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Ribfest: Meet the masters of BBQ
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On Friday I made my way through the Naperville Exchange Club’s 22nd Annual Ribfest anxious to sample some barbecue. With a total of 17 rib vendors, I would have loved to have tried them all, but my stomach has its limits. I will share what I did try and introduce you to the people behind the scenes making all those delicious ribs, sauces and rubs. Today judges will sample ribs and sauces to vote for their favorites. Winners are scheduled to be announced at 3:00 p.m. And the festival runs through Sunday, so there’s still time to get out there and sample some ribs.
Uncle Bub’s, Westmont, IL
Uncle Bub's operates a restaurant and catering business in suburban Westmont. They returned this year to try and regain their previous titles of "Best Ribs" and "Best Sauce."
Mark Link, owner of Uncle Bub’s Restaurant and Catering in Westmont, Illinois has been in the business of barbecue for the past 11 ½ years. This was his fourth year participating in Naperville’s Ribfest. It’s a pretty big job. “We did 4,285 slabs of ribs last year, 2,200 pounds of cooked pulled pork and 2,000 pounds of beef brisket,” said Link. July 4th is judging day and Link said he’ll be up at 3:45 a.m. preparing for judging, which begins at 10:30 a.m.
During the winter months, Link said he travels south to compete in rib cooking competitions in places such as Ft. Lauderdale, Kansas City, Mobile (AL), Austin (TX) and Georgia. His latest victory was being named in the top 10 of 126 teams in a North Kansas City competition. “We enjoy what we do,” said Link. “We do mostly the restaurant and catering, but we do the competitions for fun.”
Uncle Bub’s logo of the “Happy-go-lucky pig” was designed by a friend of Link’s who was a cartoonist for the Disney Co. “Our first year, we got first in sauce and our second year we got first in ribs and second in sauce,” said Link. “And this year we’re hoping to do something.”
My review: Uncle Bub’s is big on taste. I sampled brisket, pulled pork and ribs. All were delicious, but I especially loved the brisket. The pork was tender and saucy. I’m not big on hot and spicy and Uncle Bub’s sauce was perfect for me - flavorful without the burn.
Visit Uncle Bub’s restaurant at 132 South Cass Avenue in Westmont for dine in or carry-out. Go to www.unclebubs.com to order sauces and t-shirts.
Pigfoot, West Salem, Ohio
Todd Harris, Kevin Gift and Tammy Manchak stand in front of one of their booths at Ribfest, with their many trophies and award banners behind them. Photos by Carrie Steinweg.
I was waiting for my kids to finish up in a bounce house and next to me was a gentleman with a very appetizing-looking plate of food in front of him. I asked Hosea Middleton of Palatine where he got his ribs from and he pointed me toward Pigfoot. “It was a nice sweet sauce,” said Middleton. “I thought the rib was a nice lean cut. And it was reasonable with a quarter slab for $8 with side dishes and a roll, as well. It’s a great value. I’m very satisfied.”
With Middleton’s recommendation, I made my way over to Pigfoot where I tried out some ribs and got to talking with Kevin Gift, who was there with his partners running two stands. He said they placed a second booth in the kids area and added kid-friendly foods, like hot dogs and hamburgers.
Pigfoot has been around since the late 1970’s and been part of Ribfest for many years. Gift estimated that they’ve won awards about 7 times at Ribfest. Tammy Manchak, one of Gift’s partners said they’ve won 9 awards so far this year for their barbecue as they’ve traveled the BBQ circuit. They come all the way from West Salem, Ohio each year to serve up ribs along with their five flavors of sauces. Gift said he’d like to see a Pigfoot restaurant open at some point in the future once the economy bounces back from its current slump.
My review: Middleton was right on! I loved the sweet sauce (could have eaten it all by itself by the spoonful!) and the cut of meat was lean and tender. Lots of flavor packed into each bite. For more on Pigfoot, visit www.pigfootbarbequecookingteam.com.
Aussom Aussie, Sydney, Australia
Ben Simmen prepares some Awssom Aussie ribs.
Paul “Aussom Aussie” MacKay hails from Sydney, Australia, but he said he really feels like part of the Naperville community after competing for all but one of the 22 years the Naperville Ribfest has been in existence. “I’ve been here since ’88,” said Mackay. “I was one of the original vendors.”
MacKay said he enjoys traveling to different festivals to share his products, which include barbecue sauces, seasonings and hot sauces, especially when he’s able to be part of a fundraiser for a great organization (Naperville's Ribfest is a fundraiser for the Exchange Club and proceeds go toward prevention of child abuse and domestic violence.) He’s walked away with lots of awards and has even been featured on the Food Network.
As founder of the company, he’s up there with his team cooking food and serving customers. “I come out at 6 a.m. and cook ribs until midnight and I enjoy doing it,” said MacKay. Among the flavors of sauce are a unique fruity one – Raspberry Chipotle.
My review: I sampled some of the Aussom Aussie ribs, which were extremely tender and slathered in a great sauce that had a zing to it. I also tried out the shrimp on a skewer, which was seasoned with “dust” as one worker called it. WOW! Had to go back for seconds. You can order his products at www.aussomaussie.com.
***note: both Pigfoot and Aussom Aussie are scheduled to be at the Lake in the Hills Ribfest July 9 – 12.
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