Smokin' Times at the Rib Cook-offs

Our Summer really got going on Memorial Day weekend, as the air filled with the heady scent of smoking ribs. Brian was thrilled to be featured in a pre-Memorial Day article in the Free Times, especially since they actually did a lot of research and took the time to get the particulars right about the differences between grilling, barbequing and smoking, as well as pointing out that REAL barbeque does not fall off the bone, but rather it should have a little more texture than that -- make you tug a bit before it comes cleanly off the bone. What you get then is a little chewiness along with the melt-in-the-mouth moistness of properly cooked pork. Here's the article online: http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/55/smoking-is-good-for-you.

OK, off my soapbox for now and on to the events!

Barbeque in Berea
On Saturday, Brian and I headed to the Berea Rib Cook-off. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to wander around, indulge our most porkifying eating fantasies and, of course, see if we could snag a few new sauces for the store.

The advantages we see to the Berea Cook-off is that it is more casual and less expensive, with free parking tossed in, though the walk was long if you didn't know how to find the back lots. If you want to avoid huge crowds and long lines, this is the one for you. However, be warned that the music is certainly more "rustic" and less professional -- which translated to pretty bad, in our opinion. One band's lyrics went quite a way beyond what we'd consider a family event (something about losing his virginity via a hole in the wall and never looking back).

As for the barbeque, it was a mixed bag. Of the samples we tried, only a few offered properly cooked ribs, though the sauces weren't all that exciting. A few had great sauces, but they were not yet bottling them, so we couldn't buy any. One exception was Cowboy from Ft. Worth, TX, from whom we managed to snag a few cases of barbeque sauce and salsa.

Oddly, the highlights of the trip were our visits to the deep-fried candy stand and a spiced nut stand. Now, when I say deep fried, I don't mean funnel cakes. No, this was more serious stuff -- Twinkies... Snickers Bars... and, oh God, Oreos! Pregnant or not, this was not something to be missed. Brian ordered a Twinkie and I got the Oreos. The Twinkies are frozen on skewers, dipped in batter and then deep fried. The freezing part is important because it makes the filling stick to the skewer better. I managed to get a bite and thought that was decadent. But then, my Oreos showed up and I just about died and went to heaven. Not only were they deep fried, but they were finished with Hershey's syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Even Brian agreed that these were the most unbelievably indulgent thing he could think of next to a barrel of pig candy! The spiced nuts were a nice item to take home -- I'm a sucker for a sweet and salty snack now and again.

Judging Ribs Downtown
Sunday took us to our now annual gig as judges at the Marc's Great American Rib Cook-off. There, we met up with friends, donned our official Rib Judge jackets, took the official Rib Judge oath (we take that very seriously) and sampled 10 different ribs and sauces. Behind the scenes, you might be interested to know that we do not know whose ribs and sauces we are sampling. They are simply marked with numbers in serving order. I was a little afraid that I wouldn't have enough space in my tummy (the baby's getting pretty big now) to manage them all, so I was cautious about how many bites to take from each item. They serve you a single rib at a time with only bread and water to help clear your palate. Then they bring out the sauces in little cups. We judge based on appearance, aroma, texture and overall flavor. It really is a privilege to do this, and the overall quality of the ribs this year was outstanding. It was tough to decide which ones we liked the best. Now, there are always different preferences, which is why they have many judges -- to balance out the opinions and come up with a clear winner.

After the tasting was over, we wandered around the event, catching up with friends and picking up sauces as we could get them. The music was much, much better and the crowds were clearly keeping each of the rib stands hopping -- a good thing if you want to get a fresh, quality rib. Another beautiful day in Cleveland! Who would have thought?

Want to see a few pictures of the judging? Check out the blog for Q104's Rebecca Wilde: http://q104rebeccawilde.blogspot.com/2008/05/rib-burn-offjudgin-ribs.html. She actually caught a pretty good side shot of my burgeoning belly and another of Brian in his "I'm already a redneck and don't need more sun on it" straw hat.