Meat Fest Competition cook 20 MAY 2023

[thirdeye]

5 judges for the second round. I didn't get a ranking for that one. First round was public taste and vote. I think there were 25 judges for the public round. I finished second to last in the public.

JC

Well, this is a sign that you need to change your seasonings and/or sauce combination. The good thing is, you have the texture and tenderness down pat (which is the hard part for many cooks) and I'm not familiar with the rubs or sauce you used, but if I had to guess... the hot sauce might be the culprit since it brings heat and a vinegar flavor to the party.

It's a given that in any food competition you want your sample to stand out from the others, but... it's equally important to not offend any judge. And flavor wise, being too spicy, being too salty, or having a dominate flavor are the three comments I hear the most at the judging table.

Too bad you didn't get your finish position from the 'judged' portion of the scoring, because the 'peoples choice' scoring isn't always a good reflection because (at the people's choice events in my area) many cooks put some pizazz in the presentation or at their cook-site that can have some influence. As an example, a competitor friend of mine always enters the people's choice, and generally uses pork butts since he cooks three. One year he made Pulled Pork Sundaes, a clear plastic cup with layers of sauced PP, cole slaw and mashed potatoes. The people's choice was a slam dunk, but his box of pork entry, finished something like 21st out of 29 teams.

 

[jcam222]

Man the color on that bird!! Nice work

 

[JC in GB]

Well, this is a sign that you need to change your seasonings and/or sauce combination. The good thing is, you have the texture and tenderness down pat (which is the hard part for many cooks) and I'm not familiar with the rubs or sauce you used, but if I had to guess... the hot sauce might be the culprit since it brings heat and a vinegar flavor to the party.

It's a given that in any food competition you want your sample to stand out from the others, but... it's equally important to not offend any judge. And flavor wise, being too spicy, being too salty, or having a dominate flavor are the three comments I hear the most at the judging table.

Too bad you didn't get your finish position from the 'judged' portion of the scoring, because the 'peoples choice' scoring isn't always a good reflection because (at the people's choice events in my area) many cooks put some pizazz in the presentation or at their cook-site that can have some influence. As an example, a competitor friend of mine always enters the people's choice, and generally uses pork butts since he cooks three. One year he made Pulled Pork Sundaes, a clear plastic cup with layers of sauced PP, cole slaw and mashed potatoes. The people's choice was a slam dunk, but his box of pork entry, finished something like 21st out of 29 teams.

My issue with the people's choice portion is the people knew who the cooks were. I suggested doing a double blind turn in next year. I would imagine there were some plants in the crowd.

I added the Frank's as I thought the sauce was too sweet on its own. I only used a small amount so there was only a little heat on the back end.

I have never done a chicken competition cook before so I was kind of going for a flavor profile similar to ribs I have done. Maybe that is where I went wrong?

I thought my wings turned out well so I really wish I had a bit more feedback on why they placed so low. Too sweet, vinegar, too sticky? The fact that I don't know why I lost bothers me far more than losing.

Thank you for your suggestions and feedback. It was very useful to me and much appreciated.

JC

 

[flatbroke]

What rubs you going to test drive now

 

[thirdeye]

My issue with the people's choice portion is the people knew who the cooks were. I suggested doing a double blind turn in next year. I would imagine there were some plants in the crowd.

I have never done a chicken competition cook before so I was kind of going for a flavor profile similar to ribs I have done. Maybe that is where I went wrong?

JC

At one competition that I judge cooks can sign up to furnish 6 pounds of cooked weight pork shoulder, pulled/sliced in covered foil pans that are delivered to a 'tasting area" where people that buy tasting tickets are allowed. The organizer assigns the pans a number, and furnishes plastic tongs, small paper boats, napkins and forks next to each pan of pork. So, let's call this semi-blind judging..... They have a few volunteers in the area for clean-up etc. Now, back to the pizazz factor I mentioned. Some cooks garnished the perimeter of the pans with various greens, flowers, fruit etc., sort of like a mini version of how a whole hog is decorated.

