j biesinger
TVWBB Platinum Member
I'm still trying to figure out what to do with our comp rib recipe. In the 5 contests we've tried it in, we've placed as high as 3rd, but the average placing is around the 25th percentile, and the average taste score is 7.6 (not dropping low judges). We consistently average 8.0 in texture, and appearance varies. So I know we can do better.
I've completely overhauled our rub and sauce combo and believe it has some real potential. The hard part is convincing myself and the team that we should ditch the progress we were making with the old recipe.
This is the second time this summer we did a direct comparison and its a tough decision. Tonight it was pretty much unanimous that the old recipe was better. However, I think omitting msg from the new recipe was a big mistake because it lacked the pop that the old recipe had. I'm thinking I can incorporate a few of the things we liked from the old recipe into the new one, and hopefully gain some ground.
I broke down and bought a stoke from Auber instruments so we have some insurance during the comp nights. The price was right, and I think I'm going to really like it when we are all tucked into the tent and can rest easy knowing the PID's on smoker watch.
here's the finished ribs (new is bottom rack):
(new is right)
What did I learn? Its interesting how similar two very different rubs can taste after 5 hours of cooking. I lost my mark on the one rack and I was hard pressed to tell them apart. MSG tastes like chicken in rubs, and might make you not want to use it on pork, but it certainly brings out the pork and smoke flavors. Sweet masks a lot of the flavor and despite what anybody says,needs to be moderated.
I've completely overhauled our rub and sauce combo and believe it has some real potential. The hard part is convincing myself and the team that we should ditch the progress we were making with the old recipe.
This is the second time this summer we did a direct comparison and its a tough decision. Tonight it was pretty much unanimous that the old recipe was better. However, I think omitting msg from the new recipe was a big mistake because it lacked the pop that the old recipe had. I'm thinking I can incorporate a few of the things we liked from the old recipe into the new one, and hopefully gain some ground.
I broke down and bought a stoke from Auber instruments so we have some insurance during the comp nights. The price was right, and I think I'm going to really like it when we are all tucked into the tent and can rest easy knowing the PID's on smoker watch.
here's the finished ribs (new is bottom rack):
(new is right)
What did I learn? Its interesting how similar two very different rubs can taste after 5 hours of cooking. I lost my mark on the one rack and I was hard pressed to tell them apart. MSG tastes like chicken in rubs, and might make you not want to use it on pork, but it certainly brings out the pork and smoke flavors. Sweet masks a lot of the flavor and despite what anybody says,needs to be moderated.