Consistency! by Scott Adams

One thing we strive for in competition BBQ is Consistency!  That means eliminating the variables and trying to have a repeatable process that can be done the same way every single time.  If you do this it will definitely lead to better results.  We don't implement any big changes week to week.  If we decide to change something, a rub a sauce or an injection for instance, we make that one change and leave the rest of the process and ingredients intact.  That way you know what the variable is and if it doesn't work you can go back to your base and try changing something else.

Making wholesale changes (changing rubs, sauces, and injections at the same time) can lead to confusion and questions.  If that wholesale change didn't work for you, how do you determine which part of the process didn't work?  If you keep the majority of the process and ingredients intact and just make small changes you will be better able to hone in on the results you desire. Generally we don't change more than one thing at a time for this very reason.   If you can come up with a consistent, repeatable process and only implement minor changes when necessary, you will definitely see improvement in your scores!