- About a month ago, I did a Competition Steak Class.
I've had a total of four winners besides myself
that have won the High Steak’s steak competition.
I felt pretty confident going into this class
considering my success at the San Antonio rodeo
with the steak I had there
and with the new recipes I was bringing to the table.
And when I learned that another one of my alumnus
had won that first place steak,
I decided I would share with you guys
some of the things that are really important
when it comes to winning steak competitions.
Here's a few things that I think are really important
before you jump out and go start cooking competition steaks.
All right.
First of all, they're a lot of fun.
They're pretty simple.
They're pretty easy to do.
All you need is a canopy and a little grill.
Another cool thing about SCA by the way
is they don't care what you cook it on
as long as you execute a perfect steak
and your recipes are good, you got a shot at winning.
So they're pretty simple. They're pretty easy.
Show up, get your grill on, go select your steaks,
do your preparations, start cooking.
And you're done early,
you can even go home that day if you want.
Those are little things that will set you apart
from the steak in front of you.
And like I said earlier, after they taste 20 of them,
they kinda all start to be the same.
So, you need that extra little pop
whether it's a little bit of heat or a little umami
or a little salt or MSG,
or a little combination of any of those above.
Next thing you need to know
is selection and trimming are key.
Selecting the right steak is at least 80% of the game.
Now, a lot of us can turn a not so great steak
into a pretty good steak,
but you know if you select a really good one up front,
your odds and your chances are way, way better.
Then you need to learn how to trim it just right
so that it appeals to the judge in a way.
Remember we were there right first
and there is a presentation score as well.
If it's a small steak,
there is a point of no return also when you're trimming.
Another thing to remember is you are competing
with some of the best steak cookers in the world.
Even though they're fun and easy to do,
that doesn't mean it's easy to win.
When it comes to steaks, good recipes, perfect execution
and technique can make you or break you.
When it comes to steaks, perfect timing,
exact fire temperature, exact internal temperature,
perfect execution of all of that is really important
more than any other competition meat that I've ever done.
It's extra critical and extra crucial
when it comes to cooking steaks
because you have a very, very small window of perfection
when it comes to steaks
and you're cooking at 6 or 700 degrees.
Generally, when you're at a big event,
there's a lot of people,
you got a bunch of friends hanging around,
bunch of stuff going on, and it's really hard to focus
on doing things at the cook-off
when you have so many people around you.
Ask me how I know.
Another really important thing
just like in competition barbecue,
continuing education and research and development
and testing new recipes is key to being able
to be competitive at the top level
of competition steaks today.
Now, one oof the things, a lot of top cooks don't tell you
is that they also continue to educate
and do research and development,
and test and try a lot of different techniques and recipes.
That's why they're at the top of their game.
So, if you wanna be at the top of the game
when it comes to steak competitions,
you need to do that as well.
Get yourself educated, learn all you can
and then go home and practice, test, tune,
get good with all of your timing and your techniques
and that will increase your odds
at winning the steak competition.
Before turning a couple hours before,
I did a couple of test runs.
I was really literally just coming up with these ideas.
And I was testing that and everybody around,
we were with the (mumbles) teams,
there was a lot of people.
Everybody was tasting and they were like,
"Oh my God, it's amazing.
It's wonderful. It's like, wow."
But me and Terry, because we know our steak,
we were both like, "It still needs something.
It needs something, it needs something."
And that something was the powder.
You know, number one.
Number two, when you get that sear going on the steak,
it is another umami, really good flavor.
Another thing that's really important.
when you practice at home, when you test at home,
cook with choice steaks.
Not select, not with prime, and not with white goose.
When you go to an SCA competition,
part of your entry fee is the steaks themselves.
You have to cook the steaks they give you
and they're always choice.
They're not always perfect.
I can't emphasize to you enough.
When you practice at home make sure you practice
with choice meat, not any other meat,
because that's what you're gonna get at the competition.
Now in SCA, steaks are judged on five criteria.
Appearance, doneness, texture, taste
and overall impression.
And each one of those criteria
carries a lot of weight in points.
So, you need to be able to execute all of those really well
when you're under pressure.
If you got a lot of fire, it's quicker, it's sooner.
It's what I call the flippity flip, right?
Flip, flip, flip.
I'd rather turn in a perfectly cooked steak
that doesn't have the perfect appearance,
but at least has a chance with the other four criteria
rather than turn one in that's real, pretty and seared
but is way overcooked and kills me on the appearance score
once they cut into it.
And just like barbecue competitions,
when it comes to steak competitions,
you win or lose on the cutting board.
What you do those last 10 minutes
before you put your steak in the tray
can make you or break you.
We use compound butters.
We use finishing dust.
Really good finishing ingredients
that can really make that steak taste great.
Because remember, the judge only gets one bite.
So again, what you do in the last few minutes,
when that steak's on the cutting board
is gonna make you or break you.
And this was strictly a WOW! steak.
This is all that I put on it.
I did create this as a competition steak grub
more than anything.
Turns out it's a lot more versatile than I ever dreamed of.
So, I changed the name from steak to barbecue seasoning.
All right, my barbecue loving friends,
one of the most often asked questions
is which grill should I use for steak competitions?
Should I use a PK?
Should I use a Weber Kettle?
What about a custom grill like the Propit Bullet?
What about the grill I have in my backyard?
What am I saying friend is run with your grill.
You can cook championship steaks
with the grill that you have in your backyard right now.
Just remember, that every grill and every cooker
has pros and cons and the most important thing
is practice, practice, practice
and to have some proven recipes and techniques
that can get you into the winner circle.
And in my Competition Steak Masterclass,
I teach you exactly that.
I cover selection and trimming in detail
with multiple cameras from different angles.
And I show you exactly how to cook that steak
from start to finish.
I demonstrate and show you award-winning recipes
and techniques that can get you into the winner circle.
All right.
So, now click the link in my bio
for more information on my Steak Masterclass.
and let me know if you have any questions.
That pretty much wraps it up, my friends.
Remember to keep the smoke light,
make it work and make it a wow kind of day.
Boom.