Questions for you big competition participants

kskomodo04

kskomodo04

Member
For those of you participate in competitions I am curious as to what is done with all the meat that is cooked but not turned in for the judges, especially if the meat is provided? Also just what is the process for someone to be named World Champion, is this a single contest, overall champion in several more prestigious competitions?
 
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HoDeDo

New member
So to your first questions, I either give it away or cryovac it and freeze it for use later.

To your second question, no, there is not a single "world champion" named. MBN (memphis in may), has "world champions", some invitiationals have "national champions". FBA, CBBQA, (and many others ) have champions at each event, and do season long "champions. There is also the "Best of Best", which invites the top 10 from each BBQ sanctioning entity to an event.

Probably the best place to be able to go up against the broadest subset of champions is the American Royal Invitational.... having said that, the American royal open, takes those plus 300+ more, and does it all again.... so is that person the world champion?

What about the Jack Daniels, they have alot of true global participation, and allteams there are also grand champions... but you have have 7 time GCs, against 1st time GCs.(based on the draw).... so is it a viable world championship?

No one has really tackled "unification of the belts" as it were.... but kinda like BCS bowl games, it is fun to speculate and try to figure out all the potential parings :) -- and then, "on any given Sunday".... someone might win!
 
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Candy Sue

New member
What Andy said! I've been known to take leftover to the Salvation Army kitchen here in town. I give alot away to friends and business associates. Tomorrow I'm bringing the Woodmaster T1000 to work to reheat pulled pork, brisket, Bush beans and cook 3 racks of seasoned (but raw) spares I found in the freezer. Feeding about 70 Christmas lunch. Tonight I'll be baking cakes!

Everybody's Grand Champion of their own backyard!
 
kskomodo04

kskomodo04

Member
Thank You for the input. I was just curious how those persons such as Johnny Trigg, Myron Mixon, Paul Kirk, Chris Lilly, Big Poppa? have the titles.
 
kskomodo04

kskomodo04

Member
After re-reading the title of this post it sure sounds very sarcastic and disrespectful. This was not the intent of this. The intent of "you big competition participants" was for those who compete in large competitions, such as the American Royal, Jack Daniels etc. not just the neighborhood contest. Please forgive me if this offended anyone.
 
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Candy Sue

New member
Longevity is the main determiner. Also tv has a roll since the names you listed have been on tv. I'd bet that BPS is feeling honored! In my opinion, they've done real well their 2nd competition year, but they aren't in the same class as the rest because of lack of longevity.

These days if a wannabe cook has the money and the time, classes can be taken from most of those listed above that can really speed up the competition learning process.
 
TTNuge

TTNuge

New member
Candy Sue said:
I'd bet that BPS is feeling honored! In my opinion, they've done real well their 2nd competition year, but they aren't in the same class as the rest because of lack of longevity.
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True, but the table full of trophies for only competing for the last two years is pretty impressive. Wish I could find the pic from the Trigg class of me standing in front of them. I think it's on the other puter.
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
In a lot of the comps they will have a "Peoples Choice" (PC) where the competitors sell sample sized portions to the general public who showed up at the competition. For the teams that decide to participate all of their left over meat from the comp goes into the PC plus a lot of other meat, chili, nachos, etc that they want to sell will be offered. It's a way to make a little money to offset the cost of the competition but I don't think they make enough to offset all the effort that goes into serving the public.
 
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Candy Sue

New member
I have issues with PC the way you've described it. Mainly because I'm a one person cooking team. I don't have time for PC if I have to do it on site. Now, with that said, my one first place finish was in PC this year! This particular contest held PC in a big tent, teams brought the pulled pork and volunteers served it to the paying public. The charity (a no-kill pet shelter) provided the meat and made the money.
 
Big Poppa

Big Poppa

Administrator
pc is a drag....we dont do it anymore....every contest has different metrics and I think they rip people off a cough medicine size sample for 2 bucks...also the really serious teams dont do it so the people are not usually getting to taste the best food there.
 
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HoDeDo

New member
Candy makes a great point... Originally all the winning teams kept thier secrets, well, secret! I cooked for ALOT of years before I started winning consistently. Sure, we got awards, but they were random at best, a rib call here, a pork call there... chicken... and those are all good. I've got several hundred catagory awards. The internet, bbq forums, and the fact that teams are choosing to cash in on their successes and share those secrets with others, has upped the number of successful teams greatly.

