First BBQ Competition

Kent8621

I am cooking at Whistle Stop Weekend here in Huntsville this weekend for the first time. we are handing out pulled pork for the peoples choice competition Saturday and turning in Chicken and Spare Ribs for the competition. any tips people have would be great, i have been doing alot of reading to get ready. just picked up $250 worth of meat at sams club cant wait. i will post pictures after the weekend.

northGAcock

One piece of advice......Pace yourself.

WeberWho

Check on garnish requirements and what you can and can't use. Mist garnish if needed before turn in.

Sharpen any knives. Especially with cutting ribs.

Watch the sauce and be careful where it ends up.

Make sure your sauce sticks out. Don't have it taste like 5 other teams turning there's in. (Especially with commercial sauce)

Just some random thoughts on top of my head

nolaegghead

Don't get too drunk your food sucks. Wait until after you turn it out.

ColtsFan

My advice: Start drinking at 6:30AM like we did for Indy EggFest. :) We turned out good grub

lkapigian

Don't try anything new the day of the cook, stick to the basics remember they will be judging you off of 1 bite.....Make Sure It Is Cooked !!!

Kent8621

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428291#Comment_2428291

this is sound advice thanks, i am looking forward to Indy eggfest again.

Foghorn

I've hung with a team that has won a bunch of rib cooks. Squeeze Parkay and brown sugar is part of their success. In foil for about 90 minutes.

Kent8621

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428287#Comment_2428287

no garnish per the rules for this one, i spent some time on the knives last night. i appreciate it.

WeberWho

Some more stuff off the top of my head when grabbing stuff when doing rib competitions:

Canopy/Canopy Weights

Chairs

Folding table (I run butcher paper over the top to make clean up easy)

Bucket/Rag/Soap

Cutting Boards/Knives

Latex Gloves

Cooler/Coolers

Spices/Rubs/Sauces

Grilling Utensils

Bluetooth Speaker

Spray Bottle For Liquids

Thermapen

Foil

Controller

Lump

Lighter/Weed Torch

Plate Setter/Grids

Paper Towels

Extra Grill To Make Food During The Competition For Yourself

thetrim

Just win!

Sammi

+1 on the don't do any last minute changes! Go with what you know and have fun. If you don't enjoy the experience you're in the wrong gig.

bgebrent

No experience so no advice other than have a great time and good luck.

caliking

I've heard that Judges' taste for KCBS events tends to run on the sweet side. No personal experience to draw on, but may be something to consider re: sauce, etc.

GaBGE

If you don’t already have some pvc pipe to use for table leg extensions, they are a back saver. Buy a stick of of pipe and cut to the length you want.

lkapigian

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428417#Comment_2428417

Best advice right here ...we have a rising table but this a a great hack

billt01

Good luck..because that is what it is...

Several judging tables with different palates.

It's kinda like shooting a golf ball with a .22, which was hit from a moving train, traveling in the opposite direction.

jak7028

***Very Important*** - like mentioned above, you are cooking for one bite, not a plate of food. Go heavier on the flavor than normal. If you make a great plate of BBQ that someone at a backyard BBQ would go back for seconds, you will probably do bad in a competition. That one bite needs to have more flavor, enough where someone wants a few bites but can't eat the whole plate. There is a reason Aaron Franklin didn't place well when he went to some competitions.

You didnt specify, but I am assuming it is and ICBA local event. If so, like mentioned above, the judging is a crapshoot, probably a mix of some with judging experience and a some locals that are friends of the people hosting with no BBQ cooking/judging experience, so you are guessing what they like. Most inexperienced judges prefer a "fall off the bone" over a proper cooked rib. Error on the side of overcooking and I would definitely braise them to help. Judging process is they take one bite, then rate the bite on a scale of 1-10 (no criteria, just whatever number they want) then the add up the scores. Then it will go to a final table for the same process with different judges.

Some well known BBQ cooks I know that cook in ICBA, don't take them serious because of the random judging. This is where they experiment because they know they need the shock value to standout. They know with this approach they will probably get first place or last place, but their goal is not to place, it is to win it all. They have their set systems in place for KCBS since there are criteria to shoot for.

Foghorn

^^^^^^^^

This. Very important. Overcook (a little) and overspice. The overcooked part becomes less of an issue by the time it reaches the final table as it has cooled down and contracted quite a bit.

Kent8621

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428520#Comment_2428520

thank you it is a KCBS competition, its the amateur side of things not the pro side but judged on the same rules although not certified judges.

Ladeback69

Think about is how far away are you from turn in. If you can pre-walk your route it will help in knowing how much time you have before turn in. Every minute counts and you don't want to be to soon or two late. Also have a way to keep the food warm as you carry it to the drop off tables.

Also a clock with a timer would help so you don't have to keep looking at your watch.

These are a few things I learned from helping my BIL. Looks like you have gotten good advice above as well. Good Luck and have fun.

nolaegghead

tiny, tiny bit of sour salt (citric acid) in the sauce will give it tang...experiment

R2Egg2Q

Cold sauce leaves brush strokes and leaves your meat looking like a corduroy texture. Heat your sauce up before applying.

Make sure you slice completely through your ribs before boxing. Seen someone get DQ’d for not enough ribs because two ribs were still slightly connected and counted as one. It cost him the grand championship (3 first place entries & 1 DQ).

Make sure there’s no foreign objects (like small pieces of foil) in your box.

jeponline

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428537#Comment_2428537

This will be my fifth year cooking at whistlestop. Just be prepared for some randomness in the judging since the judges are amateurs as well. They get a 5 minute talk before they start giving scores so the scores are much more based on their personal preferences rather than the rules.

Are you doing a practice cook tomorrow? We’ll probably get started around 2pm (have to sneak in a round of golf in the morning). I’ll pm you or feel free to find You Don’t Make Friends With Salad.

ryantt

the first time Norah Grace and I did a comp, it was nerve racking. Did remember to pack everything....nope forgot the disinfectant wipes.

Kent8621

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428611#Comment_2428611

thanks i will do that, we are the Smokin' Hawks, we are in spot 105/106 right on the main pathway. i will have a JJ George banner out there as well.

YukonRon

Best of luck on the competition.

I have zero experiences to share, other than unknowingly (at the time) having cooked for a certified KCBS judge in our home, for a dinner party My Beautiful Wife hosted for her department at work.

I think the guy was BSing me and being kind, but for what it is worth, he said my brisket would do very well in a competition.

He mentioned, after a few glasses of wine, the first bite is everything. The one that brings the most of the flavors and desired texture, on that initial taste, wins.

Bring home the Bling, you are representing the BGE faithful.

Kent8621

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428682#Comment_2428682

thanks ron i appreciate it. we will see how it goes tomorrow, we have big storms moving in so it should be fun. seeing your derby posts takes me back to growing up there and all the parties on saturday. have a good weekend.

Kent8621

thank to everyone for the comments and tips, the event was fun. the rain hit early and then held off for the bulk of the main show time and we were able to get out before the storms. We ended up taking 9th place overall out of 68, 10th in the chicken category and 24th in the ribs. We did the "People's Choice" section where you hand out pork and people donate to a charity. We found out later that the teams that won that start with about $1,000 in there favor due to corporate sponsors but we had multiple of the pro judges stop by that said we had better stuff than any they tasted and better than some of the pros they judged that morning so we will take that as a personal victory. i was a little disappointed in the way the chicken came out, defiantly not my best but we will try again next year. here are some pictures from the weekend.

Foghorn

Outstanding. That's a great first outing. Actually that's a great outing at any time. Well done.

And that 'cue looks great.

lkapigian

Great Results , that chicken turn in looks great