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Judging ribs is a tough (and tasty) job, but someone's got to do it

Eight judges get the awesome job of deciding which ribs, chicken and sauce were tops at this year's Guelph Ribfest
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Paul Nolan of Farms.com judges ribs at Guelph Ribfest on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. Eight types of ribs, sauce and chicken were graded by a panel of eight judges. Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

It is, without a doubt, the best job at Ribfest: being one of the lucky eight people who get to judge the ribs, sauce and chicken of the eight ribbers taking part in the popular event.

Full disclosure: the judges aren’t chosen based on any particular expertise, it’s one of the perks of being an event sponsor. Hence, GuelphToday got a spot along with the likes of Linamar, Sleeman, CJOY and Farms.com.

But, if someone is going to offer free ribs and chicken, sponsor or not, I’m in.

I don’t consider myself a barbecue expert, but it is one of my favourites. Done right it’s intricate, delicious and fun food.

As a rookie on the judging panel, I was open to advice from some of the veterans.

The Golden Rule of rib judging appears to be this: take just one bite.

That’s easier said than done, given how darn good they all taste. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got to leave something for the finish line.

We judge the sauce, ribs and chicken based on appearance, taste and texture.

Of course, all three are subjective.

While all the ribbers use the same supplier for their meat, after that it’s secret rubs, recipes and cooking methods.And there is a surprising difference, particularly when it comes to texture.

All the entries are numbered. Judges don’t find out which ribber made which ribs until after judging is completed.

Good ribs can come from anywhere. I’ve had terrible barbecue in Kentucky and some of the best I’ve ever had was in Sault Ste. Marie. Geography has no bearing.

One thing that is quickly obvious is that all the sauces, while having subtle differences, are of the thick tomato/brown sugar thick kind we’ve come to know north of the border.

None of the primarily vinegar-based sauces you get in the southern states or the Carolina mustard sauces.

If you’re going to go tomato/brown sugar, then I prefer mine a little smokey and thick. It shouldn’t run down your face. Just stick to it. Enough sauce should be left around the lips for someone to finger paint with.

Only slight variances when it comes to sauce, although one ribber got bonus points for including a bit of the rib rub in the sauce.

The ribs themselves were all quite delicious – nice grill marks, some caramelization on the outside – with good flavours.

What separated the contestants in my mind was texture. I like a rib that comes off the bone loosely. Not pulled pork on a stick, but easily enough I don’t have to work at tearing it off with my teeth.

Flavours  must resonate and go beyond the sauce that often dominates. I want to taste that slow smoke and rub.

Chicken is a little more difficult, given that we were often given different parts of the chicken to try. If you were a white meat guy and were given a thigh, there might be some issues.

Apparently the ribbers have asked that pulled pork make the competition next year, maybe replacing chicken.

Even though we were told which food came from which ribber (I voted Silver Bullet as my fave), they weren’t announced to the Ribfest crowd until Sunday afternoon. Makes sense, it wouldn’t be fair to the other vendors to announce who had the “best food” early in the weekend.

Besides, it’s a very subjective award, but one that fest-goers often look at in making their choice.

For the record, the official voting on the weekend went this way:

Best Ribs: (1) Silver Bullet (2) Jack on the Bone (3) Camp 31.

Best Chicken: (1) Boss Hogs (2) Silver Bullet (3) Camp 31.

Best Sauce: (1) Smokehouse Bandits (2) Camp 31 (3) Silver Bullet.

People's Choice Award: Silver Bullet.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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