So today was the Stanton Rib Fest in Stanton, NE. It's been a pretty big event for the last few years, and it's a Midwest BBQ Association event--so they don't just drag some guy in off the street to be the judge. I've been wanting to cook at this event for a couple of years now, but it always happened on the same day as another event that...let's just say I don't really have the option of skipping this other event. But they didn't coincide this year, so it was game on.
This was the first time I'd used my kettle plate at a bigger event. The ribs were not my best--they were too salty (too much rub) and not quite as tender as I want. The ribs didn't look that big, but there was a lot of meat on them. I should have taken that into account and cooked longer.
What I did learn was that I could fit four racks of baby back ribs on my 22 kettle without using a rib rack. It would have been tight, but it did fit. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, as three racks was easier to manage), the ribs came in packs of three, so that was it for me.
For the pics. Ribs on the grill...I think this was after they came out of foil:
Ribs in the turn-in box:
The results? We got ninth out of 35 teams (our name is 7th Street Smokers). We got eight 9's and ten 8's, with 9's being the highest possible scores. What a cluster at the top.
All in all a successful day. It was 96 degrees, though, so I am beat. But I am excited, so I had to share!
Topic: Rib Fest in Stanton, NE--first time using the kettle plate at a big contest! (Read 1318 times)