A judge at the Yakima comp told me my brisket was "too pretty" and it changed how I trim

Kevin Bailey · 2026-09-24T01:10:02.992887+00:00

Two summers back I spent almost 45 minutes trimming a packer to competition spec, squaring every edge and getting the fat cap to a perfect quarter inch. A judge I know walked by my prep table in Yakima and said "you're cooking for the box, not the bite" and honestly it stung. So now I leave a lot more of the fat on and trim way less, and my slices have been juicier. But my scores on appearance went down a little, so I keep going back and forth on it. Does the trim actually matter that much for taste, or am I overthinking the whole thing?

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A judge at the Yakima comp told me my brisket was "too pretty" and it changed how I trim | BBQ Pitmasters - Topic Shares