First comp didn't go so well

[SPS]

Did my first comp this past weekend and didnt go as planned. The ribs I thought were awesome, but judges didnt think so. No biggie. I was actually dissapointed in the brisket. Heres what I did: Got about a 9lber form Heb (pre-trimmed). Injected at about 4pm Friday. Put on rub at about midnight and sat in fridge. Go it on the pit by 8am Sat,was at 300 deg. Let it go for about 2 hrs fat side down,temp stayed around 275-300. Flipped it fat side up at about 2 hrs. Made up a mop sauce and mopped after about 3 hrs I guess. Temp was around 250-275 for the next hr or so. Temp dropped to 200 for maybe an hr, fed it a little wood and went back to 275-300 for awhile. I think I mopped it 3 times total. I think I may have opened it up about 4 times in 8 hrs. Took off at 8hrs,internal temp was 185-195 depending on where I checked.
Now for the questions:
1) The bark was nice and crusty(better than any i ever had), but when I cut it, it seemed mushy, and I wound up having to scrape some off to make the slices look pretty. What makes the crust mushy?
2) I got all worked up over which way to cut the thing, so I cut it in all directions(lol). Got confirmation from dad that it was cut correctly. I cut the best looking slices to fit the tray all the way full, and it was really pretty looking. Is there a trick to figure out which way to slice it.
3) Last thing, the brisket was placed with the big end toward the fire, yet the flat end was way dried out. Could this be caused from too much heat? The pit spent most of its time at 300 deg, which Im thinking was part of the problem. Could this be from using a pre-trimmed brisket? I know I need to work on the technique (this is a new pit I built) and would appreciate any and all suggestion. There were aprox 45-50 teams and I didnt even get in the top 10(which wasnt a surprise except for the ribs) Some teams won multiple places in each catagory.

[BluDawg]

Didn't your momma warn you about letting strangers play with your Meat? Never buy a pre-trimmed anything!
Every time you open and close the pit your changing the atmosphere: letting moisture out and dropping the temp. The more constant the temp the better the brisket will be The mushy bark could be from the Mop (Big Waste of Time IMO)
Where are you measuring the pit temp? If your not monitoring it on the grate close to the meat you need to that is the only temp that matters. 300 on a stick thermo on the pit door aint the grate temp it will be 30-5o deg hotter.
Don't worry about the meat internal temp it is just a tool and has nothing to do with cooking a tender brisket. If the thermo probe don't slide in like a hot knife cutting soft butter in the flat and the point it needs to cook longer it is the final word as to when the brisket is done. you need to wrap it and rest it at least 1 hr before it sees the knife
When your trimming your brisket look to see the direction the grain is running then cut off the corner strait across the gain now you know where to start to slice.

As to you ribs It don't make a hoot if You like them it is the judges that need to like them. You need layers of flavor but the meat flavor must be first, remember they only get 1 or 2 bites so the flavors need to pop.
As to them being dark get them to the color you like and wrap them to preserve the color.

[ecto1]

Did my first comp this past weekend and didnt go as planned. The ribs I thought were awesome, but judges didnt think so. No biggie. I was actually dissapointed in the brisket. Heres what I did: Got about a 9lber form Heb (pre-trimmed). Injected at about 4pm Friday. Put on rub at about midnight and sat in fridge. Go it on the pit by 8am Sat,was at 300 deg. Let it go for about 2 hrs fat side down,temp stayed around 275-300. Flipped it fat side up at about 2 hrs. Made up a mop sauce and mopped after about 3 hrs I guess. Temp was around 250-275 for the next hr or so. Temp dropped to 200 for maybe an hr, fed it a little wood and went back to 275-300 for awhile. I think I mopped it 3 times total. I think I may have opened it up about 4 times in 8 hrs. Took off at 8hrs,internal temp was 185-195 depending on where I checked.
Now for the questions:
1) The bark was nice and crusty(better than any i ever had), but when I cut it, it seemed mushy, and I wound up having to scrape some off to make the slices look pretty. What makes the crust mushy?
2) I got all worked up over which way to cut the thing, so I cut it in all directions(lol). Got confirmation from dad that it was cut correctly. I cut the best looking slices to fit the tray all the way full, and it was really pretty looking. Is there a trick to figure out which way to slice it.
3) Last thing, the brisket was placed with the big end toward the fire, yet the flat end was way dried out. Could this be caused from too much heat? The pit spent most of its time at 300 deg, which Im thinking was part of the problem. Could this be from using a pre-trimmed brisket? I know I need to work on the technique (this is a new pit I built) and would appreciate any and all suggestion. There were aprox 45-50 teams and I didnt even get in the top 10(which wasnt a surprise except for the ribs) Some teams won multiple places in each catagory.

The things with comps it you just have to get very consistent. You should volunteer to judge and see what everyone else is doing. Not saying your que is bad but it may give you an idea of what you can do different to improve your chances of getting a call.

