Spare moments few for roaming 'ribbers'

[Food Network Fan]

Spare moments few for roaming 'ribbers'
Thursday, July 24, 2008 3:09 AM
By Aaron Beck


The Columbus Dispatch
Randall L. Schieber
Jazz & Rib Fest visitors last year at the Bad Wolf Barbecue stand

COURTESY BUTCH LUPINETTI
Butch Lupinetti with celebrity chef Bobby Flay

Will Shilling | ALIVE
Joe Jackson of Smokin' Joe's Ribs

Click here to enlarge image.

Rackers

The competitors in the rib-cooking events:

Armadillo's, Youngstown

Bad Wolf Barbecue, Toronto, Ontario

BBQ Masters, Stockbridge, Ga.

Big Boned Barbeque Co., Malta, Ill.

Butch's Smack Your Lips BBQ, Mount Laurel, N.J.

Chicago Barbecue Co., Burr Ridge, Ill.

Cowboy's Barbecue & Rib Co., Weatherford, Texas

Desperado's, Hinckley

Down Home Bar-B-Que, Missouri City, Texas

Famous Dave's, Plymouth, Minn.

Jack on the Bone Rib Team, Massillon

Joey's Texas Thunder, Burr Ridge, Ill.

Johnson's Bar-B-Que, Chesapeake, Va.

The King of Bar-B-Que Ribs, Mansfield

Lawshea's Southern Fish and Ribs, Columbus

Open Hands Catering, Columbus

Pigfoot BBQ Co., West Salem

Porky 'N' Beans, Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Schmidt's, Columbus

Smoke Shack, Columbus

Smokin' Joe's Ribs, Columbus

Texas Outlaw BBQ, Elizabethtown, Ky.


For most people, the 29th annual Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest will offer a respite from the routine.
It promises a stroll along the Scioto River -- a time to hear some music, meet friends and acquaintances, and, of course, eat a plate of mouthwatering food that someone else cooked.
For the 22 teams of men and women who will rub and slather many thousands of pounds of ribs and other meats on many a grill, it means 2 1/2 days of nonstop preparations and quick salutations such as "Hi,
how are you?" and "Thank you, goodbye."
The "ribbers," the people who roam the United States producing distinctively flavored smoked meats, wouldn't have it any other way.

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