Wrapping in competition

[bbqbrett]

I might have to pick up his book

I have two books of his. I think they are the only two but not positive. Pretty interesting some of the stuff he has in there. I showed the first one to my parents and they liked it enough they picked up a copy for themselves as well.

 

[ravenclan]

I have a hard time watching comps on TV, Because there are so many different judges and each one is different and in all reality , it is really his or her opinion on flavor,look,bite and all other so called categories on the judging card.

even tho it is said there are rules it is still a opinion of the judge.

I have done a comp with five other smokers "friends" and had other smoker friends "judge" the winner but even then it came down to who liked what flavor/taste.

Now i just smoke what my family and i like to what taste we like and i am always the winner. No need to do a comp!

 

[BKING!]

Yeah it all does seem to be a matter of opinion. It’s so subjective and regional it seems as each region of the country will have different preferences anyway.

 

[daricksta]

I've watched a number of BBQ comps on TV and got to attend one live. You see much more of what's happening on TV. Besides taste, judges rate each entry on the appearance of the entire submission. So, while you've agonized over to whether to wrap or not to wrap, the firmness of the bark or lack thereof, the judges are also looking if your bed of green lettuce upon which your meat entry sets looks consistent or is perhaps a little slapdash or whatever. I've heard the comments on how the presentation looks and contestants have been marked down if everything didn't look perfect regardless of taste. The subjectivity of judges' palates is a big reason why I've never had interest in entering a cooking competition.

And speaking of Myron Mixon, I've looked at a couple of his BBQ cookbooks. Yes, he knows how to win BBQ competitions but when it comes to cookbooks, I didn't see much that interested me. I'm a guy with a Masterbuilt 30" digital electric smoker. I'm not one of the BBQers he's targeted. In fact, I read his recipe for making burnt ends that was WAY overcomplicated and hard for me to understand. When I smoked up my first burnt ends, I based my version on a Jeff Phillips recipe, with some tweaks of my own.

My own personal take on wrapping is that I don't do it as much as I used to. Pork ribs and beef briskets stay naked. When I wrapped b-backs in foil, they finished up more steamed than smoked, which softened the bark too much. This summer I'll experiment more with wrapped and naked ribs and see which I and my family prefer.

 

[BKING!]

My own personal take on wrapping is that I don't do it as much as I used to. Pork ribs and beef briskets stay naked. When I wrapped b-backs in foil, they finished up more steamed than smoked, which softened the bark too much. This summer I'll experiment more with wrapped and naked ribs and see which I and my family prefer.

This pretty much the final product of some ribs I did that were foiled. I believe I did 3 hours naked and 45 min wrapped and 15-30 min sauced.They weren’t necessarily steamed to me but I can definitely say the wrap harmed the bark. I’m doing ribs this weekend. I’m gonna do 3 racks. 1 naked, 1 naked and spritzed, and 1 wrapped with the method above.

I’ve also ordered a jaccard to see if I can get the same tenderness without long foil times on brisket and butts so I’ll have a more pronounced bark.

 

[bbqbrett]

I've watched a number of BBQ comps on TV and got to attend one live. You see much more of what's happening on TV. Besides taste, judges rate each entry on the appearance of the entire submission. So, while you've agonized over to whether to wrap or not to wrap, the firmness of the bark or lack thereof, the judges are also looking if your bed of green lettuce upon which your meat entry sets looks consistent or is perhaps a little slapdash or whatever. I've heard the comments on how the presentation looks and contestants have been marked down if everything didn't look perfect regardless of taste. The subjectivity of judges' palates is a big reason why I've never had interest in entering a cooking competition.

You have some good points. Taste is very subjective but so is the appearance as well. The comps I did were KCBS and the opinions can vary widely. I remember me and my partner got on one box which were scored 8's & 9's for appearance (9 being the best) except for one judge who had us at a 4 or 5, if I am remembering correctly. Then again for KCBS the different scores are "weighted" as they call it. Taste is the most important, then tenderness and then appearance. But some of those guys take appearance extremely serious. At the fist comp I got to go to an impromptu class on building a box by Harry Soo from Slay Yo Daddy. That guy was a perfectionist and was trimming parsley sprigs with mini scissors. While I know I am not on the level of some of those guys it was still a lot of fun to compete and see how we compared.

 

[daricksta]

bbqbrett--that was a great comment! I've never talked to anyone on SMF or elsewhere that was in a BBQ comp. What you described is why I'll never enter one. There are things in my life where I am just a meticulous as Harry Soo, but not when it comes to BBQ. I admit I also don't like to be judged on a rigorous scale in competition with others. But it sounds like you and your partner indeed know what you're doing.

My wife and I enjoying watching cooking competitions on TV and that's how we saw that food judging, like ice skating judging, is almost entirely subjective. One judge's overly-salty food is another judge's bland, underseasoned flavors.