[RWBTEX]

I'm a fan of hot and fast but you absolutely must wrap if your cooking that way or you'll dry out the meat. I dont mind mushy bark if it tastes good but I dont mop either but do spray a few times with juice and flavors. There are many ways to make good bbq, Blue dawg is right about losing moisture but its not a problem if you wrap and there is a technique to that too so your bbq doesnt lose all its good bbq flavor and taste like steamed meat.

[js-tx]

Don't fret about not being in the top 10, especially if you are a new to competition BBQ. I've done 3 so far and still haven't broke top 10 yet, but I'm working on it.

If your bark was crusty but turned out mushy towards the end it could be due to resting it in foil. The heat and steam will do that to bark. However, it seems firm bark isn't a must in BBQ comps. Also you should cut against the grain when slicing your brisket. Take the advice above and help judge a comp. or 2. It really helps you see what others are turning it. Make sure to ask the head judge if you can sample the top entries and see how it aligns to your flavor profile. I need to follow that last bit of advice BTW...next time.

[jtilk]

Did I just hear BluDawg tell someone to use foil ??? haha...

Everyone does Q differently but here are a few things I might look into changing:

A) I do agree you should foil... and as mentioned internal temp is just a guide, not necessarily the Q bible. Cook for about 4 hrs w/o foil, then wrap and take to about 180, unwrap and give the bark time to dry out and firm up. Otherwise it'll be mushy as you mentioned. Most briskets are done between 195-205.

B) I'd use and inject to keep it moist, scratch the mop. IMO it takes too much opening and closing of the pit which causes temp loss, unless you have one thats insulated.

Did you have alot of vinegar or fruit juice in your injection? This will soften the meat as well...

+1 on not buying pre-trimmed meat and cutting the corner off of your brisket so you know where to cut, I follow both of these in comps.

[tex_toby]

I highly suggest taking 3 Star Rednecks cooking class on July 7th. It will get you started in the right direction. Definitely worth $125. This class will give you excellent tips on what comp cooks should do to start taking some walks. I suggest this class for anybody who likes to bbq. I don't do comps, but I did pick up some new tips and tricks to up my backyard game as well. Jeff has taken many walks and has earned lots of hardware to gain the respect of the Texas Comp Community. This class is for novices and pros alike. Everybody will take some knowledge home they can use no matter how polished you are. Similar classes can cost you hundreds more....

http://www.redneckcooker.com/bbq-cookin-school

[SPS]

Thanks guys for the advice. I didnt foil at all this time and will be doing it next time. This may solve a lot of the issues. I also very rarely have used a mop in the past but tried something different. I think yall may be right about the mop making the crust mushy, and for sure having to open the pit more. So I think no more mop. Also will not buy a pre-trimmed brisket again. I was thinking it would be a time saver but at what cost. The injection was a garlic/butter mix from Tony Z's. Ive done a lot of judging, and although your not supposed to discuss, many people do talk and Ive noticed the taste buds are all over the place. I might judge one a 8 or 9 and the guy across from me gives it a 3. I really dont care if I place, but it would be cool. I guess the thing that frustrates me is that I have bbq for many years, never used a temp gauge or tracked the time, and always had outstanding results. I think I got too caught up in all the rules of temp/time. Anyway, thanks again, you guys have given me some great ideas to try out

[Snow Bunny]

I agree with Toby 100%, Take Redneck's Class, well worth the money, Plenty of good info for comps or backyard cooking and hands on too!...And you get too eat!

[Boots]

Good advice here all around, all these guys are good, you can see it in their pictures and awards. While I don't agree with others on mopping (big controversy on that here, but we've had relative peace between the two camps on that subject for probably a month (?) now), I respect their ability to do it different and it's still good. IMHO, if done right, mopping early but backing off the last three hours say, I get a deeper more complex layer of flavors. Stand to on your mop in the last couple or three hours, and your bark will firm up and get a nice bit of crunch. I like mops, just me, I'm real sure if I had some of Blu's brisket I'd probably like it done his way too. I find it does add probably 10% extra time on a cook for me, well worth it from the extra flavors I get out of it.

My other advices are, if you are new and learning, lower temp and lengthen cooking time, it's more forgiving of errors. If you do track temp, get it to 190 internal and then let it ride several more hours, your meat will really turn the corner in that last few hours and tenderize, and you can worry less about drying it out because you aren't cranking heat to the redline. After you get good at it you can crank it faster. I also keep an old dutch oven full of a mixture of water, onions, and/or some beef broth in the cooker as an additional heat baffle on the hot end. It also serves to stoke moisture into my cooker. I also use the poke test like the other guys, to the extent I know my cooker and technique well enough now that sometime back I quit using my thermometer on brisket, ribs, and chicken altogether. Finer cuts of meat like smoking a rib roast for prime rib, you bet I use that thermometer. Margin between a medium rare and a medium is a short time on finer cuts.

But my honest opinion is just go lower and slower while you're learning. Thoroughbreds run the mile, quarter horses start to crap out after about 4 furlongs.