I told a cook his brisket was dry at a contest in Amarillo and I'd do it again
Most folks in this game say you never criticize another cook's food at a contest, and I used to nod along with that. At a small comp outside Amarillo two summers back, a guy pulled his packer off the smoker and sliced it right in front of me, and the flat was dry as a Saltine, pulling apart in strings. I walked over, told him the point was solid but the flat needed a wrap and a longer rest, and he got real quiet. Turns out his pit temp was running about 275 the whole time and he never checked the flat separate from the point. He ended up finishing 14th out of 32 teams, but he came up to me after awards and asked for my number. Honest feedback beats being polite while somebody keeps losing, right?