Tips for Competition Ribs

[Smokin Dawg77]

My best tip for ribs.....I will cook two different weight/size of ribs.

NOTED ! hummmmm: good idea:

 

[Michigan BBQ Fan]

Here we go again. Next comp this weekend. Fingers crossed.

 

[Mike in Roseville]

Here we go again. Next comp this weekend. Fingers crossed.

You got this!

 

[Michigan BBQ Fan]

Another comp...and an even worse placing. Only had 2 racks worth considering to turn in. One seemed good and the other was a bit over...ok...maybe for than just a bit. Feel like I relied too much on time rather than visual cues on setting the bark and feel it got a bit dark. Final box look felt "dull" and didn't "glow." I felt the flavor profile was OK. I made a few tweaks since the last comp and I might have adjusted too much. Might be time to go back to 101 and go from there. I thought I turned in "middle of the road" ribs but I finished near the bottom. So, the challenge is on to climb to the top. Caught a glimpse at the 3rd place ribs and they were noticeable bigger in size - wider, more meat etc. Might be time to see out a good quality provider to step up the meat game overall.

 

[West River BBQ]

A frustrating process but keep at it. I'm a fan of keep-it-simple. I also noticed my ribs became much worse after I started trying to have perfect ribs. Do you have another comp this year?

 

[GettinPiggy]

Quick question. How many times did you practice cooking the ribs with the changes in between comps?

 

[pharp]

Another comp...and an even worse placing. Only had 2 racks worth considering to turn in. One seemed good and the other was a bit over...ok...maybe for than just a bit. Feel like I relied too much on time rather than visual cues on setting the bark and feel it got a bit dark. Final box look felt "dull" and didn't "glow." I felt the flavor profile was OK. I made a few tweaks since the last comp and I might have adjusted too much. Might be time to go back to 101 and go from there. I thought I turned in "middle of the road" ribs but I finished near the bottom. So, the challenge is on to climb to the top. Caught a glimpse at the 3rd place ribs and they were noticeable bigger in size - wider, more meat etc. Might be time to see out a good quality provider to step up the meat game overall.

One thing to take into account is that is "Competition BBQ." If I had just read your comments and not how you finished, I would assume they would have been towards the bottom. This was hard for me to swallow when I first started...I would have an "OK" cook and finish toward the bottom....at some comps especially depending on where you cook there will be 30 teams that cook their ribs as perfect as they could possibly cook them...and for me a lot of them were better to begin with...so if I turn in a box that is "OK" I am screwed.

 

[Michigan BBQ Fan]

A frustrating process but keep at it. I'm a fan of keep-it-simple. I also noticed my ribs became much worse after I started trying to have perfect ribs. Do you have another comp this year?

Thanks. I do feel I'm "over" thinking and doing my ribs. I truly feel I do know how to make better ribs than I am turning in.

Yes, I have at least 1 more comp...maybe two.

 

[Michigan BBQ Fan]

Quick question. How many times did you practice cooking the ribs with the changes in between comps?

The short answer is as often as I can. It's been working out to about once between each comp till the next. If I have a free day on a weekend, I practice. Now I have a longer break until the next comp so I should be able to get a few in. I pay attention when I practice and take good notes. I just feel there are some nuances I'm missing that I hope will come with time.

 

[Michigan BBQ Fan]

One thing to take into account is that is "Competition BBQ." If I had just read your comments and not how you finished, I would assume they would have been towards the bottom. This was hard for me to swallow when I first started...I would have an "OK" cook and finish toward the bottom....at some comps especially depending on where you cook there will be 30 teams that cook their ribs as perfect as they could possibly cook them...and for me a lot of them were better to begin with...so if I turn in a box that is "OK" I am screwed.

Thanks. I agree. I think that is part of what I am learning. I know from judging how slight the differences can be.

 

[rikun]

Idk about 190* as a finish temp. Would be looking for around 203-207 in my neck of the woods.

We use toothpicks. Slide between multiple ribs without ANY resistance and you're there. It'll take some practice to know exactly how it feels.

didisea's advice is great as well

No resistance at all? With my tactile skills, that would result in meat falling off the bone before even getting to the judging table. Or we have a different definition of no resistance? Or the judges in the US like more tender ribs than we do here in Europe?

 

[ewatts2003]

Another comp...and an even worse placing. Only had 2 racks worth considering to turn in. One seemed good and the other was a bit over...ok...maybe for than just a bit. Feel like I relied too much on time rather than visual cues on setting the bark and feel it got a bit dark. Final box look felt "dull" and didn't "glow." I felt the flavor profile was OK. I made a few tweaks since the last comp and I might have adjusted too much. Might be time to go back to 101 and go from there. I thought I turned in "middle of the road" ribs but I finished near the bottom. So, the challenge is on to climb to the top. Caught a glimpse at the 3rd place ribs and they were noticeable bigger in size - wider, more meat etc. Might be time to see out a good quality provider to step up the meat game overall.

One piece of advice I have received from many teams is when you practice and make changes only change one thing at a time. Whether that be timing, sauce, rub, smoke time, wrap time, etc...When you start changing too many variables you don't really know which one made the difference.

Last year I took top 10 in both contests I did in ribs. This year I've finished middle of the pack or worse in both contests I've done and everything has been done exactly the same. It's a crap shoot for the guys that don't compete a lot so don't get too hung up on the results and make sure you have fun!

 

[Right on Q]

No resistance at all? With my tactile skills, that would result in meat falling off the bone before even getting to the judging table. Or we have a different definition of no resistance? Or the judges in the US like more tender ribs than we do here in Europe?

I would modify that to say very little resistance. Like I said, it takes practice. I don't get it right everytime. But when I do, it's when i leave them on an extra 10-15 minutes after i think they are "perfect".

If you have a process that works and scores for you then by all means don't listen to my advice