Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Is competition bbq waning?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Is competition bbq waning?

    I became a KCBS judge in 2015. For a couple years, I was able to sign up for about 10 events within 200 miles. There were more available I couldn't make. This year I have 4 signed up. I can't make a couple, like in previous years. I see that in 2016, that the KCBS Royal open had 557 teams, last year it was 467. Granted, some of that is covid related. But, in Minnesota the number of comps has really dropped, and that started long before covid. Is interest in comps dropping? I heard it could be because of TV series not being there now, among other things, don't know. It could be that organizers just don't want the hassle, I know a few organizers that for personal reasons don't do it anymore. A few KCBS reps I knew have quit. But, I know more people that have been into bbq lately, mainly due to pellet grills. That hasn't seemed to carry over to competitions. I hate to see this drop.

    #2
    Seems like a pretty expensive endeavor, and with the price of everything continually rising, that surely can't help.

    Comment


    • Mark V
      Mark V commented
      Editing a comment
      It is expensive, that didn't stop them before. It stops me. Many teams have tens and even hundreds of thousands invested in equipment. A team here has a trailer/RV that cost over $400k. I am pretty sure they wrote it off as restaurant expense..

    • Murdy
      Murdy commented
      Editing a comment
      Those teams that were competing previously probably had the expensive part of the investment out of the way.

    #3
    I think what has happened is there are a fair number of organizers have stopped doing them. The backyard division is growing, which I compete in. I do believe more pro's are retiring but at our state contest (MN in May) we are still filling all available spots. It is hard to get enough judges sometimes or contests just get enough before the contest. The other part is it has become very expensive and the manipulating of meats just aren't what people enjoy doing. Most just want to do normal BBQ, A lot of pros travel the country and that adds up to mucho dollars and unless you have multiple sponsors, it's tough to do. Minnesota has KCBS contests in Cambridge, Owatonna, Worthington , Roseville, Preston, Canton, Princeton and LaCrosse Wis. So, in ending the backyard side is hot and growing, pretty easy to do ribs and chicken and fairly inexpensive and I still see the pros holding their own.

    Comment


    • Mark V
      Mark V commented
      Editing a comment
      I will keep my eyes open for you, hope you do well.

    #4
    All of the above is at play. I hear often, "it’s just not fun anymore."

    Comment


    • Jerod Broussard
      Jerod Broussard commented
      Editing a comment
      Back in the 90's before I moved here there were a lot of 3D archery tournaments in east Texas. Then the guys with the long stabilizers and scopes showed up, and they started busting-up groups (couldn't shoot with who you rode with, in other words, couldn't shoot with who you went to shoot with to have a good time). And the only expense with that is the fuel usage.

    • texastweeter
      texastweeter commented
      Editing a comment
      I don't shoot in the comps any more for those reasons. Jerod Broussard

    #5
    Mark, do you just judge or do you participate in contests on a team also? If you ever want to try it, your welcome to join us to give it a try. We could always use another team member, it's just myself and my son-in-law.

    Comment


    • Mark V
      Mark V commented
      Editing a comment
      Contact for Bringn home the bacon, she would love to hear from you, believe me.
      Edit- I deleted what I posted because it contained personal contact info, and these days you can never tell. Contact thru the website, please.
      Last edited by Mark V; March 4, 2022, 09:58 PM.

    • Richard Chrz
      Richard Chrz commented
      Editing a comment
      I will likely attend the West Salem comp as a eater. Maybe I can find the lady who runs it and introduce myself. I’m following them on FB now.

    • Richard Chrz
      Richard Chrz commented
      Editing a comment
      I hope to meet both of you at the event.

    #6
    I have only done one competition, a really small one.I did win it, chicken and pork ribs. But, I hated being judged on my approach, I thought I would never do one again, and I maybe will not. But, lately I have gotten the want to do another one, but, again,I am not sure I want to do sanctioned one, but…. I hate to take this seriously.

    Comment


    • Mark V
      Mark V commented
      Editing a comment
      What do you mean by being judged by your approach? Is it appearance, the layout in the box with parsley, kale, whatever? Some of that is not supposed to matter to a judge. I am a judge, so let me know. Congratulations, btw.

    • Northern lights smoke
      Northern lights smoke commented
      Editing a comment
      Richard you should just do some small town BBQ contest. They are usually judged by locals and they're mainly just fun. That's all we did starting out. Your a darn good cook anyhow

    • Richard Chrz
      Richard Chrz commented
      Editing a comment
      I’m sure it is just personal ocd, and my competitive nature came back out of no where. I’m a fairly passive person in nature as an adult, but this brought out my desire to be at my peak at every moment. Not the best side of myself, too much work for what I hope to keep this at. I’d rather just be a paid friend of the event.

    #7
    Hey Mark, I’m a KCBS judge and have wondered if competition bbqing is slowing down too. I also started in 2015 and in my first full year was able to participate in 10 comps. Last year zero and this year I’m only slated for two (Santa Anita, Ca and Lubbock, Tx).

    I agree with all the potential reasons stated above and one thought of mine is that there seems to be a lack of diversity. I find (and has been echoed by competitors) that what wins is a sweet sauce. The vinegar, mustard based profiles and simple salt & pepper rubs are no more. Everything tastes the same. I asked a team once why they use a sweet sauce if they don’t really like it and they responded "that’s what the judges are looking for". Very sad.

