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Warning: A guy at the Memphis in May contest told me my ribs looked 'too perfect' to be real.
He was judging the appearance round and said it like a bad thing, right in front of my tent. How can you fault a cook for being neat and getting the color just right? What's the line between competition-ready and looking fake to you guys?
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quinn_burns2mo ago
Seriously? That's the goal, to make them look perfect. Sounds like a weird compliment.
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calebc402mo ago
Wait did you just say the goal is to make them look perfect? That's the whole point, @quinn_burns. It's not a weird compliment, it's the only compliment that matters in that line of work. If you can't see the skill it takes to get that flawless look, you're missing the point completely. They're basically saying you achieved the impossible standard.
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the_hayden2mo ago
My first boss in the industry told me that exact line... it just means you did the job right.
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drewr151mo ago
Heard about a buddy who got the same line at a rib cook-off in St. Louis. Judge told him his bark looked "painted on" and it threw him off for a week. Dude spent years trying to get that exact mahogany color, you know? Kinda proves you nailed the look if they think it's too good to be real.
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