My First Competition


 
K

Kemper Morris

TVWBB Gold Member
Well to say the least it was a dissappointing & humbling day. I learned a lot. I really expected to do well. i feel like my BBQ is as good as anybody's. Well I came in dead last. That sort of took the wind out of my sails. I gave it the ole College try but fell short. Got disqualified on the Rib Eye because I forgot to put foil in the presentation box. Did get 5th place on Ribs. Dead last on Chicken. All the Chicken I cook for Babygirl I should've had plenty of practice. Well I've picked myself up, & dusted myself off & going to enter another one. Can't quit on that note. Thanks to everybody for the moral support. I'll get em nexttime
 
You got 5th on ribs Kemper. That is definitely positive. You will do better next time. I have probably learned more from my mistakes than from my wins. I think that is true for all of us. You may not have done as well as you would have liked but you now have a better idea of what not to do and also what to do better.

Congrats on the 5th in Ribs. I call that a win when you have not done a comp before.
 
Hang in there Kemper. The most important thing is that you learned a lot about the competition. From what I've seen you cook here on the boards, I'm sure you will be placing soon. Giving up is the only sure way to fail and it sounds like that's not in your playbook.
 
Part of the learning curve Kemper, we've all seen what you can do. So there's no doubt in my mind you will get the hang of it and you will do well.
 
Kemper,

Have seen your situation many times. Pitmaster thinks his BBQ is the bees knees and enters a contest thinking the judges will agree. First issue is who the pitmaster is cooking for. Should be for the judges, not for the pitmaster nor for the pitmaster's friends and family. Initially it's difficult to try cooking for someone else, as you / yourself may not like the results, even if the judges do ! Best prescription I can offer is... Grab one of those judges and ask what they are looking for.

Although the sanctioning body I judge under is different than the one you competed under, if I can be of any service to you (suggestion wise), would be more than happy to help.

Hang in there, Kemper. Just a thought... Go to comps with the intent of having fun rather than just winning !

Bob
 
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and do it all over again!

Look, most people don't honestly have the guts to do what you did last weekend so you've already got that much going for you. Competition barbeque is hard. I've been doing it for almost 10 years and have had plenty of ups and downs along the way. What I can tell you is that it takes time be become a polished competition cook and you will learn more from these early adventures than you can possibly imagine right now.

Keep at it and enjoy the journey!
 
5th in Ribs is a walk and any day you get a walk you had a great day - but like the others said - Comps are about having fun and meeting like minded folks. Trophies and Checks and plaques are just added bonus to the whole deal. Always have fun !!! Was this a sanctioned comp?
 
You know Kemper it takes a whole lot of courage and confidence to put your stuff out there for judges. Hell I know my family and friends will usually give me good props on my meals. Its the journey. Keep up the good fight! And congrats on 5th in ribs. Awesome.
 
The next BBQ Competition I enter won't be CBTA sanctioned. The 12 individual cut up bites is unusual to say the least. Brisket is my strong suit so the next event will have Brisket, Ribs, & Chicken. Pulled Pork would be fine too. I also will enter with a different mindset. The main thing is to have fun & enjoy yourself. If you do well great but if you don't then don't be in despair. It's just a silly BBQ Competition. I do take pride in my BBQ & personally think it ranks right up there with anybody's but all I can do is keep trying & keep learning from my mistakes. Also need to learn about presentation which is a big part of it. Looking forward to trying it again. Gotta get back on that horse.
 
Kemper, congrats on 5th in ribs. Your a awesome cook and you will get it all together and be in the top group. We all learn from our mistakes and I'm sure your already planning out the next cook. Good luck and like you said have fun.;)
 
Congrats on even trying in the first place! You've already done more than many of us ever will. Good luck on you next comp.
 
Well done on the 5th place ribs and kudos for dusting yourself off and getting back on the horse. The first one is always the toughest. Now that you know what to expect, you can tweak recipes, timelines, presentation, etc.
As others have noted, cooking for judges is a lot different than cooking for yourself and friends. Our team competed for three years in backyard competitions and never got shut out. We entered our first KCBS in April and got it handed to us. The best advice I have received is to take a judging class, if available for your sanctioning body, to see what they're looking for, and also, don't be afraid to ask other competitors for advice. Most are really friendly and will be happy to give you some tips...and practice putting together your turn-in boxes. It's no fun to put a lot of effort into cooking something, then finding out it won't fit in the box, or whatever.
I think my backyard bbq is better than my "professional" competition bbq, but it's all about the judges.
That being said, I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. It's a blast to go up against 40-50 other teams where anyone has the same chance to win.
 
One day you'll be dispensing all of your incredible cookoff knowledge to the whole forum, keep on working and remember, you're inspiring all of us just being there!
 
Hey Kemper... I don't know the first thing about Competition, but I do know what a great job you put forth on everything you post here. I also know the time and effort you put into your cooks. You will persevere and get in the winners circle soon. Hang in there buddy!
 
Kemper
You should know that every start is hard.
Keep on trying and smoking and Im sure you will get better and better results!
 
Kemper yesterday I read this same situation where someone forgot to foil their Rib eye turn in box-was that you? Where else did you post this? Am I following you on Instagram or are we both a same Facebook group page maybe?
 
Kemper, I live close by. What competition did you enter? Was it local? I have never competed but next time would be open to joining and help out where I could!
 
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