BBQCRITIC.COM
  • Home
  • Restaurants
  • BBQ Competitions
  • Features
  • JudgeMyBox
    • Published Boxes & Scores
    • KCBS Judges Oath
    • Judge Q&A for Cooks
    • How to become a Certified BBQ Judge
  • ABOUT
    • Links
    • Contact
    • Archives >
      • Give It To God
      • Blogs >
        • Columnist Dave Compton
        • Testimonials
        • Columnist Marc Gonick
        • Columnist Hance Patrick
        • Columnist Mike Hall
        • Famous Dave Guest Column
      • Photos
      • BBQ Comps 2011 to 2014
    • BBQ Critic In the News
    • PHOTO GALLERY
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms and Conditions
  • JUDGEALERTS

Do judges notice the difference between "wet smoking" & dry" smoking?

7/30/2012

 
Question

I was wondering, is there a difference that can be noticed between a wet smoke and dry smoke?

Brice Mitchell
Lacona, Ia

Competition Cook
Contest Organizer: Frost Buster
BBQ Team: Warren County Smoker
Mike Cannon
7/30/2012 02:46:49 pm

Usually you get more flavor from the same amount of wet wood. It smolders instead of burning as quickly.

brice mitchell
8/15/2012 02:58:09 pm

no i mean to have a pool of water that is heated and makes steam as it smoke

Mike S.; KCBS MCBJ &,BBQ-Brethren RJ
7/30/2012 09:17:21 pm

If your question is weather judges can tell if you use dry or moist heat, that is a difficult question to answer, since judges are not sure what method was used. In theory, more moisture the better the smoke penetration and adhesion, but an experience cook would know the right application in either method. Also I don't believe in the theory of moist heat equals moist meat.

As far as appearance that is also difficult to answer, since almost everyone uses sauces..

Ike, CBJ/KCBS
7/30/2012 11:22:29 pm

Just speaking for myself, I'm really not sure I would be able to tell the difference. Since most of the meat gets some kind of sauce you would have a hard time telling which method was used.

Bob
7/31/2012 01:40:33 am

I don't know if I could tell the difference as a judge with properly cooked meat. But the texture of the meat that is dry or spongy (?) certainly changes the score in ways that sauce can't change.

Doug KCBS Master CBJ / CTC
7/31/2012 03:51:38 am

This is a difficult question. I might be able to tell the difference as with moist heat you shouldn't get as much bark as with dry heat due to the extra moisture. But a lot of teams will wrap their meat in foil once it hits a certain time/temperature/color/cooking point/etc. and add some liquid so that the meat will braise to make it tender and moist. This can also affect the bark. Once cooking is done some will place their meat, still in foil, in a cooler or cambro. Others will take it out of the foil, sauce it, and put it back on the smoker. And I'm sure there are many, many other variations out there.

Can a judge tell when the box reaches them. Maybe 50% of the time I could. The question you should ask yourself is, "does my cooking method produce, moist, tender, juicy meat." That is the main thing I am looking for when I judge.

Jim H - CBJ SBN/KCBS
7/31/2012 07:15:32 am

I think if you were to try meat samples of both "wet smoke" and "dry smoke" side by side, you may be able to tell the difference. But only if you could do that several times in a row with different samples could you ascertain that "wet smoke" definitely tastes different than "dry smoke." Frankly, I doubt that would be the case. There are two many variables in any cook to say one will be detectable over the other.

Ray
7/31/2012 01:17:11 pm

Brice, I don't know if anybody could really tell the difference in the smoke but maybe the texture.

I was more interested in you being an organizer for the Frostbuster?

Signed,
Ray (organizer for the Frostbuster)

brice mitchell
8/15/2012 03:03:49 pm

i am not sure where that came from i did not know of am frostbuster i am organizing a smoking contest with Southern Iowa Bbq Smokers

Ed KCBS MCBJ
8/1/2012 04:21:21 am

Wet Smoke/Dry Smoke?
What the hell is that? Smoke is smoke... I think
Are you wondering if having water in your cooker or not makes your meat more moist or not?
I'd say absolutley not. The moisture in your meat is from rendered fat. If you don't cook it long enough there will not be much moisture in your meat. If you cook the hell out of it, there will not be much moisture in your meat.
If you cook your meat to the perfect temperature it will be perfectly moist and will score well, and Ray will be putting a water pan in his cooker.

Dick-MCBJ/CTC
8/16/2012 03:35:56 am

Brice, If you are reffering to a cooker that has a large pan of water that is heated thereby basicly steaming the meat, my answer is yes,yes and yes. I can very definately taste the difference with pork. It will taste washed out and have little flavor. I am not reffering to a cooker that has a smaller water pan only to the cookers that the water pan almost completely covers the heat source. We have some whole hog cookers who also use this method and the entire hog lacks flavor. I believe the water prevents the natural wood smoke and flavor from reaching the meat. I also think many judges have also had "water steamed" pork and score it down on taste without knowing why it lacked taste.


Comments are closed.

    BBQ FAQ for Cooks and Judges

    Here are some answers to common questions submitted by cooks and judges and answered by Certified BBQ Judges. Take a read and get inside the mind of a BBQ judge.

    (NOTE: To reveal the answers to questions, click on he title of the question)




    FAQ on judging competition BBQ

    All
    Are Judges Getting Sick Of The Same Boxes?
    Are KCBS Judges More Or Less Likely To Be Current Ot Former Cooks?
    Do BBQ Judges Talk About Garnish?
    Does Discussing Scores And Cooking With A Team Benefit A Judge?
    Do Judges Get Tired Of The Same Old Sauce?
    Forks Or No Forks?
    How Does Food Temperature Affect Scoring?
    How Does Skin On Chicken Impact Scores?
    How Do You Score A Box Filled With Different Cuts Of Meat?
    How Much Emphasis Should Be Placed On Uniformity?
    If You Cite A Lack Of Perfection How Can You Still Give Out A 9?
    Should Chicken Be Deboned? Sauced?
    Should Cooks Turn In 6 Samples Required Or Fill The Box With More Meat?
    Should Garnish Be Considered In Your KCBS Appearance Score?
    What Are Your Thoughts On Using Pulled Chicken?
    What Criteria Do You Look For When You First See A Turn In Box?
    What Is The Best White Meat To Use In A BBQ Turn In Box?
    What Is The Typical Base Score In A KCBS Competition?
    What Should The Left-over Policy Be For Judges At BBQ Contests?
    What Type Of Desserts
    What Type Of Pork Box Would Get Higher Scores?
    What Type Of Ribs Do Judges Prefer?
    What Types Of Rubs Do BBQ Judges Prefer?
    What Will Score Better To Line The Bottom Of Turn In Boxes With?

    RSS Feed



    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

© 2011 TO PRESENT BBQCRITIC.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL MATERIAL (PHOTOS, TEXT, AUDIO & VIDEO) MAY NOT BE BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR  REDISTRIBUTED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER. ANY QUESTIONS, GO HERE: CONTACT

Or SUBSCRIBE TO BBQ CRITIC
by texting the word REVIEWS to
833-272-6123

Unsubscribe any time by texting STOP

Privacy Policy |  Terms and Conditions | Disclaimer