backyard competition

[mikekiker]

Ok guys I need some help I cooked in a backyard competition this past weekend it was pork chicken and ribs I tried the other competitors food and by far mine was better or so I thought all the people that came by lived my food it was all gone in 30 minutes had multiple offers for me to cater for them I was extremely pumped for the prize reveal just knew I won it all but instead I was pretty much in last place what the Hell any ideas most of the others served sliced pork butt I pulled mine did chicken thighs the others did quarters my ribs were great the way I like them fall of the bone I'm guessing the judges wanted some tug what Yall think I should do to win with judges not the people

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

Welcome to the world of competition. There are so many factors that come into play here. The 1st being the judges themselves. Were they certified judges or just a bunch of people asked to judge a contest. I have found out many time what I/ we like is not what the judges like. A perfect example of this was at last years American Royal. No one on our team liked our brisket but it's all we had to turn in. To our surprise the brisket too 27th place out of 563 teams. About the only thing you can do it to try and duplicate your cook next time and see if you get the same results. If you do, start changing things like rubs and sauces.

[Smokeone]

But only change one thing at a time. You gotta keep a baseline.

[mikekiker]

I didn't win like I thought but we sure did have a good time and it was nice getting feed back from the people

[Pete Mazz]

I was in a friendly neighborhood Chile cookoff and found out later one of the judges had never eaten Chile before. And don't forget, most folks don't really know true Bbq.

[Rodcrafter]

That sounds about right. Pete

[4-Barrel]

Sorry for necroposting, guys. I'm new here and still reading and taking in a lot of the older threads, and this one really brought back some old memories along with a chuckle and a smile. I couldn't resist sharing my own similar story.

I was in a friendly neighborhood Chile cookoff and found out later one of the judges had never eaten Chile before.

LOL! I landed smack dab in the same situation in my first chili cookoff.

We all have signature recipes that we've spent lots of time and effort tweaking to perfection, and we're not being conceited when we say they're so good they'll make your tongue wanna beat your brains out. It's just simply because they ARE really THAT good. I have two such extra special dishes that I'm proud of; my dirty rice and my chili. The latter especially requires a whole lotta work and TLC to make, and many have told me it's the best 'bowl of red' they've ever had. Yes, I've had better, but not much better. So, while I don't claim to be the best chili cook in the world by any stretch of the imagination, I figured I probably at least ain't the worst, either. At least that was MY opinion when I entered my first competition......

Did I mention I finished almost dead last?

Now, if someone blows my doors off fair and square, well then, hey, the best man won. I'm really just there to have fun and learn something, and don't mind losing one bit as long as it's an honest contest....

Turns out, none of the judges had any credentials nor had judged a single food contest before. None were even remotely what you'd call a general "foodie" of any description, much less a chili expert. One actually said he didn't like spices or strong flavors (!?), and preferred bland fried meats, beans, taters, and corn as his daily fodder. Not surprisingly, the winning entry was a water-thin, very bland, ultra-salty bean soup that reeked of 'one envelope of grocery store brand chili seasoning per gallon of water plus a generous handful of salt'. To add insult to injury, when all the competitors tasted samples of the others' chili we found there were several that stomped the pud out of the winner.

The irony of the situation was actually kinda funny and I did have a good time, so no big deal. Plus, more importantly, it was conducted by a worthy charity as a fundraising event.

I learned something that day: either (A) find out the facts about what you're getting into first and make sure it's a fair deal and not a rigged sham based on The Good Ol' Boy System, or (B) just fugghedaboudit, have fun, ignore the fact you don't have a chance no matter what, gain some valuable experience and make some new friends. I've picked choice (B) several times, and still lived to tell about it.

4-Barrel

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

Good read. Thanks for sharing