Comp thigh comparison

Competition season is well underway and I’m just days away from my first event this year. It’s really exciting to get out there again and see all my BBQ friends and meet new folks. I’m also excited to try my new recipes I have developed over the winter. Practice was something I wanted to emphasize after the American Royal. Kansas City was a taste of what kind of dedication I needed to improve my scores and win some trophies.

After some time off for the holidays, I hit the ground running in January. Every weekend, I practiced and tweaked my flavor profiles and techniques for chicken, pork and brisket. My ribs did well for me last year, a wrinkle was added, but it remained the same recipe. Did I mentioned how much I practiced?

Months later, I have a plan for all 4 categories. Here are few shots on what got me to this point.

Competition chicken prep

Chicken thighs topped with butter

Thighs done

These chicken thighs were not what I had in mind. They looked good, my trimming skills are improved, but the flavors were not there and the chicken was over cooked. Back to the drawing board.

Practice pork butt

Pork practice box

I was happy with the way my pork turned out. A little refinement was all that it needed. Of course, I will need to cook additional pork butts because I cut off the money muscle during the cook which is illegal in KCBS competition. Nonetheless, the following pork practice was such a success that I purposely didn’t take pictures because I probably would have posted them here. However, if the judges love the pork in competition, I will most definately post it.

2nd Chicken practice

Sauced competition thigh

Tenderness and moistness improved greatly on my second chicken attempt when I cut the cooking time down, but the presentation was not what I liked. The rub washed right off when I brushed the sauce on, it was a mess. A new sauce was just what my chicken needed to boost flavor, I’m digging this chicken.

Practice brisket

My brisket compeititon recipe was completely over hauled. Last year, I just couldn’t impress the judges. This year, I’m not using any sauce…it’s all in the Au Jus!  I love the flavor but I’m skittish on whether this would work. There is only one way to find out, I hope it ends with a call.

Final chicken practice

I’m not sure if the judges will like my chicken, but DAMN!!!…it was good!. Appearance, taste and tenderness were absoluetly there in this batch of thighs. I fixed all the problems I had before and it all came together perfectly. Can’t wait to see what the judges think of all my barbecue.