My process is almost exactly the same as yours, right down to the fog in the keg and using the partially removed bucket lid to trap the autosiphon in place. When you have submitted your hoppy pale ale to competitions, was it bottle conditioned? Or was it served out of a tap? I can make great bottled beer, but as we know, bottling sucks.
I use a Blichmann BeerGun for filling bottles off a keg. Purge the bottle for 5 seconds with CO2 then fill. Generally I let each bottle foam over slightly then cap. I use oxygen-scrubbing caps.