    Comment


    • Richard Chrz
      Richard Chrz commented
      Editing a comment
      When I competed last year, it was a a smaller event. But we won chicken and ribs, we did not sauce our food, there was sauce offered on the side, and I asked the judges to taste mine please without sauce, before y9u add any. They never added it that I saw, and we won… they were really enjoying the pecan smoke.

    • Richard Chrz
      Richard Chrz commented
      Editing a comment
      Y9u nailed something for me though. I have zero desire to cook to a style that will win,I want to cook my version of bbq.

    #8
    Just my 2 pennies, but until KCBS fixes the judging it will continue to decline. The last comp, 5 of the 6 judges gave a perfect score on brisket, but one judge gave a score 90 pts lower with the comments that it was tough/dry and (no kidding) with unknown putrid flavors which pushed us out of the top 10. I just find it hard to believe that one of the six slice was dry/tough with unknown putrid flavors. Until KCBS goes to dropping the high/low scores it will continue to be an issue despite their pledge to "talk" with the outlier judges about their scores. PS... the fan favorite didn't find any tough/dry with unkown putrid flavors...

    Comment


    • CandySueQ
      CandySueQ commented
      Editing a comment
      tstalafuse -- Just to be certain, I called Carolyn Wells, one of the KCBS founders. KCBS started with 4 judges, added 2 more, then dropped the lowest score around 1990 (or earlier). I would like to look at your 1st to 13th scoresheet...
      Last edited by CandySueQ; March 7, 2022, 03:03 PM. Reason: typo

    • tstalafuse
      tstalafuse commented
      Editing a comment
      CandySueQ Well, I looked at it again (I mean who wouldn't keep a score card that said your entry was dry, tough with unknown putrid flavors). My total of all 6 judges placed me at 13th, which is where they listed me, so I am not sure they actually did drop the low score, at least at this event. Of course, they also had a 90 minute delay in announcing the results due to "technical" issues.

    • CandySueQ
      CandySueQ commented
      Editing a comment
      The contest reps use a scoring system that automatically drops the lowest judge score. It shows up on the score sheet, but it's not a part of the tally.

    #9
    Interesting. Posts that were here earlier... are not here now.

    Comment


      #10
      Comp barbecue is very intense at a sanctioned event with a large (30+) field. From my point of view, winning was all about that blend of spices, glazes and such that you put on the outside of your finished product. The "perfect" balance of sweet, heat and tang. Heavy on the sweet. There is such a ton of info, on line, classes to attend, and the best products to buy (like Snake River Farms Gold briskets for each comp, 2 of them, actually, which will set you back $200 each, plus shipping).

      So the thing that we talk about the most here, how to cook great barbecue with beautiful smoke flavor, is not the emphasis that gets you to stand out in the comp world. That's when my enthusiasm for comp barbecue waned.
      Last edited by PaulstheRibList; March 6, 2022, 05:28 PM.

      Comment


        #11
        I think comp events are going the way of barbecue restaurants, too many and too much of it the same. Barbecue here in Texas is just becoming overdone. The pit masters I know are going big or going home. I'm sure the comp folks are looking at the costs and the competition and coming up with similar conclusions.

        Comment


          #12
          All I know is pictures I see and things I hear, I personally have zero interest. I’d go overboard trying to build a comp setup, then get really bored making food I probably wouldn’t even like myself always hearing about the sweet flavor profiles dominate.

          I would also guess that the situation that shall not be named has a lot to do with it. There’s a lot of people that still aren’t doing big social events and a lot of people that have been affected financially over the past couple years. I wonder how many competition rigs got sold when all the events got canceled past couple years. I think a lot of people have also been reprioritizing things in their lives too.

          Comment


            #13
            Doing comp BBQ is a big time commitment. When I was doing it we would start Wednesday after work getting ready. Then Thursday after work, then load Friday, Take a Friday off, travel to location, and on on. Back home on Sunday. unload, clean, pressure wash cooker. Spend about $800 per weekend. If your not winning and getting the bragging rights. Win and get a nice trophy and a few hundred. It just seemed like a second job. Became a judge to find out what the winning BBQ taste like. Not any different than I was doing. We were all using same methods, rubs, sauces. Or real similar. The judging was an easy deal. and ran very fairly, to each BBQ team and well ran. In the end it was like work, and I'm cooking to Pease the judges. And fill there belly with great BBQ. At my expense. Couple great things came from it. I found AR and I'm a better cook. So that maybe that is why Competition's are down. As other cook's felt the same way. Did meet some very good people along the way. Not many thugs or slackers in BBQ. It would be an big effort to host one and you would have to have a large team of people willing to work, for free, and some people with leadership skills at the top to pull it off. At what reward. Hope that give's you a better idea. Why not so many anymore . So go ahead and host one. Keep it going.
            Last edited by randy56; March 8, 2022, 12:32 PM.

            Comment


            • Mark V
              Mark V commented
              Editing a comment
              Organizing an event, or being a KCBS representative are incredibly time consuming and a lot more work than most people probably think. You can learn some things about bbq cooking even as a judge, as most judges bbq at home and like to talk. I notice that the teams are usually very friendly and appear to have a really good time together at events. Some teams must consider it their main hobby, and many must just like the social atmosphere.

          Announcement

          Collapse
          No announcement yet.
          Working...
          X
          false
          0
          Guest
          Guest
          500
          ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
          false
          false
          {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
          Yes
          ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
          /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here