Do you still compete?

 

[BKING!]

bbqbrett--that was a great comment! I've never talked to anyone on SMF or elsewhere that was in a BBQ comp. What you described is why I'll never enter one. There are things in my life where I am just a meticulous as Harry Soo, but not when it comes to BBQ. I admit I also don't like to be judged on a rigorous scale in competition with others. But it sounds like you and your partner indeed know what you're doing.

My wife and I enjoying watching cooking competitions on TV and that's how we saw that food judging, like ice skating judging, is almost entirely subjective. One judge's overly-salty food is another judge's bland, underseasoned flavors.

Do you still compete?

I know your question wasn’t directed towards me but the points you guys above me made is why I’m unsure about competing but I won’t know until I try. I plan on competing sometime next year I believe.

How I feel about competition will dictate how I approach bbq going forward. Now I am trying to emulate other competitors techniques and trying to create a product that a judge may like. If it turns out I don’t like competition, then I’ll create products I, family, and potentially customers would like. I also wouldn’t restrict my smoker selection to charcoal, stickburner, or pellet. Chances are I would invest in a gas assist trailer like an ole hickory or a southern pride.

So how I feel about competing in that first competition could definitely change my future and relationship with bbq. Either way bbq will remain a part of my life forever!!!

 

[daricksta]

BKing, how long have you been BBQing?

 

[BKING!]

BKing, how long have you been BBQing?

Smoking for a little over a year. Grilling for about 3 years.

 

[fullsmoke]

I know your question wasn’t directed towards me but the points you guys above me made is why I’m unsure about competing but I won’t know until I try. I plan on competing sometime next year I believe.

How I feel about competition will dictate how I approach bbq going forward. Now I am trying to emulate other competitors techniques and trying to create a product that a judge may like. If it turns out I don’t like competition, then I’ll create products I, family, and potentially customers would like. I also wouldn’t restrict my smoker selection to charcoal, stickburner, or pellet. Chances are I would invest in a gas assist trailer like an ole hickory or a southern pride.

So how I feel about competing in that first competition could definitely change my future and relationship with bbq. Either way bbq will remain a part of my life forever!!!

It’s fun competing but it can get you down too just be prepared!

 

[SonnyE]

I do NOT like wrapping.
I'm more into Country and Western, Old Blues, and just about a lot of stuff.
But not wrapping. I do like Sir Mix A Lot's song though...
:eek::oops::rolleyes:

 

[bbqbrett]

bbqbrett--that was a great comment! I've never talked to anyone on SMF or elsewhere that was in a BBQ comp. What you described is why I'll never enter one. There are things in my life where I am just a meticulous as Harry Soo, but not when it comes to BBQ. I admit I also don't like to be judged on a rigorous scale in competition with others. But it sounds like you and your partner indeed know what you're doing.

My wife and I enjoying watching cooking competitions on TV and that's how we saw that food judging, like ice skating judging, is almost entirely subjective. One judge's overly-salty food is another judge's bland, underseasoned flavors.

Do you still compete?

Have not been competing. My partner had to get a 2nd job and can't do it right now. I'm currently looking for someone to do a comp with later this year.

 

[daricksta]

This pretty much the final product of some ribs I did that were foiled. I believe I did 3 hours naked and 45 min wrapped and 15-30 min sauced.They weren’t necessarily steamed to me but I can definitely say the wrap harmed the bark. I’m doing ribs this weekend. I’m gonna do 3 racks. 1 naked, 1 naked and spritzed, and 1 wrapped with the method above.

I’ve also ordered a jaccard to see if I can get the same tenderness without long foil times on brisket and butts so I’ll have a more pronounced bark.

Great looking ribs! I inherited a jaccard from my dad but never use it. I like the way you experiment with different smoking methods. I do the same thing. Still working on perfecting my pork ribs and I think it will be a while yet till I get them where I want them.

 

[daricksta]

You've got talent, my friend. I've been smoking for 6 years but I typically smoke about 4 times a year so not nearly as much as many guys. I've been grilling for over about 25 years. It's my favorite cooking method. I think Chinese wok cooking is 2nd and smoking is 3rd.

 

[SonnyE]

You've got talent, my friend. I've been smoking for 6 years but I typically smoke about 4 times a year so not nearly as much as many guys. I've been grilling for over about 25 years. It's my favorite cooking method. I think Chinese wok cooking is 2nd and smoking is 3rd.

That's the sound a huey makes coming in,
woc-a-woc-a-woc-a-woc-a....

 

[daricksta]

That's the sound a huey makes coming in,
woc-a-woc-a-woc-a-woc-a....

Oh, I thought that was Fozzie Bear doing his impression of a huey...