The timelines and processes are key, and you dont really hone that, until you cook a lot. By going to the comp specific classes, you get 80-90% of the knowledge you need to be successful. then it is just attention to detail, and a little luck after that. (and a good pallet) But - what you dont get is how to address all the variables that just "happen" -- bad meat, inclement weather, cooker issues, you name it.

That is where Candy so is going with the longevity piece. Winning for a little while is great! But can you do it on any kind of pit? Can you do it with meat you have to pick up the day of the event because you product was bad? Can you fix things on the fly? It's one thing to be able to do well when all the variables are in your favor... if you can also do well when they arent, that is what really separates the "pitmasters". The guys that can win year in, year out in any and all conditions... you only get there with time. Classes cant teach you how to fix 40 MPH winds, and rain... or what to do if you have to buy a select brisket from the local grocer that is only 9lbs, etc etc.

I've been cooking for roughly 18 years in competition BBQ, and have only seen wide success for the last 6-7 years. The classes help close that gap for new teams. There weren't classes when alot of us started competition BBQ... but to be able to buy a weekend with Johnny Trigg, is priceless in terms of learning how to cook, and get going in the right direction. Just the money saved alone is huge... would you rather spend the money on trial and error (think lots of briskets and ribs, entry fees, gear, sauces, rubs)... you will easily triple the class fee while you are trying to figure it all out. From there, to be the best, you just have to cook, and cook alot. In all scenarios, and then all of a sudden, you are the one winning, and people are looking out for you at events.

Trust me, I'll never forget the first time I heard - "oh great, you're here?!?" or had someone say they were going to cook event "x" because they saw I was going to be at event "y".

Now as far as the "titles" go... there is some liberty taken there... Myron has won MIM, either catagories, or the overall... so he is a world champion pork cook, or MIM world champion of "x"... so if you add those up, you become a "X" time world champion. For example, I have not won the overall at Jack Daniels Invitational.... but I have won Pork, scored a perfect 180 in dessert, and won the chef's choice.... does that make me a 3 time world champion? probably only if I am putting it on the cover of a book. I get to say I am a world champion pork cook, but I dont stretch the title. I am also a national champion brisket cook... thanks to the Chest to Chest title that I won... does that mean I beat every good brisket cook - no... and only on that day. I've been beaten by the same cooks many times. I want another shot at the butt to butt pork title however... I took 2nd, and I want to be the only person to have won both the Chest to Chest and the Butt to Butt. I have to beat Todd to that :) haha. (it's a goal we both share, probably many others do too). So in short, the titles are what they are... consistency and longevity are what really separate the top teams over time.

Hope all that rambling helps :)

I met the BPS crew in KC when they came to take a class that Todd Johns was putting on, that I was assisting with.
 
Big Poppa

Big Poppa

Administrator
This is all true...from a near rookie standpoint....

The cookers are a big part of making it easier to cook....you dont have to worry about 40mph winds with pellet cookers or backwoods with B BQ Gurus....We cooked about half of our stuff on a stick burner and that is where iyou learn quick

You have to be able to have taste buds and be organized. I love the people who say that I dont cook on the BPS Team....I make sure that every detail and timeline is met and I am really involved when issues come up...also all the stuff is my recipes....

We got a big boost with a few classes but our biggest boost was applying things that we do at work to bbq.

Andy has been a great help as has Todd and Johnny has been HUGE. Chris Lilly has been helpful and a few others.
 
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HoDeDo

New member
Some of my post truncated, so you didnt see it...must have accidentally deleted - but It actually said what BP notes below. I stated that it is no surprise that BPS is creating a stir on the western front, for such a young team. BP is maniacal, on the attention to detail, as are the rest of the guys. They have things down to the minute, which lets them be ready if one of thier variables does go south. Its that attention to detail and repetition that drive the successes. They took a baseline of data, and very quickly built on it, and obviously if you have tried any of the Little Louie's or BPS rubs... the flavor profiles are winners :)

Big Poppa said:
This is all true...from a near rookie standpoint....

The cookers are a big part of making it easier to cook....you dont have to worry about 40mph winds with pellet cookers or backwoods with B BQ Gurus....We cooked about half of our stuff on a stick burner and that is where iyou learn quick

You have to be able to have taste buds and be organized. I love the people who say that I dont cook on the BPS Team....I make sure that every detail and timeline is met and I am really involved when issues come up...also all the stuff is my recipes....

We got a big boost with a few classes but our biggest boost was applying things that we do at work to bbq.

Andy has been a great help as has Todd and Johnny has been HUGE. Chris Lilly has been helpful and a few others.
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