Comp Q

I was taught a good chef gives his customers what they want. I worked in a Sicilian place and the menu rarely changed - the culinary students the owner brought in part time hated doing the same thing all the time. Yeah there were seasonal specials but I looked at his menu recently online and basically it's the same thing he was doing in 1995 when I was there. It works, his local clientele are repeat customers and they like what he serves.
Same with you, you have figured out what you think is a good product and your customers flock in. If some judge happens to eat at your establishment and thinks to compare it to what he sees at comps, well that's his problem. Your taste buds and cash register tell you if are making good food. Yes ??

I am a relative newbie here and I have learned A LOT from the old timers who are for the most part restaurant owners and competition cooks. I don't always agree with their style of cooking but they taught me the fundamentals very well and I am indebted to them. I know what to look for when I buy a packer, when I get my slabs, when I'm grabbing that pork butt 2 pack at Sam's. It's a conundrum but I love this place and I am constantly being taught new things by these guys. I'm sure over a couple drinks we'd all be swapping tales and laughing - we have one common bond, we love food and we're always striving to cook it better than anyone else.

When you really spend more time looking at the threads you see the competition guys cook a little differently at home than they do at the comps. They know what the judges want and to win they deliver it. Just like you know what your customers want and you deliver that.

quote:

Originally posted by slowride:
I have had numerous customers walk up and tell me they are KCBS judges.

When you hear that statement, you know they are "eaters" and couldn't cook a decent meal for themselves. I wouldn't pay them no mind myself! A real cook would be more interested in your equipment!

As a comp cook, we try to cook with the idea that our guest will only be taking one bite, so it has to be a packed taste.

At home, my ribs are always cooked 10 minutes past comp doneness, cause like you, that's what my guests like. I never slice PB at home.

Being a KCBS judge myself, I thought I would put my two cents in here. I just want to ditto what BigMike and Cal have said. Comp BBQ and Restaurant BBQ is different. I'm not saying better or worst - It's different. Great food at a comp would probably not make it at a BBQ Joint or visa versa. That doesn't make either one bad. It makes them different.

quote:

To those of you that cook to these standards or judge me to those standards. Good luck to ya!!

Judges who've never comped have no clue what it takes to spend almost 24 hrs to produce 3 or 4 turn-in boxes. The question might be asked, how many judges have never even cooked BBQ? As Cal says...simply eaters.

If someone eating Que in my place were to tell me they were a judge, I'd tell 'em to have a nice day...and hand them the check

Oh, and I have to ask, why the rant? Is some judge coming in and commenting about it like it was a competition and giving you ATT scores? I laugh because they've done that to me.

quote:

Originally posted by slowride:
...I have had numerous customers walk up and tell me they are KCBS judges. I stop them right there, and tell them this is not comp Q it is great Q. They usually do not like that, but I dont care really...

Just a thought, but I hope it's not the negative when you say it (the part that you said they don't like that caught my eye). They ARE Customers. I would just ask them to go for it and judge me. Keep in mind, a REAL judge, judges as presented. Nothing says it has to be Money Muscle or bite through skin. Happens to me frequently in the restaurant, I just tell them to judge and let me know if that makes them happy (since they would anyway). They're gonna have their opinion about it anyway, regardless of what you say, so just let your food do the talking.

One, simple, difference in the two that I tell people when they ask. The public is eating a plate of food and the judge is eating one, maybe two bites.

I am sorry if anyone was a little offended by this. I have beeon around the circuit, and I have many so called friends whos daddys or so n so's comp Q is better than mine. Flat pisses me off. Sorry. My question has been " So, where is their restaurant, or where do they sell it? Id love to check it out." General response is " well they dont have one yet." This aint Mcdonalds folks.I need to hire someone nice asap. : ) No better than anyone else, but. I dont like that crap. Just funny that the guy that smokes the best brisket cant hold a candle to th guy that smokes the best brisket(s).

Very sorry for the rant guy.
s. If I could change I would not ; ).

Don't mean to be argumentative,but some bbq cooks can do pretty fair comp food and find a way to do restaurant q in quanity ,as well.

Paul Schatte/Head Country BBQ right there in Ponca City is pretty fair.

Donny Teel/Buffalo's BBQ from Sperry,OK and his partner Bart Clark of Stillwater,OK make up Boys from Tornado Alley.
Seems like a team called OKlahoma Joe's from Stillwater does both right well.

