Competition winners secrets

[Alakso]

Generally speaking what usually separates the winners from the losers? Of these three is it the quality of the meat, cooking method or style, or rubs and sauces?

[FireMan]

The one who is the cook, hence, knowing what yer doin! Then come the other two or three or four.

[Dadof3Illinois]

I agree, I think it has to do with the actual persons knowledge of flavors, the different combinations and how to apply them. Then comes quality of meat and knowledge of the flame!!

[BRic]

Quality of the meat, timing is very important , what the judges like . rubs ,sauce play important role. Appearance is very important when you turn in . no mushy meat for one .

[IowaGirl]

My friend Keenan has done a few competitions and knows a couple of judges. I'm not good enough to be on his pit crew to wash dishes, but I've listened to him talk.

What he says is this -- getting good meat and cooking it right are both really important, but you have to cook for the judges, not for yourself. That may mean using a flavor profile that might not trip your trigger, but it makes the judges happy. He wasn't going to go anywhere competitively until he learned what flavors, textures, etc. that the judges are looking for.

Another aspect is being obsessive about presentation - the meat sliced and arranged just so, fresh eye-appealing garnish, etc. There are many excellent pitmasters who can turn out amazing food, so the difference between landing in the winners box or going home empty handed can sometimes be in the details.

[Mark V]

You are right on. I am a judge. The order of importance is taste, tenderness, and appearance (in KCBS land). Remember that the judge is going to usually take only one bite, that one bite has to stand out. As a judge, you never know who cooked what, if it is wagyu, or what rub or sauce they used.I guarantee that Wagyu does not win every time. One point difference in any category is a huge thing in placing or not.

[Mark V]

For KCBS judging, according to my 5 year old manual, the weights for the 3 judging criteria are:
Appearance 0.56
Taste 2.2972
Tenderness 1.1428

[kbremer]

Taste and the way it looks everytime!!!

[jecucolo]

The competitions I have attended don’t allow garnish. You should attend one and walk around and talk to the teams. Most people do this for the comraderie. There are different sanctioning organizations so you need to find out what each requires. CandySueQ is a moderator in the pit and very successful in competitions she usually is very helpful.
Also volunteer to be a judge would probably be a good idea.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I win every competition when I pay the judges before the competition

[Donw]

But you’ve got to stop presenting in the Burger King bag, people are starting to notice and comment.😀

[holehogg]

You'd fit in well in SA

[Troutman]

Man don’t give away all my secrets to winning

[Brisket Syndicate]

Attention to small details is the difference between walking or watching.

[BRic]

I agree with you 100 % .

[CandySueQ]

Generally speaking what usually separates the winners from the losers? Of these three is it the quality of the meat, cooking method or style, or rubs and sauces?

Balance and nail the meat's tenderness! Balance means not too sweet, spicy or salty. Texture is cooked to perfection. If you get the tenderness spot on, you can tweek the taste with sauce, rubs or just plain salt.

[Alakso]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I really appreciate it!

PS: I would like each post individually but for some reason I can't from my Iphone.

[SparkDog]

I have never competed but from what I have read, like other things, the recipe is less important than execution. great meat and presentation does not over ride poor execution.
Of course from a compitition standpoint, I cook for one judge. If she's happy, I get to make it again. Thanks to the guys at the pit I have been winning more than losing here lately. Thanks to all for your great advice