I'll first get this out the way. May the brethren have mercy on me because in my unbridled excitement of my first competition...I forgot to get pics! Sure I took set up pics, tent pics, smoker pics etc but managed only one food pic. Big deal I know. Hopefully the brethren will understand. One other topic to bring upfront is my sincere thanks to this forum. I know now that I don't really know much but this forum did give me a basic understanding of some fundamentals that served me greatly. The BBQ Brethren is my house of knowledge and I really appreciate everyone and their contributions.
I participated in my first competition this weekend here in Louisiana. From the moment I drove up it was obvious that these are some really, really good people. Helpful, kind and generous would be an understatement considering this was a competition and with the exception of a couple of people I knew NO ONE. From set up to cooking techniques to turn in advice I constantly had someone either giving me an opinion or allowing me to barrage them with questions. I can't say it enough, these are good folks and I was blessed to be a part of this event.
Box prep for turn in was severely underestimated by me. I watched several cooks prepare their turn in box with the same attention an artist paints a canvas. Careful, meticulous and fluid would be the words to describe these cooks and their approach. Granted I knew some very basic things about turn in but to watch some of these cooks was an eye opener about professionalism. Definitely engrained in my mind for the next time.
It took one comp for me to realize I don't need every object in my house loaded up in a trailer and truck bed. Nuff said about that.
Tasting the ingredients BEFORE it's too late is a wise move. The sauce I selected has usually been very good but on game day I must have had a strange batch. Luckily I only used it on ribs. Unlucky in that ribs were my worst score. LOL!
Not everything has to be smoked for hours. I saw several cooks smoke chicken for about an hour then grill to completion. Lesson is to bring a small grill just in case.
It's done when it's done rang true. My chicken finished sooner than expected. The brisket went a little longer than expected but probe tender has no clock.
The time I took to prep the food at home the day before paid off. Lighting a fire and loading the smoker was so much easier with all the advanced work being out the way on the morning of the contest.
Observing and tasting the winning boxes was very informative. I was impressed with some of the briskets and their appearance.
Never give away samples until the box is on it's way to the judges. I cooked 2 briskets with different seasoning and decided the best one would be turned in. In making that decision I cut several slices from farther end of the flat on each brisket. Those cuts were really good and passed the pull test perfectly. Once my testers made a decision I proceeded to cut my turn in pieces. That turned out to be the problem. The flat near the center was breaking far easier than the first slices. Probably should have done this with more time to spare prior to turn in and definitely before handing out samples lol. The brisket, according to the head judge, "tabled". Not real clear what that means but a few told me that it meant the brisket had a shot at top ten. I guess kind of an honorable mention type thing.
In wrapping up that last paragraph I realized that turn in should not be right up to the last minute. I was concerned about keeping the food hot so I waited too long. Mental note on a billboard in my head!
A new friend and fellow competitor gave me breakfast, coffee and plenty of points to think about and consider. He became a mentor in a way as I was constantly asking questions. When he let me sample his ribs I smiled and replied "that's got to be a winner because these things are some of the best I've ever tasted". He placed 1st in ribs.
My scores were 19th brisket and 19th chicken out of 36 teams. Both those turn ins made it past the preliminary table so I consider it a plus to build on. Ribs did not fare so well but I knew the problem before I turned them in. The bone side was on too long and charred. I had a few 7's and one 8 on the preliminary score but I'm sure the char hurt.
Overall it was a blast and gave me confidence that next time I will at a minimum be better prepared and a bit more consistent. My expectations were met as I had fun and made new friends while learning from some great cooks. In my book it's a win-win no matter what the scorecard reads. I love it!
I participated in my first competition this weekend here in Louisiana. From the moment I drove up it was obvious that these are some really, really good people. Helpful, kind and generous would be an understatement considering this was a competition and with the exception of a couple of people I knew NO ONE. From set up to cooking techniques to turn in advice I constantly had someone either giving me an opinion or allowing me to barrage them with questions. I can't say it enough, these are good folks and I was blessed to be a part of this event.
Box prep for turn in was severely underestimated by me. I watched several cooks prepare their turn in box with the same attention an artist paints a canvas. Careful, meticulous and fluid would be the words to describe these cooks and their approach. Granted I knew some very basic things about turn in but to watch some of these cooks was an eye opener about professionalism. Definitely engrained in my mind for the next time.
It took one comp for me to realize I don't need every object in my house loaded up in a trailer and truck bed. Nuff said about that.
Tasting the ingredients BEFORE it's too late is a wise move. The sauce I selected has usually been very good but on game day I must have had a strange batch. Luckily I only used it on ribs. Unlucky in that ribs were my worst score. LOL!
Not everything has to be smoked for hours. I saw several cooks smoke chicken for about an hour then grill to completion. Lesson is to bring a small grill just in case.
It's done when it's done rang true. My chicken finished sooner than expected. The brisket went a little longer than expected but probe tender has no clock.
The time I took to prep the food at home the day before paid off. Lighting a fire and loading the smoker was so much easier with all the advanced work being out the way on the morning of the contest.
Observing and tasting the winning boxes was very informative. I was impressed with some of the briskets and their appearance.
Never give away samples until the box is on it's way to the judges. I cooked 2 briskets with different seasoning and decided the best one would be turned in. In making that decision I cut several slices from farther end of the flat on each brisket. Those cuts were really good and passed the pull test perfectly. Once my testers made a decision I proceeded to cut my turn in pieces. That turned out to be the problem. The flat near the center was breaking far easier than the first slices. Probably should have done this with more time to spare prior to turn in and definitely before handing out samples lol. The brisket, according to the head judge, "tabled". Not real clear what that means but a few told me that it meant the brisket had a shot at top ten. I guess kind of an honorable mention type thing.
In wrapping up that last paragraph I realized that turn in should not be right up to the last minute. I was concerned about keeping the food hot so I waited too long. Mental note on a billboard in my head!
A new friend and fellow competitor gave me breakfast, coffee and plenty of points to think about and consider. He became a mentor in a way as I was constantly asking questions. When he let me sample his ribs I smiled and replied "that's got to be a winner because these things are some of the best I've ever tasted". He placed 1st in ribs.
My scores were 19th brisket and 19th chicken out of 36 teams. Both those turn ins made it past the preliminary table so I consider it a plus to build on. Ribs did not fare so well but I knew the problem before I turned them in. The bone side was on too long and charred. I had a few 7's and one 8 on the preliminary score but I'm sure the char hurt.
Overall it was a blast and gave me confidence that next time I will at a minimum be better prepared and a bit more consistent. My expectations were met as I had fun and made new friends while learning from some great cooks. In my book it's a win-win no matter what the scorecard reads. I love it!
