IBCA Chicken question

Is the rib cage considered a joint, and if so, how?

I take the backbone and keel bone out, leave the breast cartilage in and trim back a little on the ribs so they don't stick out.

Y'all are over-analyzing this; it's not that difficult! A fully jointed half chicken is just that. What the head judge will tell you at the cooks meeting is that all the boxes will ideally look the same - the judges are told to sample the meat (for chicken, stick with white meat if they like that, dark meat if they like that) and score on that.

Backbone in or out? It's up to you - but, as the head judge will tell you, THE BOX MUST CLOSE. Period.

Come watch the judging sometime (yes, you're allowed to observe); I think you'll find the judges are more concerned about whether or not the chicken is completely cooked than what bones are or aren't there...

Lynn H.

chromesporty said:

What about 2 deboned halves cut into thirds for KCBS? Think it would fit in the box?

Click to expand...

Yes, it would probably fit (depending on thickness of the garnish if any used), but why would you want to???

Definitely more difficult to cook all parts evenly than to split it up before cooking.

Plus, some judges might deduct on appearance as it would NOT all look the same. (Some can't understand the "judge the meat on it's own merits" instruction.)