Cook-off clash has me questioning competition BBQ's true impact

At a recent cook-off, I saw a pitmaster win with a sweet, glazed rib that tasted more like candy than meat. My friend says contests help pitmasters come up with new ideas and get better. But I worry they make BBQ too fancy and not like the real thing. How do you feel about competitions in BBQ?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew3701mo ago

It's like the craft beer scene ten years ago. Everything started needing some weird ingredient to stand out, and you just wanted a normal, good pint. Competitions push things forward, but they can totally lose the plot of what makes something great in the first place.

olivia_green411mo ago

Wait, you said craft beer ten years ago? That feels way too recent, @andrew370. I swear that weird ingredient phase was still going strong like five years ago, easy. Maybe time flies, but it totally messed things up. They'd add like, lavender or chili to a stout just for a medal, not because it tasted good. You're right that competitions push for that, and then suddenly your local spot stops making your favorite basic IPA. It just gets forgotten.

viola_perry1mo ago

I mean, olivia_green41, you're not wrong about the weird ingredient phase, but lmao it feels like it never really ended. Some breweries still throw in crazy stuff just to get attention, not because it tastes good. But yeah, ten years ago was when it really kicked off, and competitions totally fueled that fire. Now it's like we're stuck with hazy IPAs and pastry stouts, and the simple beers get pushed aside. Miss when you could just order a solid IPA without wondering if it has marshmallow or whatever lol.