Comments on Robert F. Moss: Is Competition Barbecue a Menace?

To say that competition barbecue is estranged from...

2012-01-27T00:06:29.987-05:00

To say that competition barbecue is estranged from the regional "legends" of 20th century barbecue is an understatement. It's a weighty subject, but one comment I would offer is that the constraints and benchmarks of competition judging do have an impact on what the media, local diners, families, and maybe even dogs perceive to be a legitimate barbecue establishment. Whether or not the swelling of competition barbecue threatens its more historic forebears, there are many of barbecue lovers and cooks today whose seminal experiences with the craft were at KCBS competitions. I was kidding about the dogs; they tend to be uncorruptible.

A tangent: I've been to Memphis and May and I've judged at the Jack. During one interview, I asked a veteran cook about what smoke houses inspired him outside of the competition circuit. He responded, "Oh, I never eat commercial barbecue," and walked away against a backdrop of sponsorship banners. Do prize winners at Memphis in May still receive a matching cash reward from Cattleman's for saying "Thank you, Cattleman's" as they receive their trophies? The ecosystem is fascinating.

Been thinking more about this one. Competition ba...

2011-12-17T07:20:55.755-05:00

Been thinking more about this one. Competition barbecue, as in Memphis, did indeed have an impact on the BBQ restaurant scene here in Charleston as over the past few years several different guys who had cut their teeth on the competition circuit opened barbecue restaurants around town. And, the meat definitely had that competition-style, injected with flavorings and cooked till fall-apart-under-your-fork tender.

I can think of at least three such places that opened in the past couple of years. None of them lasted more than 18 months, though I don't know if that's any reflection on the barbecue itself or just how hard it is to make a go of it in the restaurant business.

heat and wood are not the only elements in a cooki...

2011-12-07T09:06:18.866-05:00

heat and wood are not the only elements in a cooking environment. The word "juicier" tells a lot of the tale-- my experience with pits and relatively airtight rigs (I have never used a commercial cooker myself) made me realize that a large part of the difference between a pit and an oven is that a pit is not as humid an environment. Properly worked, a pit produces quite different results.

always cracks me up when someone thinks the commer...

2011-12-05T16:53:44.095-05:00

always cracks me up when someone thinks the commercial cookers are evil.....heat is heat and wood is wood....they both exist in commercial units. There are a few tricks necessary to avoid mush, to garner a good smoke ring and to create a crispy bark on some of them but it can be done. The biggest advantage to the commercial ovens over traditional pits is that over time and quantity you consistently produce a juicier product. And rarely is anything "overcooked" which is rampant in traditional pit type places. Usually these pit places are smoke and mirrors anyway. Especially in the "legendary" pits of Texas that have their pictures in large coffee table books and recipe books. Most will let on if you ask, that they have a commisary down the street for volume and it's running four sometimes five pits. Hit up Sadler's place. While not a fan of their mass produced cryovac grocery product, if you eat fresh off their custom commercial pits you'd be hard pressed to blindly pick a dug pit product over theirs. Promise.

I think competition barbecue is a menace, but you ...

2011-12-05T12:05:35.902-05:00

I think competition barbecue is a menace, but you are correct that it isn't nearly the menace those commercial cookers are. The commercial cookers are really evil.

I noticed the effect of competition barbecue in the late 80s or early 90s in the Memphis area; a couple of winners at Memphis in May opened places, and some other places began to imitate competition-style shoulder, with an emphasis on shredded-tender (which, when held, becomes unappealing mush). This has had close to zero impact on the traditional places but has lead to a proliferation of lousy (high visibility) places.

I wonder if this seems to have less impact farther away from Memphis...