Championship Barbecue Ribs

and a video on the Tryon, NC BBQ Contest

July 2009

Hello BBQ Friends: tryon nc bbq contest

Well, another big BBQ weekend is fast approaching - the 4th of July! And one of the most popular barbecue items at any cookout is barbecue ribs. There are many ways to cook ribs but they all have one thing in common - you must know when your ribs are done to perfection.

In KCBS and FBA competitions, the judges do not like the meat to fall off the bone. The meat must have some consistency and not be too dry or mushy. What this means is the meat must stick to the bone good enough so you can pick a bone up and eat it without the meat falling off the bone by itself. But when you bite it, the meat should easily pull clean from the bone.

If you have to gnaw on the meat to get it off the bone or some meat sticks to the bone after a bite, your barbecue ribs are probably not done enough. If ALL the meat comes off the bone when bitten, your barbecue ribs are probably overdone. If you can bite into the rib and get that "half moon" bite and then the rest of the meat comes off easily with subsequent bites, then you have probably hit the nail on the head. As you can see from the picture, that is the way our ribs were in Tryon, NC resulting in a 1st place entry.

This is from the KCBS judges instructions...

"Judging pork ribs can be very subjective. However, when judging competition ribs you
must consider a few factors. When sampling a properly cooked contest rib the area of the
meat where the bite is taken should be pulled cleanly from the bone with very little effort.
The exposed bone of a well cooked rib will often dry immediately. Ribs should be moist,
flavorful and possess good texture. They can be presented with or without sauce. Ribs
may be presented in single or multi bone presentation. Any questions should be directed
to the KCBS Contest Representative. When a rib is overcooked most or all of the meat
comes off the bone when sampled. Additionally the meat of an overcooked rib has a
tendency to be mushy and have a poor texture."

So... how do you accomplish this? The answer is in the following barbecue rib cooking tips:

If you need 6-8 good ribs to turn in, make sure you cook about 6 or more slabs of barbecue ribs. They will not turn out all the same. Because of hot and cold spots on your smoker and different rib sizes to start with, some will be underdone, some will be overdone, and some will be just right. Make sure you taste a sample from each rack to check for doneness.

While you are doing your testing, also select the best tasting barbecue ribs. Each rack will have a different taste. When I was tasting the ribs in Tryon, some racks had a "meaty" taste and I quickly threw those racks back on the grill so they would not be turned in.

Know the signs of a done rib - meat pulls away from the bone about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. If you pick up one end of a rack of barbecue ribs and it bends down 90 degrees and starts to crack at the bend, you know they are done. You can also try twisting a bone to check how loose it is. A skewer or toothpick inserted between the ribs should slide in easily.

Follow all the directions in "Competition BBQ Secrets" to cook your barbecue ribs. Remember that in the 3-1-1 method, the foiling step can be extended to 2 hours if your ribs are bigger. Just open up the foil and check for doneness after one hour and make your decision based on what you see. Of course, if you are cooking smaller baby back ribs, you may need reduce the foiling time.

So... that's the real secret to cooking championship barbecue ribs - knowing when your ribs are done. Note - we do not use a temperature probe on our chicken or ribs - just butts and brisket. Speaking of knowing when your meat is done, here's a nice little thermometer I have started to use recently and which helped us win in Tryon, NC. This internal meat thermometer has only one purpose - to measure your internal meat temperature and alert you when it is reached. It's very simple to use. Just insert the probe and set the desired temperature using the two up/down buttons on the front panel. If you need something fancier with dual probes and wireless remote operation, then the Maverick ET-73 is for you. But at a hectic competition, you may opt for simplicity - just insert it, set it, and it will let you know when your meat is done. I highly recommend you get one for brisket and one for butts. They are available in our BBQ Store at www.bbq-book.biz

Also... I put together a little 6 minute YouTube video of the Tryon, NC contest. It does include pictures of our turn in boxes and some nice fireworks, so be sure to take a look - it is sure to put you in a nice barbecue mood for the 4th of July!...

Sincerely,
Bill Anderson
Chatham Artillery BBQ Team

And remember... Competition BBQ Secrets is available in our BBQ Store along with some great BBQ essentials... thermometers, cookbooks, rubs, etc. Just click on the link below to go to our store...

And more!...

