Smokin Meat - competition style
Well, since the Turkey Time thread kept getting off track a little with posts about smoking meat and competitions, I thought I'd start a new thread so we can continue that conversation.
I have to agree with the comments about how judges can ruin it or a competition team. If the judges only knew how much time, effort and money a team puts into competing I think they may rethink some of their scores. No, I'm not saying everyone deserves all 9's for all meat categories, but an 8 or even a 7 can keep a team out of the winnings and gets the point across to the team that what they turned in wasn't "top notch". But to give a team anything less can just crush a team -- unless they turned in something that just wasn't edible -- but if they are that bad, they probably wouldn't even be competing in the first place. I think all certified judges should be required to cook with a team at some point -- I know that is a requirement to be certified as a Master Judge.
I judged a competition and actually heard a judge at my table say they scored down on an entry of ribs because the team turned in Babyback ribs and the judge said they are too easy to cook therefore he scored them lower. I would have to guess that judge is not certified.
As a competition team, we always like to know how many of the judges are certified -- that helps us in preparing our turn-ins. For example, at the Stillwater competition, all of the judges are Elks Lodge members and not certified judges. So teams know to cook how they would at home -- fall-apart tender ribs and brisket -- the kind you can eat with no teeth. But certified judges are taught that ribs should not fall off the bone -- you should be able to take a clean bite and the bone should then turn white -- that is a perfectly cooked competition rib. For brisket, judges are taught the "pull test" on slices -- there should be a slight tug but not like leather (undercooked) or just fall apart (overcooked).
