork isn't overly sweet. Most of the time they reference ribs. So keep watching the shows to bone up on the last 9 years of "sound bites" and maybe check out the comp forum for real feedback from the guys that do it a bunch :becky:.

Nothing gives. I think your view is skewed by believing everything you see on television that was shot to "produce ratings" and give people things to talk about.........which.......is exactly........what has happened........:crazy:

WTF? What are you saying, that are a ton of threads in this forum about competitors not liking their own wining dishes? Please post links, because that's what the title of this thread is about.

What else, should we not talk about about a show because it aired 10 years ago? Is there age limit I'm not aware of? Let me know.

And lastly, if the comments of those competitors on the shows were to "produce ratings" as you say, that is an amazing BBQ conspiracy theory! You are probably onto something here! I'm sure guys who were completely unknown at the time like Harry Soo would totally be up to get us with his sweetness fake news. Sure, sure....

Sorry for being a bbq enthusiast raising questions on a bbq forum about a bbq competition show. How dare I? I indeed must be :crazy:

 

[sudsandswine]

I hardly think Aaron Franklin has the time nor the inclination to enter BBQ competitions!

He did at least one, for the PBS show, and did not fare well because again....eating barbecue =/= competition barbecue. I bet if he applied himself he could probably be a very good competition barbecue cook, given how successful he is at eating style barbecue. And as you said, he's clearly a busy guy :thumb:

 

[jermoQ]

Somebody may have already said this...but people like flavorful food. Balanced flavors of salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy means your taste buds get different stimulation when you eat it. I watched an episode of Good Eats, where Alton Brown made a dessert of some kind covered with chocolate, and then the same thing sprinkled with some salt. He made the point that adding the salt made you taste the sweet that much more. I think the gist of the story was, "when you mix the flavors sweet and salty, it makes it taste even better". Take that logic to BBQ comps where you are trying to WOW people more than everybody else...it comes back to balancing out the flavors and making people happy (with one bite rather than a whole piece of meat). No cook will win a comp by using just salt and pepper, even if they have a perfectly cooked and smoked piece of meat because that is not bringing a wow factor to 6 people at a table.

As far as WHY...people like sweet stuff. Some restaurants make BBQ smothered in sauce and a lot of people like it. Not me! Some of people will not consider something BBQ unless it has sauce. I HOPE THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOT BBQ JUDGES! Most BBQ sauce made and sold has sugar. Sauce can enhance the salty, savoriness of meat. People like that.

 

[gettinbasted]

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t eat BBQ because ewwwww... it’s disgusting, but if I had to I would eat my own competition stuff. It is usually really really good (at least as good as bbq gets).

I think so much of it I try to serve the exact same stuff in my restaurants that I do in competitions right down to the Snake River Farms briskets only cheaters can afford and Blues Hog sauce blend that nobody likes. I’ve somehow managed to sell a plate or two.

Comp guys not liking their own competition stuff is all hyperbole. The top guys are making really good, well balanced food that any restaurant would kill to serve. Does it have some sweet? You bet, because sweet is good. That’s why food companies cram sugar in everything. Sugar and salt taste good and with acid, they balance each other out.

 

[pharp]

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t eat BBQ because ewwwww... it’s disgusting, but if I had to I would eat my own competition stuff. It is usually really really good (at least as good as bbq gets).

I think so much of it I try to serve the exact same stuff in my restaurants that I do in competitions right down to the Snake River Farms briskets only cheaters can afford and Blues Hog sauce blend that nobody likes. I’ve somehow managed to sell a plate or two.

Comp guys not liking their own competition stuff is all hyperbole. The top guys are making really good, well balanced food that any restaurant would kill to serve. Does it have some sweet? You bet, because sweet is good. That’s why food companies cram sugar in everything. Sugar and salt taste good and with acid, they balance each other out.

I was legitimately surprised at how much the food of your menu tasted like the food from your class for whatever that is worth. Both were delicious.

 

[gettinbasted]

What these competitors mentioned on the show is that they don't like the flavors required to win competition, so much so that they won't eat it themselves. Its a little different than saying that they don't eat as much bbq in general. They specifically said things like "this is way too candy sweet for me...", or "I would just use some salt and pepper instead, ...".

And funny you mention Franklin....When I bought my Green Egg, the dealer, who also competes, offers paid classes on competition cooking. I mentioned Franklin once to him, and he was so quick on immediately putting Franklin down saying "He is 'just' a restaurant guy, and comes in last in every competition he enters". At the time I didn't really understand how could that be. Now I do. Franklin, who is obviously a salt and pepper guy, has no place in competitions where sugar is an unspoken requirement. How could it be that a guy who supposedly makes such a famous and killer brisket doesn't do well in comp?

Franklin’s restaurant brisket doesn’t win in competitions because it’s not good enough.* The entire premise of your thread is to insult competition guys and you placed it in the competition forum so that is why Jason responded the way he did.

*This is nothing against Franklin. He has a terrific product and he’s winning at a far more important game than competition Q.

 

[Norm]

It was originally posted in qtalk, it was moved here.

 

[Pedro7]

I don't cook BBQ at home like I cook in competition. I do prefer "simpler" BBQ, but mostly because it's a pain in the butt to cook.

 

[el luchador]

-chinese food in the US is not authentic (per chinese people I talk to)
-I know people from Michigan who put jelly on their sausage biscuits
-Stock car racing is anything but stock
-We are the land of Mcdonalds.

and other things.
it is what it is

we like syrupy sweet food. It is what is is.

 

[Fat Freddy]

It was originally posted in qtalk, it was moved here.

I am glad you put that, I was about to go into some long winded response but now know I am wasting my time.

 

[Norm]

Yep feeding trolls is a waste.

 

[Right on Q]

If you've ever tasted world championship bbq then you know it's not overly sweet.

Yes there's some sugar in there but there's also savory and acidic elements that create a wonderful balance.

 

[troy64]

Maybe I'm different, stubborn or stupid lol but I refuse to cook competition bbq as candy. I've tasted numerous ribs, chicken and briskets and with the exception of ribs I can't honestly say I've noticed an over abundance of sweet. My rule is if I don't like it why would I cook it any other way. How am I supposed to know what a panel of judges prefer outside of a reasonable set of expectations? I cook for family and friends and usually everyone really enjoys the food. Notice the word food. It's the presentation and getting the texture down that, in my opinion, sets a cook apart for competition. Family and friends rarely if ever say a word about how the food looks or if the ribs are bite thru and brisket passes a pull test.