Click HERE - www.bbq-book.biz

[Home] [Terms of Use] [Privacy Policy] [Site Map]

Barbecue Recipes - Competition BBQ Secrets book. Learn how to slow smoke meats right... mouth watering ribs, chicken, butts, and brisket.
Barbecue Food - Everything you ever wanted to know about barbecuing.
Barbecue Restaurant - All about barbecue restaurants and why the barbecue you cook yourself in your own back yard may be better than your local barbecue restaurant.
BBQ Recipes - Why slow smoked BBQ is better than grilled BBQ and how you can easily switch.
Barbeque Recipes - What ingredients go into great barbeque recipes. You would be surprised!
BBQ Smoker - What kind of BBQ smoker is best suited to your needs and budget?
Barbeque Smoker - Learn all about the Lang Model 60 traditional offset barbeque smoker.
Cooking Barbecue - Cooking chart for slow smoked meats.
Barbeque Grill - All about the Traeger Lil' Tex pellet smoker.
BBQ Grill - How to set up your Weber kettle BBQ grill for slow smoked success.
Char-Broil Silver - Review of the Char-Broil Silver BBQ smoker for $159 at Home Depot.
BBQ Sauce - a description of all the Regional BBQ Sauce Variations.
Barbecue Sauces - Different types of barbecue sauces and the top 3 winners in each category in NBBQA BBQ sauce contest.
Barbecue Ribs - The 3-1-1 method to slow smoke barbecue ribs.
BBQ Rib Types - What is the difference between spareribs, baby back ribs, loin ribs, and St Louis Style ribs?
Smoked Barbeque - How does altitude affect barbeque cooking temperatures?
Barbecue Forum - Should you use barbecue forums to learn how to cook competition quality brisket, ribs, chicken, & butts?
Smoked Turkey - How to smoke a turkey.
American Royal BBQ - 2007 results for the biggest BBQ contest in the world.
Cooking Barbecue - All about collagen, protein fibers, and fat.
Barbecue Wood - All about the different barbecue woods, how to use them, and the flavors that they impart.
Barbecue Smoker - A review of the Southern Yankee Barbecue Smokers.
Fast Eddy Smokers - Cookshack's FEC100 and some history about Fast Eddy Maurin.
Barbecue Sauces - Ole Ray's Barbecue Sauces.
Smoked Ham - How to smoke (reheat) a ham on your BBQ smoker.
BBQ Ribs Example Project - How to adjust BBQ ribs cooking in cooler temperatures.
BBQ Baked Beans - two great BBQ baked beans recipes and the Bush's Perfect Pair contest.
The BBQ Guru - a great blower device that digitally controls your pit temperature.
Cookshack FEC100 - The Cookshack Fast Eddy FEC100 and the importance of pit temperature control.
Boone Hall BBQ Contest - results of the 2008 Boone Hall BBQ Contest.
Smoked Brisket - Here are the rusults of several of my brisket practice runs.
Douglas, GA results - BBQ contest results & Smoked Turkey & Smoked Ham reminders.
Roasted Pig - Videos of roasted pig Filipino style on a bamboo spit - also called Lechon Baboy.
Grind Your Own Spices - Kick your rubs up a notch by grinding your own spices.
Pulled Pork - How to pull a Boston Butt the right way!
BBQ Bark - How to create great BBQ bark.
Wagyu Beef - Report on the 2009 Barnesville, GA BBQ contest and also a newsletter on Wagyu Beef.
Barbecue Turn In Boxes - a sneak peek at our "secret" turn in boxes.
Barbecue Ribs - Know when your ribs are done to perfection.
Barbecue Timeline - All about a barbecue contest timeline and why it is so important - also our Greenwood, SC pics.
Weber BBQ - If you are looking to buy a weber BBQ then you need to visit this site. The 22" Weber Smokey Mountain is great!
Stumps Smokers - BBQ Friends - Wiley's Championship BBQ, Stumps Smokers, Kennesaw Grand Championship, etc.
BBQ Smokers - A great source for BBQ smokers.
BBQ Judge Survey - Results from our BBQ judge survey, report on American Royal trip, and Myron Mixon's BBQ school.
Jack Daniels BBQ Contest - Pictures from the Jack Daniels BBQ Contest & Degaque BBQ Contest 2009.
Barbecue Videos - detailed videos of how we won 4 Grand Championships in 2009 - BarbecueCoach.com
Barbecue Judging - Suggestions on how to improve barbecue judging.

Return to Barbecue
newsletter archive