Cross on back to north AL and a fellow named Chris Lilly heads up Big Bob Gibson's and has time to cook at The James Beard House with the top chefs in America..

drbbq as a top comp cook here on the forum and an Executive Chef,as well.

Smokin'Okie as a fine comp cook and bbq restaurant Exec. chef,also.

I could go on and on,but I hope folks get the idea.



Just my $0.02

I don't have a BBQ place. Would like to do some custom smoking and carry out in the future.

But I do compete, and I have judged once. The idea that comp food and store food have to be very different doesn't sound right to me. I have done events with 75 racks of ribs in a day, and the quality was very close to our comp ribs.

Went to a new local place and was talikg about the food and and I did ask aobut the smoker. Then we started to talk and I told them I did comps. Well they brought out some of everything they did. The pork didn't have much flavor. Needed some more flaovr, and a little more smoke to it. The ribs were raw. Said they normally put them on the grill to finish them, when ordered. Wish tehy had. But the biggest thing was the fact the brisket was cut with the grain, and that made it impossible to bite through. I told him he needed to cut it cross grain. He looked at me like I was nuts. The lady standing there looked at him and said I told you so.


RandyE

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:

...Smokin'Okie as a fine comp cook and bbq restaurant Exec. chef,also.

Now as one of those guys trying to make the leap (soon, I'll post about my learning curve) I DO have to ask for a correction.

I tell this to people when they interview me, and no offense (to any Chefs reading this) but I am not now nor do I want to be called an Executive or any kind of chef.

That's a different profession all together to me.

Call me Pitmaster I've spent a lot of years earning that title and I want people to learn the different between a Chef and a Pitmaster.

Both of them take a lifetime of learning... and I'm still learning.

Sorry to threadjack a little, but I spend a lot of time educating the public/press about the differences.

Yep,but I also know you as a "pitmaster" that has put together large charity events,recruited the cooks and cookers,gotten the meat donated and then on site,gotten all the necessary items and personnel to distant geographic areas,taken responsibilty for the success, and covered most of the administration.

I bet even our dedicated Exec chefs would agree that at least in those instances you might qualify.

Most executive chefs do very little cooking/line work. The job is more akin to hearding cats

The analogy I use is this

Comp Q and Eating Q are 2 completely different things

It's like watching Womens bodybuilding.....
Very interesting to see how they trick up every little detail.

but I wouldn't wanna take one home

quote:

Originally posted by Coach:
The analogy I use is this...

It's like watching Womens bodybuilding.....
Very interesting to see how they trick up every little detail.

but I wouldn't wanna take one home

ROFLMAO!!!!!! Coach that was priceless!

Coach...

now THAT was funny

Being new to providing Q to the masses, and one who at this point would like to steer clear of comp's, I'd tell my customers....
>
The cash register is my best judge....

Just saying "restaurant food" can please customers and make money may not be the whole story.

The forum already discussed the possibility that a trained judge may only eat one,or two bites and the experience needs to be "exceptional" to stand out from other "comp bites".

Is it possible that the customer could be even more pleased by "comp food" they received on Sat. than "non comp food" they received on Friday?
They may never have had the "comp" food before to make the comparison?

The cook/chef may even prefer to cook/serve "comp food",but the raw materials,prep time,cook time,and plate/serve time may be cost prohibitive.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Our good friend Rodney(Pellet Envy) had a post that makes some sense of all this.... Worlds best BBQ.

I have been ranked onsite recently by KCBS certified judges. 10's across the board. Meats and sides. Makes me think I should change EVERYTHING : )

cal could probably speak to getting straight 10s s from a KCBS judge,but I was always thrilled by getting straight nines from one judge and somewhat bewildered by the next judge that would "break my plate" with four nines and a couple of fives.

Of course,driving home I was reminded by one of my mentors"maybe the one I was mad at,was correct".

Oh well,like at the rodeo,there is always next week.

My take on the Comp. vs BBQ Joint food is this!
I've spent a bunch of years getting my Q to a point that I would serve it outside of my family! I've eaten Q up and down the east coast, into the mid-west and beyond! I've read the books, got the T-Shirt and live for the smell of Applewood and Hickory!
Now that I've been told that my "Stuff" is ready for Prime Time and I should "Compete" my answer is simple:
My only goal is to serve "Must Have" BBQ to a great customer base that can't get enough of it. I want the product to be so good that it is well respected by the BBQ judges and Pitmasters so much that they are glad I'm NOT Competing!! LOL
"Pulled Pork for Everyone"!
Mike