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The Pickled Pig's 2009 Pleasant Hill BBQ Contest Pics
We competed in the 2009 Smokin On Big Creek contest this weekend. This was our first KCBS sanctioned contest of the year and it showed. We were sloppy and out of rhythm in just about everything we did. One of our teammates couldn't make the trip because of work and we really missed her contributions.
Problems started on Thursday night. When I went to trim the briskets, the two pieces I had set aside for the contest were frozen. So I ended up using the two least desireable pieces in the case along with 2 CAB flats I picked up from Sams the morning of the contest. I had turned the temp in my beer/brisket fridge down because of some prior spoilage issues and apparently I turned it too low.
Set up went okay. The new 20x20 enclosed canopy provided shelter for us and our Friday night guests. We cooked baby back ribs, pork tenderloin, prime rib, boneless chuck ribs, lobster and leftover brisket for the Friday night party.
We ended up having to make a store run for some supplies on Friday. The new trailer changed the loading routine and items like honey and trash bags were missed.
The real challenge for us started on Saturday. The new cookers worked fine but we were not consistent in our flipping and rotation and had some unevenly cooked entries. Our turn-in boxes were tall, uneven and sloppy looking. Dawn usually makes our boxes but she had to work this weekend and that chore fell to other, less capable hands.
The wind was strong and relentless. Several teams lost their EZ Ups and one of the team near us had a small carport blow over. At some point mid-morning we decided to roll up the end walls on the canopy to relieve some of the external pressure and let some light in. This was a big mistake as the rest of the day was just miserable. Every time we set something down the wind would blow it over. Set a beer on the table and off it goes. It was impossible to season meat as the rubs would just blow away as it left the bottle. The cold wind didn't help the entries any either. As soon as meat was sliced or pulled it was chilled and became hard. Chicken was the only dish we turned in that was warm and tender when the box lid closed.
The wind was so strong that we had the legs of the canopy staked and the frame tied down to one our trucks and it still bent a few of the 1 3/8" poles we use. At one point it rained for a while but the wind required so much attention that the rain was hardly a bother.
Our chicken entry was strong and we knew it. We were feeling pretty good. The ribs we had were overcooked and hardened when sliced. We also thought they didn't taste great. Once they were turned in, we crossed our fingers and hoped the ones we gave to the judges were better than those left behind.
As we were gearing up for pork, we noticed one of the contest Reps heading over to a nearby team. I thought to myself "uh-oh, some poor team is about to be given bad news". He talked briefly to the other team, then turned around and headed directly towards us. Our hearts sank as there is only one reason a rep comes to your tent during turn-ins. Two of our ribs were stuck together at the judges' table and we were given the contest equivalent of the dealth penalty. When that happens, all of the judges give you an appearance score of "1" and only five judges give you taste and tenderness scores. In effect, it drops you to DAL which also has the effect of dropping you to the bottom of the Overall scores.
Our pork was overcooked and it was difficult to get any good looking slices from it. The pulled pieces were fabulous but they chilled and hardened before we could get them in the box. Most of the brisket was tough. Only 1 of the 4 flats we had was remotely tender and those slices dried and hardened en route to the box and the cold burnt ends were chewy.
So after the chicken entry we were feeling good (:)) but by the end of turn-ins we were feeling pretty low (:(). We ended up taking 1st in chicken and 4th in pork. Overall, we finished 15th of 48 teams. That's not bad at all considering our penalized rib score. The prize money () for our 2 calls just about paid our expenses too. So, in the end we felt pretty good about the experience all things considered. We have some clear areas to improve upon for the next contest and it was great to see so much of our BBQ family again.
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Originally Posted by The Big Pig 
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