Post by Smokey on Feb 19, 2006 21:21:49 GMT -5
Another tip I picked up from some KCBS judges at judging school is that on the pork turn in, pulled pork is really at a little bit of an advantage if it is mounded in a circle in the center of your tray with a little bark around the mound. It was the consensus at a CJC (certified judges class) that entries that were scooped into the tray with an ice cream scoop were not as warm, attractive nor as moist as the ones with the mounding entries. Most of these first time judges also liked having extra pieces of bark positioned around the mound and the appearance scores were higher. Even though judges are not suppose to grade your entry on whether the meat is presented "sauced" or not, I like my pulled pork to have a little sauce on it (not 5 alarm hot) with a little bark in it for extra flavor. If the meat is undercooked (mushy) or overcooked, you will lose points. Judges are taught to consider your turn in a 9 when they first evaluate it, so why lose points right off the bat with product that is too dry, mushy or fatty?
Different parts of the country use different types of sauce, ie, sweet, sour, vinegar based, tomato based, and even mayonnaise (yes, called white sauce in Georgia) based sauces...so check around and find out what your region prefers. Remember, even though you might like your special sauce, the judges are usually home grown and eat BBQ within 25 miles of their homes for the most part. So cook for the judges if you want to score points!!
The pit boss must decide how he wants to turn in his entry, as sliced, diced or chunk pork is allowed...but make sure that the pieces you put into the tray are void of as much fat as possible. I recently saw a certified judge get a piece of sliced pork shoulder and spit it into a napkin after taking a bite out of it...she got very little meat and alot of fatty gristle. Needless to say, she didn't think too much of the pit boss's entry.
If you also decide to turn in pulled pork, stay away from being too creative in your presentation. If you turn in pulled pork in the shape of something that could be construed as either a letter or number, then your entry will get a DQ (for identifying feature).
I hope this helps some of you and that your next pork turn in will get 9's across the board.
Different parts of the country use different types of sauce, ie, sweet, sour, vinegar based, tomato based, and even mayonnaise (yes, called white sauce in Georgia) based sauces...so check around and find out what your region prefers. Remember, even though you might like your special sauce, the judges are usually home grown and eat BBQ within 25 miles of their homes for the most part. So cook for the judges if you want to score points!!
The pit boss must decide how he wants to turn in his entry, as sliced, diced or chunk pork is allowed...but make sure that the pieces you put into the tray are void of as much fat as possible. I recently saw a certified judge get a piece of sliced pork shoulder and spit it into a napkin after taking a bite out of it...she got very little meat and alot of fatty gristle. Needless to say, she didn't think too much of the pit boss's entry.
If you also decide to turn in pulled pork, stay away from being too creative in your presentation. If you turn in pulled pork in the shape of something that could be construed as either a letter or number, then your entry will get a DQ (for identifying feature).
I hope this helps some of you and that your next pork turn in will get 9's across the board.
