First Contest

[ddog27]

I finally jumped in and I am going to compete in my first BBQ contest!! It is a rib cook-off on Dec. 10th. I am excited about it. I have some time before the cook-off so I thought I would ask what tips you guys have. Also what should I bring to the cook-off, besides my WSM of course!!

[Grumpy Gator]

practice, practice, practice...

Good Luck!

[txpgapro]

You go Dog!

[Bob-BQN]

Good luck Dog! 8)

[Pigs by the Moon BBQ]

Best of luck to you! :D

[TAR RIVER RAT]

Take Bills BBQ Rub and some pineapple hab Tejas Pepper Jelly and win that cookoff.
TarribmitTPJ

[75fordfan]

8) 8) 8) TEXAS PEPPER JELLY 8) 8) 8)

[ddog27]

Thanks Guys! I am planning on taking some of the Apple-Jalapeno jelly for the contest. Does the Pineapple-Hab TPJ taste better on ribs?

[txpgapro]

That's the ticket!

[bbqguy]

That's the one (Pineapple Hab) that I have come to enjoy the most on ribs. They are all great, just try the various flavors and the one that leaves your tongue anxiously waiting for the next bite, then.... well, you know.... :lol:

[txbbqcarrie]

I agree...Pineapple Hab is my favorite!

[Thom Emery]

D Dog Where are ya going to compete?
SD or the Rib cook off??

[bigwheel]

Well...sounds like you might be one of them sometimes impulsive persons..such as myself who want to jump right in an do stuff. It sorta like the buzzard in the cartoon who dont have the patience to wait for something to die..he want to go kill something right now. Now if that do fit the bill for you by all means..jump in there and start cooking...and follow all this good advice you getting. On the other hand if you a studious anal retentive injuneer type person..I suggest judging for a least a year afore you strike a fire. Thataway you get to where it be possible to make an edumacated guess as to whut the numbskull taste imparied table judges be thinking is good on a particular day..depending on whether they is beer guzzling inhabitants of the local Elks Club or maybe they old widder ladies from the Senior Citizens Center. There is a difference ya know? Or that be the rumor anyway. Above all...regardless of your personality bent..good fortunes in your new hobby.

bigwheel

[Smoke Aholic]

I love Spare Ribs but never cook them in competition. Basically because it is so hard to get 6 in the judging box. Try Baby Backs and put 7 in the turn in box. Judges tend to score higher when you put some extra in for the judges or for the volenteers.

[ddog27]

D Dog Where are ya going to compete?
SD or the Rib cook off??

The Rib Cookoff in Queen Creek. Figure I would start out with a smaller contest for my first one and then go from there.

[bigwheel]

Not sure where you been cooking but you start getting creative on the amount of ribs and such things in this neck of the woods..IBCA Lynnn will take that extry rib and whup your haid with it. If she say she wants 7 ribs she do not mean 6 and she do not mean 8. She also dont want them arranged in the form of an oil derrick etc. Such shennangins brings about accusations of having a marked tray which is a serious no-no in the world of comp cooking. If you will use St. Louis cut spares you can fit as many as you need in there. You apparently trying to turn em in with the knuckle still on em which aint a good plan..or else the place you are cooking has minature turn-in boxes. Which might well be the case if they letting you clown around with the amounts of stuff you supposed to be delivering to the judging table. Just thinking out loud here of course.

bigwheel


I love Spare Ribs but never cook them in competition. Basically because it is so hard to get 6 in the judging box. Try Baby Backs and put 7 in the turn in box. Judges tend to score higher when you put some extra in for the judges or for the volenteers.

[jiarby]

Darrin,

We posted some sample turn-in boxes pictures that use 8 ribs... use the link on the azbbqa site to get to the rib cookoff, then at the bottom is a link to "sample turn-in boxes"

The contest will have probably 1-2 CBJ's on each table, plus the table captains. The rest of the judges are going to be City Council Grand Poobahs and assorted Muckety-Mucks. Certainly most of them think that Tony Romas mades the best ribs in the world!

I'd recommend a slightly overcooked, sweeter sauce, maybe a honey chipotle. The Hab may be too much. It only takes one flaky judge that doesn't like heat to give you a bad score, even if your or I (& bigwheel too) love your ribs "Sally Secretary" might not take the heat as well as us.

Now, at the "Hoof & Foot" next spring I'd say "FLAME ON!" and get crazy because all the judges are AZBBQA folks.

http://www.azbbqa.net/g2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=260&g2_serialNumber=2

[gordo]

I love Spare Ribs but never cook them in competition. Basically because it is so hard to get 6 in the judging box. Try Baby Backs and put 7 in the turn in box. Judges tend to score higher when you put some extra in for the judges or for the volenteers.

