Do you make the best smoked ribs in your neighborhood? Thinking of entering your ribs in a barbecue competition?
The raw truth is that the smoked ribs your family and neighbors love at home may not necessarily work in competition. When I started competing with team Smoke In Da Eye in 2003, I was certain that my backyard rib recipe was good enough to hold its own among the barbecue circuit’s seasoned veterans. Suffice to say, it did not. In fact, my ribs came within spitting distance of dead a$$ last (DAL), as did the other three categories I entered.
I walked away vowing never again to compete. But the competition bug hit me hard, and I was back at it a month later. During that brief break, I turned to online BBQ forums and fellow competitors for advice on improving my rib score. Slowly but surely, my ribs began to move up the rankings, and a few contests later I got a top ten call.
In the spirit of camaraderie and to honor those who helped me up my game, here are my best tips for competition barbecue and my personal ribs recipe. Think of the recipe as a template, and free to customize it with different rubs, sauces, and seasonings.
*About the salt: Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
*About the mayonnaise: The use of mayonnaise is completely optional but is something that I have done for years. As with the more popular yellow mustard, the mayonnaise serves as a binding agent for the dry rub without altering the flavor of the finished meat. Unlike mustard, mayonnaise is high in fat, something that can only benefit the ribs).
Find it online: https://smokedaddyinc.com/amazingribs-com-competition-ribs/