GBA loin advice

[Rock'n B]

We are going to cook our first GBA contest next year and looking for some advice on cooking loin. Is bone in better to cook than boneless ? I would think bone in would help with flavor, moisture and the 5 lb. minimum weight. Thanks for any help.

 

[olewarthog]

You can cook either bone in or boneless. Most teams cook boneless. The key is not to overcook it. Loin will get very dry, very quickly after 145* IT. Most teams will pull it off the heat before it hits that mark, foil & let it rise to the desired temp. Your slices should be about pencil width thick. Plan on finishing your slices with some type of light glaze.
There is no garnish is GBA so most teams use chopped or cubed pieces to frame the slices. Fill the box. Don't leave a lot of white showing. The rules state 6 separate pieces. I will tell you that if you turn in just 6 slices, you will not score well.
If you have any other GBA related questions, just let me know.

 

[Rock'n B]

Thank you for the advice we are looking forward to cooking some GBA contests.

 

[Gowan]

Is it legal to turn in a chop including the bone?

 

[olewarthog]

Yes. You can turn in loin with the bone. I have seen it several times. A few of them looked good enough that I wanted to eat the whole box. That being said, I have never seen loin presented with the bone score very well.

Also, the loin must be cooked as a single piece of meat. Once separated into chops, it cannot be returned to the cooker.