Comp chicken question

[Wtxsmoker]

I have not done a comp in over ten years things have progressed since may day..lol I have studied all of round tables on here and appreciate the information there.

I have a comp trailer that I cook all three meats on low and slow. I always cook with oak and hickory mix. My chicken always has a good smoke flavor and finished with a reddish shiny honey based glaze, but semi-tough or spongy skin. I'm thinking I may take a weber OTG to finish the chicken on ramp up temp to crisp skin a little more

My (current) plan is to get the smoke flavor from smoker for 45 minutes at 250-275 then on weber grill at 300-325 to finish and glaze. My glaze is a sweet heat glaze that is more red than most.

So question is do you think the smoke flavor and glaze would win out over crispy skin and a bright glaze?
Like to have a comp guy's input, please.

[Scott P]

I finished fifth of 103 teams in chicken last year cooking my chicken on the OTS. You can still get smoke plaver by adding a chunk to teh coals. I cooked a combo of indirect and direct. I got started late and was checking/flipping the chicken a lot squeezing to make the turn in time.

[Wtxsmoker]

Thanks Wrangler. Do you think it is the smoke that they like or crispy skin.
My last comp had just 24 cook I finished 12th overall. Kind of like glass half full or half empty

[All_Grilla_No_Filla]

I'm assuming you're referring to IBCA, correct? I ask because in Lubbock you're close enough to three other states where you could also do some KCBS events. But, if you're referring to IBCA chickens with half-chicken turn-in, the skin doesn't mean anything at all, other than for it to have nice, even color. They don't eat it. The first judge will take his or her plastic knife and fork and cut it enough to scoot it out of the way to get to the desired section of meat, and then from there, it's just moved further out of the way. It took me a long time to quit obsessing over it. Now I just make sure there the color is even and that's about it.

[txmike]

I have judged chicken in tgcba wich is the same as ibca. I usually have been second table round. Although most of the time someone has cut though the skin with their plastic knife I have always tried to get a piece of skin. As long as it it chewable I always counted it as good. Some very tough and or very chewy (over cooked). Some edible and or bite through. Just remember, if it is in the box the judge can count it against you if they don't like it.

[BigDave]

I have judged chicken in tgcba wich is the same as ibca. I usually have been second table round. Although most of the time someone has cut though the skin with their plastic knife I have always tried to get a piece of skin. As long as it it chewable I always counted it as good. Some very tough and or very chewy (over cooked). Some edible and or bite through. Just remember, if it is in the box the judge can count it against you if they don't like it.

This! I was a table monitor at Traders one year for the backyard chicken we were not cookin in. There was a judge at that table, judge #1 too so he got to see the chicken half all purdy, who was cuttin a piece of skin with the corner of the chicken breast.

He got one entry he could not cut the skin or tear it off. He looked at me and said "what do I do?" as I have been tastin some skin with every entry and I want to keep my scores fair. I told him to judge the entry as he saw fit to be fair which is all I could do since it wasn't a raw entry.

He tasted the meat only as he could not get a piece of skin and gave the entry a score of 5. That entry probably didn't advance. So, just because it is IBCA, LSBS, or any other sanctioning Texas body don't think the skin is not important! Your entry just may cross paths with a judge like that. If you have a rubbery skin that cannot be cut with a plastic knife, personally, I would work on that meself.

[Texan79423]

I got to judge chicken at a IBCA cook off yesterday. No one had a smoky red colored sweet chicken like I cook. In fact all were all light brown almost tan colored . Most if not all tasted like they were all cooked on straight charcoal. I tasted 20 boxes total. All 20 were almost the same in color and taste maybe 25% use honey to glaze. I believe all had some chipotle either in glaze of rub. I guess that is the winning trend. Of the 20 I judge all were very well cooked and juicy.

I was worried about the skin but after judging I realized you use a knife and fork and only get one bite, so the texture is not that much to worry about in IBCA. Excluding the rubber band skin

I do believe with IBCA off the street judges if I cooked my chicken yesterday it would have been different and might have popped just because it was different.