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Any BGE competitors here?

Cobra
Cobra Posts: 110
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Im planning on trying a competition soon and was wondering if anyone here competes? My questions is about chicken, what do you do? Any suggestions?

Comments

  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    There are plenty of Egg competition teams that post here...given the fact that they are competition teams...do you really expect them to tell you what they do in competitions ?????
  • Cobra
    Cobra Posts: 110
    No, not specifically. Wasn't looking for a step by step recipe, just general suggestions.
  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    Go to dizzy pig's website and read about their award winning chicken thighs..
  • Crimsongator
    Crimsongator Posts: 5,797
    For comps (KCBS rules) you will want a minimum of 6 pieces to turn in. The goal is to get them to look identical through trimming, cooking and saucing. I would tell you to cook at least 10 just to have extra to choose from.

    As for flavor, go with what you like. Just remember the judges will probably just take 1 bite, maybe 2, of your entry. Because of this, the flavors need to be bold. Probably more bold than what you would do for family and friends.

    The other challnge is timing for finishing the cook. It is no problem if you finish late at home. In a comp you will want to be sure you leave plenty of room to finish you chicken and not rush it.

    I hope this helps. You can check out my FB team page by searching for "Heavy P BBQ Team". We are new to trying our hand at contests and have learned quite a bit. You can also see how we set up our area and leave room to maneuver.
  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    Much more informative than my post...but I don't compete..and I also assumed they knew the general idea of competition since they only asked about chicken...I'm sure your info is welcomed by Cobra and many others...hope to see you at fest in the near future..
  • Crimsongator
    Crimsongator Posts: 5,797
    I had a decent idea what I was stepping in to when I did my first comp and wasn't completely prepared (when it came right down to a few things). There's nothing liek trial by fire :P
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    You got THAT RIGHT! :whistle: I thought I could Q til I did a comp.DIFFERENT WORLD! :blink: :)
  • B & C
    B & C Posts: 217
    Gene,
    I'm really impressed, made me look at the comps in GA. But I don't think I'm ready yet, I think I need more practice. Look forward to seeing you and Tania in the future. Good luck in your future competitions.
  • I find that cooking competition chicken is the most challenging of the 4 catagories.

    There are simply so many ways to cook chicken it will drive you crazy.

    We had our best year in chicken last year after 6 years of cooking in competitions.

    work on-

    -flavor
    -tenderness
    -skin texture

    Good luck, it can be a lot of fun.

     

    -SMITTY     

    from SANTA CLARA, CA

  • You should take a KCBS judging class to find out what they really look for in the categories (chicken, ribs, pork, brisket). When I took my class, I'd say that half of the people there were competitors who will never actually judge a contest.

    While I took the class so that I could judge, I can totally see how it would be beneficial to those who compete. They really drill into the judges the way to taste, what to look for, and boxes that may be "illegal". If you know what the judges are looking for, you will have a better idea of how to cook. Judges do have to look past "personal" preferences. I prefer really dry meat, but I have to score down dry meat in a contest because meat is supposed to be moist.

    I agree with everything that Crimsongator said. You will want to cook way more than you need so that you can be very choosy about what will go into your box so that every piece will look and taste as similar as possible. This is where chicken seems to get a lot of teams more so than in the other categories.

    Sorry I can't offer more advice on the actual cook, but hopefully I offered something from a judges point of view. Heck, take the class just so you can get full on some really good meat! :)
  • Cobra
    Cobra Posts: 110
    Thanks you guys for the info. Thats basically what I was after, I didnt want anyones secret recipe. My wife and I are planning on taking the judging class in May. I have been around competitions, so I know a little. The reason I only asked about chicken is because how many people say, hmmm, I think I want some chicken thighs tonight? I know I dont.

    Also the reason I asked on here instead of a local competition is because how many of you guys am I going to run into? As opposed to asking someone in my own home town, that may feel as if Im in direct competition with them.
  • BobS
    BobS Posts: 2,485
    Did you ever consider going to judged school first?
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I have done a few comps.Not near as many as I would like to do.Have tried several versions of chicken.Usually score in the upper half of the group but not high enough to suit me.We have done better with bone in thighs cooked raised indirect @ 400+ dome.I am working on a method of CRISPING up the skin.The egg is not conducive to crispy skin because it retains too much moisture.We have tried direct for a few minutes after the thighs were done,some success,not much.I am TRUELY comtemplating cooking my comp chicken on another cooker. :blush: The method I am working on is broiling the chicken with a CI skillet full of lava hot coals sittin on firebricks over the chicken after it is done.I still have to find out if this is legal before I try it in a comp.Best of Luck! :)