Sweet VS Spicy

[ddog27]

I have a bunch of the BBQ contests that are shown on Food Network stored on my Tivo. And last night I was watching some of them. I usually watch them because I love BBQ and I watch to get some tips and tricks that are being used by people who compete. One thing I noticed last night that a lot of the people who place in the top ten with ribs and chicken are shown pouring honey and brown sugar on their ribs and chicken before they foil them. I usually make my ribs and chicken with more spice than sweet. In the two contests I have taken part in my ribs took 8th and 12th place. My chicken has taken 4th place. I was wondering if I would score higher if I were to make my ribs and chicken more sweet than spicy. What are your opinions on this? Does sweet beat spicy in a competition? Let me know what you think!

[Bad Santa]

It's always a crap shoot with sweet vs spicey......best thing to do is get a good balance of both. All depends on whose judging the food, younger folks tend to go with the spicey while the older ones tend to like the sweet better. So you just never know.....if your ribs and brisket are good it doesn't need sauce....:wink:...but at the contests, they usually prefer it be there. That's why alot of folks use the TPJ as a glaze or their ribs....

[M38A1]

Santa-
Wouldn't that be a very regional thing too? Much like the tomato or vinegar based sauces?

[Bad Santa]

You bet, KC and Tenn like sweeter sauces while NC gets the nod with vinegar bases while the southwest region folks tend to prefer spicey....so it's all speculation and ya just never know for sure what will get the nod at any given event.

[Dave]

you can't please them all. If you hit in the top 10 consistantly don't change a thing. Judges are different every cookoff. but that 's just my two cents. One thing that I've learned is that in most bar cookoffs, falling off the bone, or fall apart tender usually does well. take it easy with your glazing. Because depending on the head judge, he/she isn't very open minded about "sauced"/glazed meats. Go Texan cookoffs, the ones that i've cooked, seem to look at meats, brisket and ribs, with a little more pull to them and aren't to concerned about sauced or glazed meats. IBCA, the head judges are alot more knowledgable and most are part of cooking team and understand and will explain to the table about sauced and glazed meats. But again, they are different from cookoff to cookoff. I'm sure everyone who's competed a few times could tell you something similar.

dave

[PhotoKirk]

If you have extra time before a cookoff, find a local BBQ place and see how the locals cook. That will give you an idea of what the judges are used to eating.

[Dave]

What are your opinions on this? Does sweet beat spicy in a competition? Let me know what you think!

like I was taught, it should be a spicy lollipop. One not overpowering the other. They should compliment each other.

[3970010]

like I was taught, it should be a spicy lollipop. One not overpowering the other. They should compliment each other.

Speetcy.

[texasbill]

ddog:
Got to agree with everyone here. Most of the time a well balanced sweet and spicy is the way to go. Sauce, etc and how fall apart a meat is you never know and just do what you do the best and quit trying to figure out the darn judges cause they are different everytime.

I was helping judge a competition once and told the head judge it would be very interesting to run the same meats back thru the judges table again and see how they scored a second time. He said it would be different than the first for sure. So do what you do the best and my theory is to continue to do what you do the best everytime out and quit changing to try and guess what the judges will want.

Bill

[gordo]

Id put my money on the sweet over the heat...ps seen several teams place well with nothing but honey and brown sugar...best to just play around and see what works for you...

[Thom Emery]

If its a KCBS ya go sweet because them Judges travel
If its in California ya go totally sweet because folks here dont have taste buds

[FairWeatherSmoker]

My wife & I judged 1 beginner competition. There were a set of ribs that were quite spicy & several that were very sweet.

Discussing this afterwards, my wife gave the spicy a 1, I gave tham a 10. I judged the sweet one in the middle to low, she judged them high.

A matter of taste, but I think more like sweet than spicy. And spicy does not necessarily mean hot, although I like hot.

[Woodman]

Id put my money on the sweet over the heat...ps seen several teams place well with nothing but honey and brown sugar...best to just play around and see what works for you...

