I plan to take a judging class as soon as one is available in my area, but so far nothing is on the schedule.
In the mean time, could you guys/gals give me some tips on what they are looking for? Specifically, I'm confused about the following:
How do they judge tenderness for chicken?
Are they informed about the different types of entries they may see? Burnt ends, for example, could throw off a judge that has never seen anything but slices.
How does the brisket "pull" test work? Is there a one, two or whatever second count before the meat pulls apart, or is it just whether it does not or happens way too fast?
Any other tips are appreciated.
Thanks
Pat,
First and foremost, Mike and Theresa have done a class early in the year in the area for at least the last two years. You'll have to keep an eye on the KCBS site for updates.
I don't recall a lot of instruction on chicken, other than if skin is offered, you are supposed to at least taste it, even if you personally don't eat chicken skin. They also offer some instruction as to the possibility that chicken may be fully cooked and yet still appear red or pink near the bone due to the smoke, and that, as long as the juices run clear, the chicken is done. As to taste, and texture, they simply say properly smoked chicken should have a nice texture. As others have said here, rubbery skin probably does get marked down some. Bite-through seems to be the goal.
The pull test on brisket. Basically, the instruction is that brisket for competition should generally be about the thickness of a pencil. Any larger, and the cook
might be trying to hide an overcooked brisky by cutting thicker to prevent falling apart, any thinner and the cook
might be trying to cover for a piece that might not be cooked enough. The pull test basically says that a pencil thick slice should not fall apart on it's own, but should show some resistance, but still separate easily by applying a gentle tug on either end. Aside from the pull test, the class teaches that moisture and tenderness are the two most important things to judge on brisket.
You didn't ask, but I'll go on anyway.
Ribs, they instruct, should be cooked so that if a bite is taken, the meat comes away cleanly from the bone, leaving a clear bite mark, and the exposed bone should dry and turn somewhat white almost instantly. They should be moist, flavorful, and have good texture. If the whole side of the rib comes off, it's probably overcooked, if you have to fight to get it off the bone, under.
Butt - Should be very tender, but not mushy, but still be moist and have good texture.
They also spend a fair amount of time on garnishes, what is and isn't legal, and the second half of the class puts a lot of emphasis on both why you judge the samples you are given the way you do, as well as testing your powers of observation when violations (illegal garnish, not at least 6 pieces, etc) are presented to you.
You already kicked our arses last year, but I still highly recommend you sign up for whatever course is provided in our area this winter/spring.
Oh, one last thing. They also intruct is to pay no attention to a smoke ring. This one I think a lot of judges overlook.
:tongue:
