A guy at the Memphis in May contest told me my ribs were 'too smoky'

I was real proud of my spare ribs, cooked over hickory for 6 hours. This judge, named Carl, took one bite, put it down, and said 'Son, you're trying to hide the meat with smoke.' It happened right at my turn-in tent. Has anyone else had a judge give you a note that just felt... off?

3 comments

3 Comments

susan_chen2mo ago

What kind of judge says that... too smoky is a real thing? I got docked last year because my bark was "too crunchy" and the guy said it should "melt in your mouth, not crunch"... but that's the whole point of bark. Some of these judges just have a weird personal taste they think is a rule.

allen.amy2mo ago

I get what you mean about personal taste, but "too smoky" is actually a real category in judging. It means the smoke flavor overpowers the meat instead of balancing with it.

jordank522mo agoMost Upvoted

Totally get where you're coming from, I used to think the same way about "too smoky" being a nonsense call. Then I read what Allen.Amy said about balance and it actually made sense. A judge told me my ribs were like chewing on a campfire log once, and I was mad, but now I see they meant the smoke just killed the pork flavor. That "too crunchy" bark thing sounds wild though, that's just a bad call.