KCBS vs Memphis Style Contests

At our trailer with on-site judge

Ok, let me preface this by saying we love cooking both types of BBQ Contests.  We got our start in Memphis Contests, and our first love will always be the Memphis Style BBQ Contests.  However, it is a nice change of pace to cook KCBS contests, and we are transitioning to adding quite a few KCBS contests to our schedule- probably to the 50-50 range this year, and maybe more next year.  Let's go over the styles first and then discuss the differences.

Memphis Style contests are pork only BBQ, consisting of three types of products- Whole Shoulders, Whole Hog, and Ribs.  The hallmark of a Memphis-Style contest is on-site judging- where in addition to teams turning in a "blind box" of their product they also have judges visit them at their booth.  This results in significantly more elaborate team booths.  Due to the judging styles, Memphis teams cook a larger amount of food as well- typically 6 to 8 shoulders, 15 slabs of ribs, and 1 hog (at Memphis in May, many teams cook 2 hogs).  This results in larger cookers/trailers being needed as well.  Memphis judging is basically done in 3 stages- first, a blind box is turned in- judges do not know whose product they are judging.  Garnish of the box is not allowed.  Secondly, 3 on-site judges visit the booth (in 20 minute increments, not at once) for each category entered.  Third, the top three teams in each category advance to the "finals."  All scores start at 0, 4 judges visit all 9 entries and decide the best product that day- kind of apples to oranges (Ribs vs Hog is kind of hard to judge), but it works out in the end.  In Memphis, teams may enter 1 to 3 categories, and you see quite a few teams entering ribs only, or ribs and shoulders for example.  You can win Grand Champion of the contest entering only 1 category (sometimes this helps actually, more on that later).

KCBS cooks Pork (shoulders, butts or picnics), pork ribs, beef brisket and chicken.  Judging is blind only, and certain garnishes are allowed IN the blind box.  The Overall placements of teams are determined by combined scoring of all the seperate categories.  Thus, consistent cooking skills are rewarded.

Memphis judging is COMPARATIVE, while KCBS is not.  Memphis judges are instructed to compare the samples they get to determine their best score.  This doesn't matter if they get 3 great samples or 3 awful ones, only one can get their best score of the day.  Technically, KCBS judges should not compare samples and should judge based on its own merits- if they think something is great, then it gets a 9, etc.  The one little bone of contention we have with this is that it is human nature to compare- the teams know this as well (stand outside of turn in one day at a KCBS and watch the teams dancing around trying to avoid falling on the "favorites" table!). 

So, those are the basics.  Memphis style contests are older- Covington TN (Hubbie's home town by the way) is home of the "World's Oldest BBQ Contest (the 39th Annual this year!).  Memphis in May started in 1978.  MIM sanctioned smaller contests for several years, then stopped.  The Memphis BBQ Network picked up the gauntlet in 2007 and has grown the sanctioned contests to approximately 40 this year.  KCBS is celebrating their 25th year this year, and despite their slightly later start has grown significantly faster and will sanction over 350 contests this year. 

KCBS contests are significantly cheaper to enter.  Average entry fees are around $250, and the fraction of meat that must be cooked for a contest (around 50lbs total) certainly helps with cost containment.  MBN entry fees are typically more- up to $400 if you are entering all 3 categories.  The main costs come in the meat however- we cook 8 shoulder, 15 ribs and a whole hog- around $500 total!  The small amount of meat (relatively speaking) in KCBS contests also help with having smaller and/or less smokers.  It is very easy to cook an entire KCBS contest with 1 medium size cooker (and cookers costs run the gamut- from a $40 modified metal drum to a $10,000 cooker).  For Memphis contests, we use 4 different cookers, for KCBS we use two.