Sounds like you plan on doing a KCBS cookoff- You can do spares but they have to be trimmed down.. Id go with what ever you feel best about on a 1st cookoff.. Ive been to some gotexan cookoffs and they want 14 ribs!!! They should award the prizes to the teams that just get them in the box!!! I don't cook anymore gotexan cookoffs (to weird of rules) ha
Good luck and go have some fun .....
:D gordo

[ddog27]

Darrin,

We posted some sample turn-in boxes pictures that use 8 ribs... use the link on the azbbqa site to get to the rib cookoff, then at the bottom is a link to "sample turn-in boxes"

The contest will have probably 1-2 CBJ's on each table, plus the table captains. The rest of the judges are going to be City Council Grand Poobahs and assorted Muckety-Mucks. Certainly most of them think that Tony Romas mades the best ribs in the world!

I'd recommend a slightly overcooked, sweeter sauce, maybe a honey chipotle. The Hab may be too much. It only takes one flaky judge that doesn't like heat to give you a bad score, even if your or I (& bigwheel too) love your ribs "Sally Secretary" might not take the heat as well as us.

Now, at the "Hoof & Foot" next spring I'd say "FLAME ON!" and get crazy because all the judges are AZBBQA folks.

http://www.azbbqa.net/g2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=260&g2_serialNumber=2

Wow Jiarby! You are everywhere!!!! :D :D :D

[txpgapro]

Welcome Jiarby! I can see now we all will enjoy your postings and pics!

[txbbqcarrie]

Welcome to the forum, Jiarby!

[Thom Emery]

Jiarby hey welcome Glad to see ya make it from Arizona
to Texas .You going to SD this weekend?

[Tailwagger]

" " :D

[jiarby]

Yep,

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I am actually FROM Texas..Lewisville, Denton, Grapevine, Arlington, Argyle, Carrollton, even a few years in the Conroe-Woodlands-Spring area when I was a kid 30 years ago. My family still lives in Dallas & Forestburg (near Muenster & Bowie... Montague County I think) I moved to AZ in 1999 (for the love of a good woman). I miss Babe's Fried Chicken, Blue Bell Ice Cream, and good brisket. Arizona just recently got Blue Bell... If someone wants to invest I'll open a Babe's out here!

We have a few teams from the AZBBQA cooking and I am going to judge and follow Grant Ford around so he can coach us about organizing events. I use Kamado's at home and don't have a portable smoker to do too many cookoffs on my own. I'm keeping my eyes open for one, but this week it is judging!

I found this forum from a post in Dave Klose's forum. I added a link to the AZBBQA Links section.

I was suprised to my cookoff being discussed! It is "KCBS Style" but any type of cooker is allowed this time to keep the backyarder's interested. We decided to require 8 ribs, but also considered requiring just a whole slab...that got rejected...too messy at judging.

Hope I run into you in Alpine, Git R Done. I'll be easy to spot!

[BBQ101]

Good luck and have fun.

[Thom Emery]

Yes see ya there Im coming in sat. morn.
Ill be the Judge in the USC hat

[Buster]

Well...sounds like you might be one of them sometimes impulsive persons..such as myself who want to jump right in an do stuff. It sorta like the buzzard in the cartoon who dont have the patience to wait for something to die..he want to go kill something right now. Now if that do fit the bill for you by all means..jump in there and start cooking...and follow all this good advice you getting. On the other hand if you a studious anal retentive injuneer type person..I suggest judging for a least a year afore you strike a fire. Thataway you get to where it be possible to make an edumacated guess as to whut the numbskull taste imparied table judges be thinking is good on a particular day..depending on whether they is beer guzzling inhabitants of the local Elks Club or maybe they old widder ladies from the Senior Citizens Center. There is a difference ya know? Or that be the rumor anyway. Above all...regardless of your personality bent..good fortunes in your new hobby.

bigwheel

As evidenced of my being one of those taste impaired, off the street judges, I suspect that beyond tenderness, meat/smoke flavor and appearance****, contestants prolly over-think what may impress the judges.

****After the chicken halves have been passed thru 3 or 4 judges at a particular table, it's so hacked up, there ain't a lotta appearance left.

[bigwheel]

Yeppers..like my old yankee pal Joe Ames say one time.."Whut mostly wins at a cooking contest aint neccesarily the best but rather the least offensive" (paraphrasing of course). Works the same with chili.

bigwheel