Labor Day Rib Off against my brother

[vegas_frak]

So I'm posting this just to vent mostly. My brother and I decided to have a little rib competition Sunday in honor of Labor Day and also to celebrate his youngest's birthday. So he purchased 14 racks of baby backs and had me come over and pick up half. We each marinated or rubbed the night before and then were going to smoke them on my stick burner the next day.

Well I took great pain in prepping the racks, rubbing, etc. and got ready for the big day. We put them on at 9am and proceeded to smoke for about 2.5 hours and then foiled. When foiling each pack I even went back and added some addtitional rub, a touch of brown sugar, and a light coat of honey before I wrapped them up. I just knew I was going to win the sweet crowd.

Well 2 hours later we opened the packs and they looked magnificent!! So good at this point I contemplated not even adding a stich of sauce. Well my brother's tasted ok, but more like good pulled pork, not well rubbed ribs.

After we pulled from the foil I then started to layer on some really good sauce, building it up a little at a time. And then applied just a touch more before cutting them up.

My brother on the other hand just let his sit for about 15 minutes, cut them up, and then hand dunked each one in some Cattlemen's that he had jazzed up a bit.

Well to look at them mine were prisitine and his just had sauce running off. But of course I took a beating because turns out all of the family just wanted to lick up that stuff. Geez! Didn't they have a discriminate pallet to taste all that delicious rub I had worked on and applied???

Oh well I guess next year I'll just pull out some junky old sauce and reclaim my diginity. Ha ha!!


Thanks for a great group!

 

[gnubee]

Bin dere done dat! People will gravitate to what they are used too. I have had people rave about my ribs when they are slathered in sauce so much so that you cannot taste the true flavour of the meat at all. I always give them a choice. Naked smoked ribs or dripping with sauce. Many times I have had people not only refuse the naked ones they won't even try them.

The few that try the unadorned ones eventually will win over the others. It takes time but now most of the people who show up in my back yard prefer real smoked goodness over sweet tomato sauce.

Sometimes it irks me too but you just have to realise thats how human nature is there is nothing you can do about it.

PS. If you give them a choice between ribs oversteamed and over cooked in the foil and literally falling off the bone or properly cooked ribs with just a little tug to them most people will pick the fall off the bones ribs. They have been conditioned to think that thats how ribs should be. Thats another battle you are not going to win without time and effort.

 

[alx]

Oh Man i knowwwwwww.My sis and bro-in-law competed in maine bbq KCBS last month( i couldnt make it) and they have a whole different idea on ribs up there..The chicken,brisket,pulled pork were all 10 ten if i remember and the ribs we do were 2nd to last-never had that bad a rib score.

Kudos for YOUR effort...

 

[ronp]

I think it is a matter of KISS. Keep it simple. Taste the meat and a hint of some flavorings, not over powering though.

 

[beer-b-q]

I have a friend who thinks BBQ Ribs should be done in a oven and just soaked in a lot of sauce, He says all that smoke just stinks them up and makes them taste nasty...

My thoughts is there is no accounting for BAD Taste, LOL...

Everyone has a different opinion of what is good, that is what makes us individuals...

 

[rickw]

I too have been there. Just don't take it to heart, at least you know better.