The Texas BBQ Forum

This past week was my 3 rd cook-off. I seem to make at least make final table with something. First comp was chicken 6th place second was final table with chicken and 6th with beens now my 3rd comp. I get 8th with ribs out of 88 teams and I thought they didn't taste good and final table with beens. I tasted the first place ribs and I thought they were worse than mine so do I start cooking things I think taste bad to win.

8th place out of 88 ain't bad, would not change a thing. Tasting the winning entry is bad Mojo in my book, gets you thinking how the heck does this stuff hit. Remember that the trays have been sitting in the heat say maybe 4hours after turnins and gone through all kinds of cutting. That is why IBCA changed the rules this year about getting rid of boxes but that is another story.I like the new rule but others tend to disagree. Congrats on the walks.

One thing to remember, you're cooking for judges, not for yourself.

I would suggest to go judge a cookoff yourself. Ask to judge the final table. Gives you an idea of where you measure up. 8th out of 88 I wouldn't change a thing unless you start missing

Congrats on the walks. Yes get involved with judging cookoffs so you can see what people are turning in. Just buyer beware, you will sample a lot of bad BBQ believe it or not

Third cookoff and you are upset bout not hittin top ten or finals table on everything. I admire your goals but they simply are unrealistic. Judging is subjective and can be different at the same cookoff between judging tables.

I would recommend you change NOTHING for another 6 cookoffs or so. If you still fall into just hitting 1 category or so, then you can tweak a recipe a little. Usually biggest change you can make is the saltiness of your product. Needs to be a little on the salty side as that judge is only gettin one bite. If judges are drinkin, more salt needed.

Congrats on already being in the hunt. Many teams can go years before they git to your current level. Enjoy all the calls. We did great when we started. Got 2nd brisket at first comp and 11th chicken. Placed in the next 4 contests too and got our first GC at our 6th competition! Sittin on cloud 9 for sure. Next 6 cookoffs, nada, zilch, nuthin..not even finals table. Goes with the territory.

Don't be too quick to change stuff!

I am not upset I am surprised, and very happy for final tables and top tens since I really don't know what I'm doing. It was just I thought my ribs and the ribs that got 1st lacked taste 1st place ribs more so if I would have been judging they would not have made final table. Unless the rest were that bad. Which I know is not true because I tasted some I liked that did not make final table. My chicken I will not change because out of 3 I at least made final table on one and placed in other. As for high goals I don't have high goals because I am happy just to make final table It's more about the good people( teams) I meet. I am very happy with the outcomes I know it is all Probably beginners luck but I will take it. It might take me another year or two to get to 6 tourneys because as everybody knows it's not a poor man sport, and I hate to keep asking the same sponsors over and over even though I do give them some Q.

Well you are doin just fine. Don't put much thought into how the "winners" tasted. We have tasted some entries that I literally spit out that were over smoked & bitter but won. Why you ask? Since you mentioned finals table I am assuming you are competing in Texas. Judges are usually picked off the street. Now how many folks do you know that cook BBQ that don't think their BBQ is the best? Those folks are judging and when they taste sumpin that taste like their Q, well that's gonna be the best on the planet! if there are a lot of good cooks on one judging table and a lot of bad cooks on another judging table...well...some good stuff not gonna make it and some bad stuff will. Nature of the judging process. Try to keep an eye on who is turning in their trays. If a lot of the "heavy hitters" are turnin their trays in at the same time, maybe wait a minute or two to turn yours in if time allows. This may help git ya on a different judging table from those "heavy hitters" and git ya to the finals table anyway. Again, judging is subjective, but day in and day out, folks will judge what tastes best to them. If you have good Q, odds are in yer favor to eventually HIT IT!

Another major factoid is the BBQ is cold when you tasted it. Some recipes taste much different when hot. You are not getting the temp benefit when tasting 2 or 3 hours after the product was turned in. If your entry taste good cold, it will taste really good hot as a rule. Entries that get to finals table will be room temp at best.

Just keep on doing whut you been doing and me thinks you will do just fine. Yep, this ain't no cheap hobby for sure. Heck, I may have to learn how to play golf if brisket prices keep goin up!