It’s a tradition as cherished as Maple Syrup on pancakes and Kingstonians came out in droves to the Memorial Centre for the annual RibFest this weekend.
Live music mixed with a list of craft beers to sample, but the real prize is the ribs.
“First, you’ve gotta smoke it, you’ve gotta rub it, gotta make sure you have a good temperature, can’t cook it too high, can’t cook it too low, you’ve gotta make sure you have a nice steady pace the whole time,” said Nicholas Pacheco, a cook at the Mississippi Smokehouse
Watching the masters at work, it’s easy to see this is serious business.
Each cut of meat is cut, rubbed, grilled and drizzled to perfection with a wide variety of spices, rubs and sauces. Pacheco is partial to his workplace’s ribs.
“The way we cook it. You know, people have different rubs and different sauces, the temperature they cook it at, the time they cook it for, and we just cook it a little bit slower than everybody else, we rub it a bit more,” added Pacheco.
Ultimately, however, the customers decide what pushes the right buttons on their taste buds.
“Best I’ve ever had was actually here last year, I think it was actually Fatboy’s, so I’m gonna do another round and see who’s bringing the heat this week,” said barbecue enthusiast Austin Page, adding “You’ve gotta get the cornbread, you’ve gotta get maybe a little pulled pork on the side, some chicken, and lots and lots of the beans. You’ve gotta get the beans too, for sure,”
If ribs don’t tickle your fancy, there’s no shortage of other items to try ranging from blooming onions around the size of a kid’s sized football, right on down to lemonade and ice cream.