BBQ Question

CarterQ

Moderator
Question for all of you who judge and or participate in competition BBQ. Is competition BBQ good BBQ or is it tailored for the judges and the competition environment? Basically is it the way you would cook at home for guests or yourself?

The reason I ask is I went to a local BBQ joint run by a semi famous local cook yesterday and the food was terrible. Now it might have been a bad day, but the owner was there and he told me “that’s what championship BBQ tastes like” I nodded and said that I have never tasted anything like it. Some of the people I was with dug it, but they like ribs at Chili’s so I take it with a grain of salt.

It seems with the proliferation of BBQ competitions that everywhere you go there is a new BBQ joint with championship trophies on the wall and mediocre BBQ on the table. It’s almost like the micro brew thing was a few years ago. All micro brew beers do not equal good beers.
 

Matt Dalton

New member
Very true about the beer!..as far as the food goes judges don't want fall off the bone ribs,they want to see a clean bite mark,same with chicken,brisket they want a #2 pencil thick piece that will pull apart but not crumble,pork we have done really well with putting all three cuts in the box(pulled,sliced,chunked)but if it's too mushy they will score down..basically all of the above is done to determine how well it is cooked..if the rib falls off the bone it's overcooked..so the window is a lot smaller than at home,most people want ribs that come clean from the bone..when we do parties I always overcook the ribs and pork..never had any complaints..hope this helps.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
I think that Competition BBQ is sweeter than what I like to cook at home too...I also like the ribs done more than the comp....I also know taht when I have company that they preer the ribs softer.
 

CarterQ

Moderator
Definitely sweeter sauce, ribs seemed steamed, pulled pork was mushy (guessing from injection), and Brisket was brisket (not personally a brisket fan). I guess when I walk into a place and see trophies, belts, proclamations from kings, knighthood etc. I expect the food to blow me away!
 

Trooper

New member
When I judge at a competition event, I follow the criteria of the judging process as determined by KCBS. It's their event, and they set the rules on what championship BBQ is.

When I'm home, I do my own thing.
You know what I mean.
 

HoDeDo

New member
Question for all of you who judge and or participate in competition BBQ. Is competition BBQ good BBQ or is it tailored for the judges and the competition environment? Basically is it the way you would cook at home for guests or yourself?

The reason I ask is I went to a local BBQ joint run by a semi famous local cook yesterday and the food was terrible. Now it might have been a bad day, but the owner was there and he told me “that’s what championship BBQ tastes like” I nodded and said that I have never tasted anything like it. Some of the people I was with dug it, but they like ribs at Chili’s so I take it with a grain of salt.

It seems with the proliferation of BBQ competitions that everywhere you go there is a new BBQ joint with championship trophies on the wall and mediocre BBQ on the table. It’s almost like the micro brew thing was a few years ago. All micro brew beers do not equal good beers.

So let me try to answer these in order:
1. Yes it is good BBQ... But of course what you like, and someone else will be totally different... so "Good BBQ" is pretty broad. You may not like it, but it would be considered Good.
2. Yes, people typically try to cook what the judges would like. In general, well balanced, properly cooked meat should score well, the rest is alot of luck and lucky interpretation. Having said that... the judges should be just about like anyone going to a BBQ joint, meaning the food is cooked to appeal to the many, not the few.

Restaurant BBQ and Comp BBQ are two different things. I dont care how good your BBQ is, it will come out different when cooked in bulk for restaurant patrons. Unless you are paying $50/head to have a whole brisket cooked only to give you the best 8 slices., or getting only the 6 best ribs from a slab, etc. Just like you can take a guy that paints Porsche 911's for a living (small, hand managed and lovingly applied) and put him in charge of the paint program for a Chevy Malibu... The paint will look great, but it simply isnt the same as the craftmanship in the porsche paint.

It could be GREAT bbq, but he is kidding you if he says it is the same as his competition BBQ. Finding the correct mix of comp. tricks and process for bulk feeding is what makes folks sink or float.
 

Thom Emery

New member
Dude I know that joint it has great Q
Serving ALL Day Q is never as good as comp q
But he does good stuff
 
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scooter

Moderator
Restaurant BBQ and Comp BBQ are two different things. I dont care how good your BBQ is, it will come out different when cooked in bulk for restaurant patrons.

This is the truth Carter. Restaurants simply can't put the same effort to add flavor into 100 racks of ribs that a competitor can put into 6 racks. Restaurants deal in bulk, competitors are looking to get as much flavor (flavor they think will appeal to the judges) as they can into 6 racks because on average, a judge is going to take 1 or 2 bites of his rib and move on so he needs to pack as much punch as he can into that 1 or 2 bites.
Backyard Q is the other area of difference from competition. My backyard ribs are prepared much differently than the comp ribs I've been working on. I use 2 pre rub treatments, a combination of 3 different dry rubs, a luxurious buttery, sweet and savory foil bath and 2 different sauces on my comp ribs to get the appearance, texture and flavor profile that really stood out to me. No way a restaurant can put that much love and attention into the volume of ribs they deal with.
My backyard ribs in contrast get worcestershire and a single rub, or salt and pepper, and one sauce or no sauce at all because that's how they like them. I also cook them a little longer than the comp ribs especially for my family who like more of the fall off the bone type ribs. I cook for the audience so I give each what they're looking for!
 
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Big Poppa

Administrator
I took a friend to a famous bbq place in another state and my friend said...'that was good...but I like yours better" I explained the difference and the holding of food, quntities etc...If all that restaurant served was three racks of ribs that day it would have blown mine out of the water.

But you know what? Lets not limit it to BBQ I believe that each and everyone of us makes the best steak in each of our towns....
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Hey lets not call people dude Thom.. Its ok to not like the same restaurants and he felt odd in not liking it. I think it stirred up a lot of good points...The challenges you have making food for sale vs comp. Thanks for the question.

I think we all know who he is talking about and that person is a wonderful bbq legend. It is possible that he caught the place on a bad day too that happens to any place.
 

Phrett Bender

New member
I think the biggest factor is that comp waste is a restaurant's regular fare. By that I mean in a comp one may cook 9-10 racks of ribs to get six individual ribs for turn in. The rest of the ribs, though probably pretty decent, did not make the cut. At a restaurant those ribs are going out to customers, as well as the not so good ones. Getting some of the not so good ones can be disappointing, but like my cooks, every so often something isn't what I had hoped. Twqo nights ago we went out to dinner and the waitress explained the specials and then began boasting about their ribs and how they were fall off the bone tender and tasty and cooked for many hours. My wife asked if they boiled them first to get the tenderness, and to my surprise the waitress said of course they did, then put them over some coals and spiced them up. Now that place will never see me order ribs, but I'd give a good BBQ joint more than one spin to try their food.
 
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