With something like thighs, you can still maintain a chicken flavor that is accented by a rub or a sauce. With wings it's harder. But then again, there is little or no guidance to the judges, their scores are subjective.

 

[chopsaw]

Try not to take it to hard . I've cooked enough chicken and wings to know those flats you did are perfect for texture , bite and moisture .
Plumped up and no splits in the skin . Those were cooked right and pulled when they were done .
Nice work .

 

[babydocsmoker]

Out of curiosity, the baking powder is for crispness of the skin?

 

[JC in GB]

Out of curiosity, the baking powder is for crispness of the skin?

I used it for bite through skin. I have heard it can also help with crispness but I have no practical experience to say for sure.

JC

 

[JC in GB]

Try not to take it to hard . I've cooked enough chicken and wings to know those flats you did are perfect for texture , bite and moisture .
Plumped up and no splits in the skin . Those were cooked right and pulled when they were done .
Nice work .

Thanks for that, it really was helpful. Yes, you are correct, they cooked up perfectly. Even better than my test runs. I was happy with the results. I have done cooks where I knew I wasn't going to do anything as the cook didn't go off right. Better luck next cook I guess.

JC

 

[JC in GB]

At one competition that I judge cooks can sign up to furnish 6 pounds of cooked weight pork shoulder, pulled/sliced in covered foil pans that are delivered to a 'tasting area" where people that buy tasting tickets are allowed. The organizer assigns the pans a number, and furnishes plastic tongs, small paper boats, napkins and forks next to each pan of pork. So, let's call this semi-blind judging..... They have a few volunteers in the area for clean-up etc. Now, back to the pizazz factor I mentioned. Some cooks garnished the perimeter of the pans with various greens, flowers, fruit etc., sort of like a mini version of how a whole hog is decorated.

With something like thighs, you can still maintain a chicken flavor that is accented by a rub or a sauce. With wings it's harder. But then again, there is little or no guidance to the judges, their scores are subjective.

That is an awesome idea there with the pulled pork samples. I am going to suggest that to the organizers for next year. They will get a lot more tasters than they did with the wings. Thanks for your feedback.

JC

 

[JC in GB]

What rubs you going to test drive now

You know, I haven't given it much thought. I really thought my flavor profile was popping. I am open for suggestions for my next cook.

JC

 

[JC in GB]

Man the color on that bird!! Nice work

Thank you...

 

[JC in GB]

Here was my view from my cook stall. Not too bad....

Apologies for not including this in my original post.

JC

 

[flatbroke]

You know, I haven't given it much thought. I really thought my flavor profile was popping. I am open for suggestions for my next cook.

JC

try kosmo killer bee honey. On a couple and try mixing in kosmo dirty bird with the killer honey on a few if you want a kick. Don’t do 50/50 as it’s too much heat for some. But the sweet heat balance is pretty good. May make a difference in your next comp.let the seasoning set for a couple hours prior to cooking. Also dust some killer bee before putting on the grill. It’s good stuff. No sauce will be needed.

 

[JC in GB]

try kosmo killer bee honey. On a couple and try mixing in kosmo dirty bird with the killer honey on a few if you want a kick. Don’t do 50/50 as it’s too much heat for some. But the sweet heat balance is pretty good. May make a difference in your next comp.let the seasoning set for a couple hours prior to cooking. Also dust some killer bee before putting on the grill. It’s good stuff. No sauce will be needed.

I am going to give that a try. I have used Kosmos products in the past and they were top notch for sure. Thank for the suggestion.

JC

 

[chopsaw]

Franks makes a buffalo wing seasoning in a shaker bottle . If you see it at the store grab some and try it . Just because it's makes a good wing .

 

[thirdeye]

The Ace Hardware stores in my area are carrying a lot of Kosmos products, you might be able to save a little on shipping if you have an Ace with a BBQ section.

Marketing of BBQ rubs is very interesting as some seem to be designed for ribs or chicken, and others are more of a universal rub. About 15 years ago I was one of the Beta testers for Plowboys Yardbird Rub. A year or two later Todd's team won the American Royal, and he happened to use Yardbird on more than just chicken. The next batch of labels said something like "... designed for chicken, but great on pork".