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Vent: A guy at the Memphis in May contest told me competition brisket is overrated
He was judging and said the super-tender, fall-apart texture everyone chases is actually a crutch for weak smoke flavor. I argued that perfect tenderness is the goal, but he just pointed at my entry and said 'This tastes like pot roast with a tan.' Has anyone else had a judge give you a hard time for texture?
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nancy8206mo ago
Judges say weird stuff sometimes. That pot roast comment was just rude. But he might have a point about texture hiding flavor. If it falls apart too easy, maybe the smoke didn't have time to get in there right. It's just barbecue, not a life or death thing.
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robert_roberts6mo ago
Man, that reminds me of a judge at a rib cook-off last year. He told me my ribs were "too clean" because the meat pulled off the bone too easy. Said real ribs should make you work for it a little. I was so confused, like isn't that the whole point? Some people just get a weird idea in their head and run with it. Sounds like your guy was the same way, just hung up on his own personal rule book.
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anna5675mo ago
Yeah that judge sounds like he had a bone to pick with you or something... I remember one cook-off where a judge said my brisket was "too tender" and I just stood there thinking well what do you want then. I started asking judges right when they hand the scorecard what they actually look for, and most of them just say they want it cooked right without falling apart. @nancy820 is probably right about the texture thing though, some folks really do think clean bite means the smoke didn't settle in right.
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