You know?, We were arguing over this at our comp this weekend. I use a sauce/glaze consisting of 1 jar of Texas Pepper Jelly Pineapple Habanero, and an equivalent amount of my sweet red sauce. Now, I have DR. Pepper, molassas, apricot preserves, brown sugar, and honey in that sauce. If that isn't sweet enough, I am adding 100% more JELLY to it! But my cohort (Uncle Bubba) insists that it is too spicy for KCBS judges. Now, it has a pretty good "zip" to it, but is not overpowering. I have gotten to 10th twice but not advanced. He could be right, but it also could be that almost everyone else is turning in loin backs where I am sticking with spares. This time I cut the jelly to 1 part : 2 parts sauce, but he insisted it was still too spicy. I may go the other way and cut the sauce out! Just Jelly! Stupid judges!

[Zeeman]

He could be right, but it also could be that almost everyone else is turning in loin backs where I am sticking with spares.

Wood, I'm beginging to think on the line you are. I'm using spares, but thinking hard about switching to loin backs (at least for KCBS).
I don't think TPJ used how you do on ribs would be to spicey. I use it straight ( lite glaze) and folks love it around here.
z

[david brace]

If you have extra time before a cookoff, find a local BBQ place and see how the locals cook. That will give you an idea of what the judges are used to eating.
This sounds like a good and reasonable idea. If the judges are from the area instead of being imported, then you'll have a jump as to what they consider their own style of good home-cooking.

DB

[Thom Emery]

In the west I have not seen anything but Spares turned in
Always KC cut uniform in the box

[ddog27]

You know?, We were arguing over this at our comp this weekend. I use a sauce/glaze consisting of 1 jar of Texas Pepper Jelly Pineapple Habanero, and an equivalent amount of my sweet red sauce. Now, I have DR. Pepper, molassas, apricot preserves, brown sugar, and honey in that sauce. If that isn't sweet enough, I am adding 100% more JELLY to it! But my cohort (Uncle Bubba) insists that it is too spicy for KCBS judges. Now, it has a pretty good "zip" to it, but is not overpowering. I have gotten to 10th twice but not advanced. He could be right, but it also could be that almost everyone else is turning in loin backs where I am sticking with spares. This time I cut the jelly to 1 part : 2 parts sauce, but he insisted it was still too spicy. I may go the other way and cut the sauce out! Just Jelly! Stupid judges!


I have been using the Apple jalapeno jelly from TPJ and a sweet sauce on my ribs. My family and friends love them but they have not done to well in the comps. So I guess I need to use more sweetness when I cook for comps. :D :D

[ddog27]

I saw something else about this subject that bothered me. On Saturdays the BBQ America show is on my local PBS station. On the show this week they talked to a BBQ judge about how to judge a BBQ contest. The first question asked was, “Do you cook BBQ?” The guy they were interviewing said, “No, I don’t cook. I just come to eat.” I was like WHAT??? That killed the rest of the interview for me!! Can you really know what you are talking about or looking for on competition BBQ if you do not cook BBQ?? Even for yourself at home?? I guess I never realized that this was the people who I am cooking for in a competition. Eye opening for someone who is still pretty new to the competition scene!

[david brace]

L·de´ddog27"]I have been using the Apple jalapeno jelly from TPJ and a sweet sauce on my ribs. My family and friends love them but they have not done to well in the comps. So I guess I need to use more sweetness when I cook for comps. :D :D[/quote]
Try the Cherry TPJ. DELICIOUS on ribs and it helps to maintain a nice deep color...

DB

[KazQ]

You know?, We were arguing over this at our comp this weekend. I use a sauce/glaze consisting of 1 jar of Texas Pepper Jelly Pineapple Habanero, and an equivalent amount of my sweet red sauce. Now, I have DR. Pepper, molassas, apricot preserves, brown sugar, and honey in that sauce. If that isn't sweet enough, I am adding 100% more JELLY to it! But my cohort (Uncle Bubba) insists that it is too spicy for KCBS judges. Now, it has a pretty good "zip" to it, but is not overpowering. I have gotten to 10th twice but not advanced. He could be right, but it also could be that almost everyone else is turning in loin backs where I am sticking with spares. This time I cut the jelly to 1 part : 2 parts sauce, but he insisted it was still too spicy. I may go the other way and cut the sauce out! Just Jelly! Stupid judges!

Well i think that these judges take one bite and mark,i know it takes at least 3 bites before you realise that only TPJ should ever be on ribs.
Maybe all them preserves and complicated tastes are for home use?
I would mix in a ton of turbinado sugar,splash of lime,maybe some apple juice, a dash of MSG,givem what they need for their quick fix.