The main difference comes down to the judging however, and this is also the bone of contention among a lot of competitors.  While in KCBS 1 or 2 person teams can cook and compete, in MBN you see teams grow quite large (although, many of the top teams only have 2 or 3 people, so it can be done).  KCBS cooks sometimes compare a MBN contest to a "dog and pony show" due to the large amount of effort teams put into judging areas, cleanliness of their cookers, etc.  You will not, for example, find china plates at a KCBS contest, but you probably will find enough to start a bridal registry at Memphis in May.  Yes, this gets to be a pain at times setting up tents, flooring, tables, linen napkins, etc, but it is part of the game.  All of this is an effort to create a professional feel to your judging area.  Does all of this work really influence judges and, if so, is that really what BBQ contests are about?  Our response is a solid maybe (stepping out on a limb here!).  Cleanliness impresses judges (they are, after all, eating at your booth).  We don't really think all the other trappings do too much one way or another.

In Memphis, judges will often come back to your booth and give you feedback on your area, your product and your presentation.  This helps new teams jump ahead of the learning curve a little quicker.  In KCBS, obviously this is impossible, so you don't really know what your scores mean (example you get a 7 in tenderness in KCBS- was it too tender or not tender enough?)

The main thing we love about on-site judging comes not in the preliminaries but in the finals.  There you are truly head to head with other teams.  This is the only type of contest in BBQ where you can say you actually beat someone, not just outscored them.  If you are an adrenalin junkie, making finals is awesome.  The main drawback to Memphis is this very thing however.  Allowing the judges to know which teams they are judging also allows for personal bias (as opposed to taste preference) to enter the equation.

To sum it up- KCBS= Cheaper to enter, easier to cook, MUCH more prevelant contests, significantly less up-front investment in cookers, more relaxed atmosphere.  Memphis = more challenging meat entries (larger amounts and whole hog), larger, more elaborate set ups, more interaction with judges.

Any choice you make to cook is a good one, so you can't go wrong.  We just wished more teams would do both and dispense with the "Ours is better than yours" talk. 

Now get out and cook!

The Skinny on the Fattie 101

We have decided there are two types of people out there- those that smoke a fattie and those that don't know what the heck that means (note- we are talking about sausage here!)  Really, we were in the latter group until we started cooking some KCBS contests.  On the Memphis-style cooking side, not many people really talk about them that much.  Then, the infamous "bacon-explosion" happened and fatties became the big BBQ fad.  So, for those that still arent on the bandwagon, here's the skinny on the fattie.

 There are tons and tons of versions of Fatties.  They all revolve around three basic things however- 1.  A BBQ smoker, 2.  BBQ Rub (seasoning) and 3) Breakfast sausage.  The simplest version is just these three basic items- take your favorite sausage out of the casing leaving it in its' cylindrical shape.  Season the outside with your favorite BBQ rub, and place in a smoker at 250 for 1 to 1.5 hours.  At this point you can either brush it with sauce and let it cook on for 15 minutes, or just remove it and slice and serve with sauce for dipping. Simple, easy and a great appetizer.

Squished sausage in a gallon ziploc

First comes the sausage.  As we are pretty partial to sage, we like the Jimmy Dean Brand Extra-Sage, but any breakfast sausage will do.  We believe the fattie really comes into its own when you stuff it.  This is very easy to do with the help of a gallon ziploc bag.  After removing the plastic casing, put the sausage in the ziploc (don't seal it) and press it to flatten the sausage into a layer.  It should take up most of the bag.  Now take a knife or scissors and cut down the sides and bottom of the bag, removing half the bag.  Now, take your favorite ingredients and lay in the middle (don't go all the way to the sides).  Using the bag to help, start rolling the sausage around the fillings.  I usually do this jellyroll-style to add a little extra panache to our fattie (see, the joke here is you are trying to get any "panache" out of a rolled up sausage). 

When it is rolled up, seal the edges and the ends with your fingers.  If you don't, you WILL have cheese and other filling ingredients leaking out all over the cooker.  And an empty sausage, and nobody really wants that!

Beginning the roll!

We then sprinkle all sides pretty heavily with our Ultimate BBQ Rub, but you can use any BBQ type seasoning you would like.  Place in the smoker and you have a great appetizer in only an hour and a half!

We usually never do this as a stand alone product, but if we are cooking something else with a little extra room it makes a great treat.  Like we said earlier, feel free to brush with BBQ sauce.  We usually like it "dry", with some sauce on the side.

