KCBS Hoosier BBQ Classic

[thirdeye]

You are probably down the final chores before heading to the contest. Good luck!! One more tip, it's really common and easy to meet some of the teams cooking next to you. Be sure to let them know you are new, and they often will give some general advise. If you are really lucky they might share some of the leftover meats and this will give you an idea of what they turned in that day.

 

[TheBeardedPig]

You are probably down the final chores before heading to the contest. Good luck!! One more tip, it's really common and easy to meet some of the teams cooking next to you. Be sure to let them know you are new, and they often will give some general advise. If you are really lucky they might share some of the leftover meats and this will give you an idea of what they turned in that day.

Thanks hoping for the best!!!i e already met some of the teams and really good people

 

[912smoker]

Time for an update TBP

Keith

 

[TheBeardedPig]

Time for an update TBP

Keith

It was a blast. The family and I had a lot of fun. Great people and awesome atmosphere. I didn’t come in last lol. Got mostly 8’s few 9’s few 7’s. Learned a lot and next time I’m going to do what I usually do with my own seasoning and rubs. The first day was a rib burn and one of the judges said it was too spicy. So I changed my ways and adjusted. I really feel I would have done better the second day if I didn’t change the way I usually do it. I didn’t know the judges multiply greatly when we do the 4 categories lol makes sense because that’s a ton of food for 3 judges lol. Definitely hooked and definitely trying to get into more backyards. With that does anybody know of any close by northwest Indiana area?

 

[TheBeardedPig]

It was a blast. The family and I had a lot of fun. Great people and awesome atmosphere. I didn’t come in last lol. Got mostly 8’s few 9’s few 7’s. Learned a lot and next time I’m going to do what I usually do with my own seasoning and rubs. The first day was a rib burn and one of the judges said it was too spicy. So I changed my ways and adjusted. I really feel I would have done better the second day if I didn’t change the way I usually do it. I didn’t know the judges multiply greatly when we do the 4 categories lol makes sense because that’s a ton of food for 3 judges lol. Definitely hooked and definitely trying to get into more backyards. With that does anybody know of any close by northwest Indiana area?

This was my rib burn turn in. I didn’t take any on the second day(first day for 4 meats)it was very busy with the turn ins and nervous lol.

 

[912smoker]

Glad to have a good time and definitely a learning experience!
I had similar results with my brisket judges. 2 loved it, 1 was OK and 1 was too peppery lol.

I would have probably also adjusted my flavor profile after the 1st rib event to try for better results the next day. And the box looks good!

We only took 1 pic at our last comp
so understand about the hustle and nerves kicking in !
Bit man they are fun are we're also getting ready for one next month !

Keith

 

[thirdeye]

It was a blast. The family and I had a lot of fun. Great people and awesome atmosphere. I didn’t come in last lol. Got mostly 8’s few 9’s few 7’s.

Fun is what it's all about. Too bad about forgetting photos, but I know the feeling when it's crunch time. I would have scored your rib photo a solid 7 on appearance (possibly an 8 in person). Appearance is based on impression only, things like arrangement, garnish, fullness etc. are not considered.

Don't worry about your finish when compared to the overall ranking. It's better to rank yourself with other new teams. The organizer or Reps can tell you how many teams were first timers, and if you ranked ahead of some of them (or most of them), that's a good start. And don't beat yourself up over the score sheets, two or three 8's in a field of 9's can really have an impact. One or two 7's will really lower a ranking.

I didn’t know the judges multiply greatly when we do the 4 categories lol makes sense because that’s a ton of food for 3 judges lol.

A ton of food is correct. The ratio is one judge for each team. in other words, 30 teams need 30 judges (and we all hope they are certified judges). If there are uncertified judges, they get a crash course in judging, and are limited to one per table. Now here is the deal..., each judge takes about 24 to 30 bites over the two hour judging time. All the entries are tracked so that a certain table does not get more than one entry from any one team. Also, of the 6 judges at each table, the lowest score is thrown out.

What category was your best and worst? And did you get any comment cards? This will help for the next contest.

 

[TheBeardedPig]

Fun is what it's all about. Too bad about forgetting photos, but I know the feeling when it's crunch time. I would have scored your rib photo a solid 7 on appearance (possibly an 8 in person). Appearance is based on impression only, things like arrangement, garnish, fullness etc. are not considered.

Don't worry about your finish when compared to the overall ranking. It's better to rank yourself with other new teams. The organizer or Reps can tell you how many teams were first timers, and if you ranked ahead of some of them (or most of them), that's a good start. And don't beat yourself up over the score sheets, two or three 8's in a field of 9's can really have an impact. One or two 7's will really lower a ranking.


A ton of food is correct. The ratio is one judge for each team. in other words, 30 teams need 30 judges (and we all hope they are certified judges). If there are uncertified judges, they get a crash course in judging, and are limited to one per table. Now here is the deal..., each judge takes about 24 to 30 bites over the two hour judging time. All the entries are tracked so that a certain table does not get more than one entry from any one team. Also, of the 6 judges at each table, the lowest score is thrown out.

What category was your best and worst? And did you get any comment cards? This will help for the next contest.

Chicken 34th/39
Ribs 37/39
Pork 34/39
Brisket 35/39
I knew ribs were gonna be iffy. I got so caught up with practicing the 3 other meats because I’ve cooked countless ribs. Well that bit me in ass as I expected lol. I thought my chicken was the worse but it surprised my ass. I did a really good job on brisket. I was going up against A9’s and SRF’s. I bought from Gordon’s. I have no excuses just more work. I’ll keep climbing the ranks til the call! The comment cards are a great help let’s me know where I sit at on that cook and just the feedback on Pres. Taste n texture greatly helps. Can’t wait for the next one!!!!

 

[JckDanls 07]

That's awesome... As was stated many times above... the most important thing is to have fun... And it sounds like you accomplished that... Good deal ...

And yes.. they are addicting ...

 

[thirdeye]

Chicken 34th/39
Ribs 37/39
Pork 34/39
Brisket 35/39

Well, now you know for next time you need to set your sights on the 20th to 25th positions. I would bet the top 15 or so teams are cooking $300 Wagyu briskets, Heritage breed ribs and shoulder, and good quality chicken. Buying Duroc ribs will not hurt your budget much and are worth it, because your family will eat the practice cooks. Be sure to cook a pan of chicken at the same time because it's cheap and all you are looking for is one good bite.

Look at your 7, 8, and 9 scores and work a plan to bump any 7 to an 8 or a 9 (8s and 9s are splitting hairs). Meaning, 7's in tenderness means the chew was probably under done. And 7's in flavor means you need more 'pop' (or more MSG ) or maybe your sauce was not a good fit.