Recent content by Bryan B

I seem to struggle with the concept of slicing against the grain. I drew up this simplistic diagram of my understanding of what this means. Can someone confirm if this is correct? the black lines are the grain. the orange line is how I would slice it.

There's an old school BBQ place called Scott's in Hemingway, SC that cooks whole hogs with the old school direct cinder block pit setup. They've been featured on the tv show Man Fire Food and I believe an article in the NY Times as well. So that is close to the method you are describing so...

Thanks J. What type of garnish is that you're using? I tried to chop up parsley and green leaf lettuce and it didn't come out looking so hot. Yours looks great though!

Okay I made this mock-up of a brisket in Paint, and this is my understanding of "slicing against the grain." Please let me know if this is correct or if I am wrong. The orange line represents where I would slice. The black lines are the grain.

I've looked at several boxes on BBQ Critic. Yes, this is a KCBS comp. Does anyone score well without garnish? I found the garnish to be difficult and it took up valuable time that I could've used for the meat.

Really? What's the size and brand? I'd prefer to pay less cause hopefully I will never actually have to use it.

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I've heard a little bit on chicken and brisket. Does anyone have any thoughts on the pork or rib box?

Do the toothpicks need to be soaked beforehand? Seems like they would burn. Just wondering- never tried this before.

Gotcha, thanks. Yeah I could've googled that, but I guess I was being lazy, sorry. Looks like I can get a good one on Amazon for $40.

Thanks Dwain. I submitted my 4 boxes to BBQ Critic as well. I plan to look over boxes there before the competition.

Well, I'm admittedly not very good at slicing brisket. I've watched numerous videos but still struggle with how to slice against the grain. The slices were coming out very tender so I thought I was doing it right. I guess not. Doesn't the grain always run length-ways of the brisket? If so...

Hello all, From advice and expertise obtained here and on other BBQ forums, I thought it would be a good idea to do a competition practice run before attempting my first competition in 2 weeks. I did it this weekend and I would say that it is mostly a success. I got all the meats "turned in"...

As far as fire extinguishers go, does the type matter? I've read some other threads where it sounds like most people recommend an ABC type (no clue what that means) and the 5 pound size. The KCBS rules don't seem to specify the type of extinguisher. Does anyone have a recommendation?

One more question. I just read over the 2013 KCBS rules and I have a question concering rule #10, the pork section. The rule states: Pork is defined as Boston Butt, Picnic, and/or Whole Shoulder, weighing a minimum of five pounds. Pork shall be cooked whole and shall not be separated during...

Have to agree 100% here. I used to use paprika in all my rubs, but read some posts from users here stating that it's flavor can't hold up to a long smoke. I also noticed little to no flavor from the paprika on the many cooks I had done. I migrated to ancho powder instead and like the taste...