Don't hesitate to experiment with the stuffings either- just about anything will go well with a fatty.  We have tried a sauteed spinach/mushroom/parmesan stuffing, a jalapeno-queso stuffing, etc.  If you like it, the sausage really won't care what you put in there! 

We hope you liked our intro to a fattie.  Enjoy!

Memphis In May



our Memphis in May Booth for 2009

 It's getting close to application time for this year's Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest (MIM)!  Deadline to enter is Feb 28, 2011.  Follow this link to get an application for the contest.  A few things to consider:

1.  The entry fees are just the start of it!  MIM costs a lot of money to enter, even for the smaller size areas,  which starts at $500 for a 18x20 foot area and goes up to $3600 for a 36x50.  This fee lets you rent that amount of dirt and gives you entry into 1 category (more about that later).  Other fees you will add- clean up deposit, electrical, fire permit, porto-john rental, and of course cooking supplies and food for both the contest and your team.  By the time you add in transportation, hotels if needed, booth decor, flooring and tents (if you don't have your own you need to rent them- MIM is notoriously muddy) and other misc. costs, plan on spending at least $7000 for a medium size spot for the weekend and feeding a few friends.  If you want to host a full-fledged party start adding in more money.  Some teams spend over $75,000 for the week- scaffolding, painted fronts of their buildings, lots and lots of food and alcohol- it gets crazy.  There is a lot of "catering" and sponsorship involved with MIM- and most teams use this to offset their expenses.  Moral of the story- save up your pennies or find a sponsor.

2.   Categories- the main categories are Whole Hog, Shoulder and Ribs.  There are also quite a few "ancillary" contests such as beef, exotic meat, seafood, sauces, etc.  The ancillary contests do not count towards the Grand Champion award, only the main ones.  So, the question is "How do I choose which category to enter?"  This really comes down to you and your skills.  The average entries per category are Hog-40, Shoulders 60 to 70, Ribs 110+.  GENERALLY SPEAKING, there are not as many "party teams" in Hog, so the competition is stronger.  So the numbers don't really tell the full story-  just enter what you believe is your best category.

3.  How much to cook for each category?  The MINIMUM we would ever think about cooking would be 1 Hog, 8 shoulders and 15 Ribs.  This is the standard amount of meat we cook at a normal Memphis-style contest.  At MIM, we would probably double the category amount (since you are only cooking 1 category, you should have more space to cook- for example if we were in Shoulders- we would cook 12 to 16 shoulders.  Overkill?  Maybe, but we wouldn't want to lose out on a shot at the World Championship because we didn't buy enough shoulders).

4.  What do I need for my booth and where do I get it?  Ok, this gets more dependant upon you and the purpose of you cooking MIM.  Assuming you are a COMPETITIVE team coming down to enter and test your skills against the Worlds' Best BBQ-ers, here is what you need:  Obviously, you will need your smokers and general cooking utensils-knives, cutting boards, etc.  You WILL need a tent- if you don't have a good looking one or it's too small, you may rent one.  You would be very smart to plan on flooring-either bring your own or rent.  MIM is very specific about flooring, you are not allowed to just lay down plywood, it must be framed so it is not crushing the grass (if there is any left after the Music Festival!).  High up on the suggestion list is a fan(s).  It tends to get pretty hot.  For On-Site Presentations, you must have a table to feed the judges along with plates, etc.  MIM usually has an agreement with a local rental agency where you can rent almost all of your needs (a list of rental items will be sent to you in your acceptance packet- portajohns, power agreement, etc).
     A local meat company delivers meat on Wedn-Friday to your booth.  You must advance order to get this, but they have just about anything you need.  Sams Clubs also basically puts in a store at the festival where you can get slaw, buns, or just about anything you could need.  Ditto for the local Beer Company!
    All of these conveniences are there to aid out-of-town or even out-of-the-country teams that enter here every year.  Either rent or bring a 2-wheeler!
    MIM itself will also put you in touch with whoever you need if you are an out-of-towner.  They are very nice to work with as they want a successful contest. 



In future posts, we will talk more about what to do to help your chances at MIM, places to visit if you are just coming in town to judge or visit, and many other things.  Check Back Soon!