Peter’s Pond 2007
We finished 7th out of 22 teams at Peter’s Pond, and got a call to the stage for 3rd place in Brisket. Our first cow trophy!
This was our 3rd contest, and the first one without rain (or snow). We were both surprised at how easily everything went - the meats finished on time, and the overnight cooker ran on one load of charcoal from 9PM until noon. Both smokers were fading toward the end, but we managed to cook all four meats using just one full bag of Kingsford.
Chicken
We only cooked 9 chicken thighs, and three were small. That left six for the box. Chicken went on at 10:40 on a hot smoker left over from the 4-hour brisket. It cooked fast for a change, and we had to move it to the center of the top grate to slow it down. We tried crisping up the skin by placing the entire grate directly on the charcoal ring while we sauced - this caused the skin to pull back and curl. We missed a 5th place call by 2/1000ths of a point!
Ribs
We probably over-rubbed the ribs. I didn’t think the jerk rub was that noticable during our practice cook, and we rubbed them heavier this time. The habanero burn was definitely there on these. As a result, I sauced them heavier as well. They came in 9th. I hope they’re good - we’ve got 2 1/2 racks in the freezer!
Pork
I’m still trying to figure out what a proper pork entry should look and taste like. I thought this pig was pretty good - moist, and for the first time, it didn’t have a lot of dried-out pig jerky around the outside. 15th out of 22.
Brisket
No photo - I looked at my watch as we brushed juice on the last slice, and saw we had 45 seconds left to turn in! Luckily we were sited right by the judging tent. I made it to the table with 5 seconds to spare.
We cooked the brisket flat hot and fast. 2.5 hours at 350 on a grate over a foiled bowl, fat side up, trying to catch any juices. (The few that did drip down burned) At 170 internal, we dropped the brisket into the bowl, again fat side up, and cooked for 2 hours until the meat was just tender. At this point the fat side had a lovely black crust, and the meat side was wet and red. We tried searing it on a cast-iron grate on the charcoal ring, but that didn’t seem to do much. It was foiled and in the cooler at 10:30, and still piping hot at 1:30.
It passed the pull test, and even passed our taste test. The judges agreed - it came in 3rd.
Fish
We turned in seared tuna with sesame seeds in a soy marinade. Searing over the charcoal inferno for 15 seconds per side resulted in blackened sesame and very little cooked fish. Parts of the tuna looked great, but some of the slices were falling apart - we need to pick a steak from a firmer part of the fish. 9th out of 15.
All in all, it was a great contest - relaxed, sunny, and with the added bonus of hot showers. We’re looking forward to next weekend’s meet in NH.