I entered my first competition (June 1), and decided to make a mock trial this weekend to get my times down, and get some feedback on the food.
As luck would have it, the weather was awful (45mph winds and rain falling sideways) when we began our cook. My team consists of myself, and a friend from work. It was more convenient with our Friday work schedules, and my "judges" saturday schedules, to have the food ready at 5/530/6/630 rather than the usual 12/1230/1/130 times, so we adapted our timelines.
Below are the info on each meat.
Chicken Thighs
For budget/weather reasons, I didnt create actual turn-in boxes, but about 8 of the 12 pieces i cooked looked very similar to this. The flavour was very good, but the skin was just a touch rubbery, will need to try and crisp the skin better without burning.
Chicken was brined in basic brine (water/kosher salt/brown sugar/molasses). Used my basic KC style homemade rub, and finished with a homemade sweet and smoky bbq sauce.
Ribs
Ribs were done very basic, i used st-louis cut spares, and cooked them 2-2-1. Used my homemade KC rub, and finished with my sweet and smoky sauce.
Pork
Pork was injected with a basic mix (apple juice, cider vinegar, brown sugar), and rubbed with a sweet rub. Smoked over a blend of maple/cherry/hickory. Only got pics of the "money muscle"... forgot to take pics of the pulled, but it was good!
Brisket (my first ever full packer brisket)
The brisket started off as a USDA select, 17.3 lbs. After i trimmed the fat off aggressively, leaving a 1/4-1/3 inch fat cap on the back, it was about 14 pounds by the time it went on the cooker
Brisket recipe was followed pretty much direct from the Fire it Up Book by Schloss and Joachim (Espresso Brisket), with homemade injection/rub/mop/sauce. It came out surprisingly great, especially the burnt ends...MMMmmm burnt ends! Considering the weather conditions and the fact this was my first ever brisket, I am very happy with my results.
I'll be doing another trial run in a few weeks, and make it a bit tougher (no going into the house except bathroom breaks, or to get more beer!), and hopefully the weather cooperates a bit more, but either way we know we can cook in any weather :)
Cheers!
Craig
Rope-a-Dope BBQ
As luck would have it, the weather was awful (45mph winds and rain falling sideways) when we began our cook. My team consists of myself, and a friend from work. It was more convenient with our Friday work schedules, and my "judges" saturday schedules, to have the food ready at 5/530/6/630 rather than the usual 12/1230/1/130 times, so we adapted our timelines.
Below are the info on each meat.
Chicken Thighs
For budget/weather reasons, I didnt create actual turn-in boxes, but about 8 of the 12 pieces i cooked looked very similar to this. The flavour was very good, but the skin was just a touch rubbery, will need to try and crisp the skin better without burning.
Chicken was brined in basic brine (water/kosher salt/brown sugar/molasses). Used my basic KC style homemade rub, and finished with a homemade sweet and smoky bbq sauce.
Ribs
Ribs were done very basic, i used st-louis cut spares, and cooked them 2-2-1. Used my homemade KC rub, and finished with my sweet and smoky sauce.
Pork
Pork was injected with a basic mix (apple juice, cider vinegar, brown sugar), and rubbed with a sweet rub. Smoked over a blend of maple/cherry/hickory. Only got pics of the "money muscle"... forgot to take pics of the pulled, but it was good!
Brisket (my first ever full packer brisket)
The brisket started off as a USDA select, 17.3 lbs. After i trimmed the fat off aggressively, leaving a 1/4-1/3 inch fat cap on the back, it was about 14 pounds by the time it went on the cooker
Brisket recipe was followed pretty much direct from the Fire it Up Book by Schloss and Joachim (Espresso Brisket), with homemade injection/rub/mop/sauce. It came out surprisingly great, especially the burnt ends...MMMmmm burnt ends! Considering the weather conditions and the fact this was my first ever brisket, I am very happy with my results.
I'll be doing another trial run in a few weeks, and make it a bit tougher (no going into the house except bathroom breaks, or to get more beer!), and hopefully the weather cooperates a bit more, but either way we know we can cook in any weather :)
Cheers!
Craig
Rope-a-Dope BBQ
