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My Chicken aka from #1 to #48 without even trying!

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  • FLBuckeye
    replied
    Did your recipe yesterday and had really tasty results. My wife didn't realize that the legs were going to sit in a faux cambro for 30 min. so we ate most of the chicken right off of the grill. Temped the legs to a minimum of 170+, some were higher as the pieces were smaller. Juices literally exploded out of the chicken when bitten into. Very moist. My kids prefer breast meat usually but were wowed by the flavor and juiciness. I only had one piece with dinner because I wanted to try the legs from the faux cambro. My wife and I split a leg after the requisite 30 min. and WOW!!
    This recipe will be used for my competition on November

    Thanks CandySue!!
    Last edited by FLBuckeye; August 12, 2014, 09:20 AM.

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  • CandySueQ
    replied
    Great Southern Tailgate Cook-Off is right on the beach! Just looked at the team list and there's some pretty fierce competition there. I cooked it last in 2011 and did pretty well then with a 6th overall. I've been trying to get back for the last 2 years. Fire kept me close to home in 2012, got hit from behind in Hattiesburg, MS last year. Maybe this year will be better!

    Leave a comment:


  • The Burn
    commented on 's reply
    Hmm, I might be in the Amelia Island area on the 23rd after a college drop-off. What's the competition/event?

  • CandySueQ
    replied
    Hard to say -- I think I just got lucky with that first with legs! It'll be interesting to see how it does in Fulton, MS on 8/16 and Amelia Island, FL on 8/23. I'm considering switching to thighs for these two contests though.

    Leave a comment:


  • Huskee
    replied
    Candy, in your experience then, is spicy the more offensive route? I would've thought it so. I would think only a few out of the whole would appreciate spicy. You've obviously won 1st with it so you timed it right there!

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  • CandySueQ
    replied
    There's lots and lots of factors that can send an entry from 1st to 48th! Synergy of the judges at the table is first. Is the table comprised of low scoring judges? This didn't happen in chicken for me. I was last on the table out of 5 entries. The 3rd place and 10th place winners came from the same table. Perhaps these judges just didn't like legs! That's happened and that's why so many cooks are stuck on thighs. What order was my entry? Was it the first entry the judges saw or the last? I think it makes a difference. My chicken is spicy. Maybe that's what dinged me with these judges. Spicy chicken works well in and around Arkansas. Maybe they don't like it in Georgia. These were different judges than I normally see.

    I compete because I love it! I've met the best people from all across the country and world, cooking and judging barbeque. The thrill of maybe getting a call at the awards is hard to repeat.

    A cook who has been much, much more successful told me once, "It's not the best BBQ that wins a contest, it's the least offensive." Since the lowest judge score is dropped, this is very, very true.

    If I was starting out thinking of competing, I'd take Warren County Pork Choppers' cooking class. Right now, Donny is at the top of the Team of the Year pile for 2014 and he tied the first place winner last year. Judging class will tell you about the scoring system and serve you some (probably bad) entries to practice judge. The reason to become a CBJ is to judge an event and see what other cooks are turning in. Even then, you'll only see 5-7 entries in each category. But judging can be a real eye-opener for cooks!

    Leave a comment:


  • Gunderich_1
    replied
    So now you have me wondering about this whole contest thing. I have been thinking about dipping my toe into the contest world (although it would be a couple of local small contests) and this post makes me wonder if it is worth the effort. I have seen several statements that pit masters do not cook the same for their families and friends as they do the judges. They have to have that little edge/kick so to speak. So if it's not primarily on taste (and yes I agree presentation should be good to a point) is it worth it? It looks like there are a whole lot of variables to even be in the running. I mean seriously, how does one go from number 1 to number 48 using the same recipe? If the judging is that skewed.......? I'd thought seriously about going to some judging classes to get a leg up on what judges are looking for but now I am wondering if even that would help. Let me know what you guys think. Since I've never done a contest before I'm all about any help/info you can give me. Thanks in advance.
    Regards,
    Tim.

    Leave a comment:


  • Huskee
    commented on 's reply
    John that's what I'm getting at too, taste, not perfect chicken loaf appearance. I like how Candy chose to use drums instead of loafs. If you can make a winner breast you're a good pitmaster IMO.

  • _John_
    commented on 's reply
    If anything you should get punished for it not looking like it came from an animal like most of those chicken thighs. And maybe its just me, but thighs are easy, breasts are a really fine line, if you want to show me some skill then give me a juicy breast that isn't mushy or dry.

  • Huskee
    commented on 's reply
    I see your point about cooks being able to help one another, a perspective I hadn't thought about, which the current method of judging surely helps. I stand by my agreement w/ Meathead though that a winner should be chosen by who deserves to be a winner. Like he's alluded to before we don't pick a Superbowl winner by who collectively performed the best on 4 categories during each game; we pick who WON. I guess there's no perfect way to do it.

    Thanks for your words of wisdom Candy!

  • CandySueQ
    replied
    Problem with sliced chicken slices is that they dry out really, really fast! Best sliced breast I've ever judged came from a skin-on boneless breast sliced in about 1/2 inch slices and kept close together in the box. It was wonderful!

    I quite cheerfully disagree with your comment "BS with current judging standards." and with Meathead starting his own sanctioning group. It's kinda like every really good cook starting their own restaurant. There's a lot more to it than putting out a good plate of food. Meathead's expertise in doing what he does is unmatched out there. Why should he get in the weeds of BBQ judging?

    Same thing with running a BBQ contest, especially something that is subjectively based. I am very biased towards KCBS but I also know quite a bit about IBCA as well. Both have their strengths and weaknesses and I enjoy both for different reasons. Regardless of umbrella organization, the best thing about BBQ competition is that cooks can truly help each other without feeling like there is advantage given or taken. Every cook out there is subject to the tastebuds of 6 individuals judging.

    Leave a comment:


  • Jon Solberg
    commented on 's reply
    I can see this new society thing happening someday.

  • Huskee
    replied
    Maybe someday Meathead can foray into starting his own BBQ society. He knows what matters in judging, he would root out the BS with current judging standards. Taste is king in my book. Tell a blind man "but it looks excellent!' and see what said blind man says.

    Leave a comment:


  • fredcanfly
    commented on 's reply
    I'd probably judge it high, too! We need to start a league where taste is king. I would love to compete in that one!

  • Huskee
    replied
    I'd be tempted to lay down some slices, fajita-style, of juicy breast with an un-sauced, well-rubbed brown skin surface. I know I would take hits on appearance since I care much less, taste matters to me. I would judge according to this belief too.

    Leave a comment:

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