Boston Butt Question.....

[roxy]

I do rest pork butt at comp and for more than an hour. I have won a GC with 1st in pork at that comp. I can tell you I would not be able to hold a candle to SmokinOkie as the level of competition I am against is nothing like what he goes up against. One can get lucky from time to time but it is consistency that matters in BBQ competition. And yes, I have had a DAL.. actually 2, but who's counting. I think a humbling DAL is a greater learning experience than a win. Kinda motivates one to not let that happen again.

IMHO, SmokinOkie has to his credit something that is far greater than any GC.. I remember when him and Allsmokenofire and some other fellows went and gave their time and efforts to prepare BBQ and fed a ton of people who had been displaced after that hurricane took out New Orleans and most of the northern gulf coast. The memory of that event, IMO, would far out weigh a GC.

BBQ is about more than winning.. It is a way of life.
_________________
Chargriller Akorn
WSM
LIAR #100
_________________
Do not rely on a rabbits foot for luck, it did not work out too well for the rabbit...

[BabyHuey]

[ScenicCitySmoker]

Well, here goes my .02.

I met Smokin a couple years ago at the Jack. Talked to him for some time and he recommended that if I wanted to compete (and NOT sit on the sidelines) to take a judging class and judge some events.

I took his advice and judged for two years while practicing in the backyard. I learned A LOT of good information from the judging tables. If you haven't judged, and you compete, I think you might be at a slight disadvantage.

This year, for the first time, we competed against some of the biggest teams at Winchester's HOTH in April. 54 teams, Lotta Bull, Bad Byron...you can name the big ones. We truly went to have "fun", and if we heard our name called, that was iciing on the cake. Well, we walked away with First Place Pork in our debut, and we're hooked now. We'll be competing again in two months, then more next year!!!! It was FUN!!!!

Prior to this I talked to Russ, and exchanged photos of some sample boxes we had made. He provided valuable feedback and some suggestions.

I'm not going to go on...because most posters on here know the great work Russ does...bbq community, etc. He doesn't need any defending. His work speaks for itself. His information is valuable.

SCS

[roxy]

[Big Daddy Woo Woo]

OK, for the ones of you that let urs rest, what does that do to your bark? Does it soften it up? Make it mushy? We don't normally cook butts, only whole shoulders in comp, but I am doing a non-sanctioned contest in a few weeks on my own and considering trying the "resting" thing. Sound Off!!
_________________
Backwoods Smoker - Upgraded Chubby
Backwoods Smoker - Upgraded Party
Backwoods Smoker - Competitor w/ Convection
Backwoods Smoker - Professional

Big Daddy Woo Woo's Championship BBQ & Catering

Feva In Da Funkhouse!

[SmokinOkie]

[SMOKECRAZY.COM]

holy smoke will get an education and be humbled by his performance in his first comp.i will give odds he won't win grand champion in a sanctioned contest,there is no substitute.pratice is good but isn't the same as the heat of battle.i have enjoyed sucess and dissapoint in my first 4 comps this year and have cooked against the best.i have learned lot here and find the folks most helpful.when cooking at home i have found that i never had someone tell me my food wasn't real good?
get out there and do it holysmoke and you might have different perspective on what it takes to win

[chickenhawk]

I am brand new to this forum and to comp cooking, and if the competitions are close to the intensity of this forum, it will be quite a ride. I look forward to learning great deal from you guys
_________________
"chickenhawk"
_________________________________________
I'm a chickenhawk.. and I wants me some chicken
Large Big Green Egg
Medium Big Green Egg (scored for $125)
Member's Mark SS Gas
Big Oil Tank (homemade)

[Bedlam BBQ]

Chickenhawk, welcome to the forum.

As a new competitor myself (3 comps so far this year with 1 more coming up in October) I can tell you that comps are a lot of fun but a lot of work. If you think you cook great que at home, so does everyone else at a comp otherwise they wouldn't invest the money doing it (it ain't cheap). But you'll meet some of the nicest folks at competitions.

My only advice to get ready for competiting is to practice, practice, practice. Get yourself some of the styrofoam clam-shell boxes and practice cooking and making your turn-in boxes. Use the same times for turn in that you will at competitions. The timing was what was really difficult for me getting ready for our first comp. When I cook at home for family and friends, it's done when it's done. But at a comp, you have a set time when you have to turn it in. I errored on the side of getting things ready too early at my first comp and had to hold things (this brings up its own set of problems like losing bark, etc).

Look through some of the posts on samples of turn-in boxes to get an idea of what you want to do with your turn-ins.

Best of luck to you at your first competition -- they are addictive when you do that first one.
_________________
Steve

Stumper clone with Stoker
Bedlam BBQ
Competition Team

[chickenhawk]

SStory,

Thanks for the advice. I am going in to this with the expectations of having a lot of fun, learning new ideas and techniques, making new friends, and maybe even winning something eventually.

My first comp is going to be a loosely organized first time event for a trade organization I belong to. It will definitely be less pressure than a sanctioned event and should be a good time.
_________________
"chickenhawk"
_________________________________________
I'm a chickenhawk.. and I wants me some chicken
Large Big Green Egg
Medium Big Green Egg (scored for $125)
Member's Mark SS Gas
Big Oil Tank (homemade)