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The Best in the West: A Rib Sampler

Posted by Joshua Bousel, September 9, 2009 at 9:00 AM

I'd never heard of a barbecue event going on as long as The Best in the West: Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada, but when I got there, I quickly realized the six-day span was not nearly enough to get everything in.

Beyond the namesake ribs that were being smoked up, each pitmaster was offering a full menu of items, each one looking more delicious than the next. At first I lamented that I had only budgeted one day to eat, but quickly got real and formed a strategy to get as much is an possible. So it went: seek out the best ribs based on the pros recommendations, eat no more than two from each team, and continue on. With a solid plan in place that could hopefully get me through half of the 24 rib choices, my journey began. Meat photo gallery after the jump.

Memphis Championship Barbecue from Las Vegas, NV

Pitmaster: Mike Mills

For full disclosure, I've been loving Mike Mills's ribs ever since I first tasted them at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party six years ago. I basically learned how to barbecue from his book Peace, Love, and Barbecue and Amy Mills Tunnicliff (Mike Mills's daughter) was my primary rib guide for day. That being said, I think I can say, in all honesty, my first ribs of the day were my favorite.

Although the Memphis Championship Barbecue team are usually smoking baby backs, the cook-off requirement to use a St. Louis cut landed me a new version of their ribs. Not as tender as the baby backs, but a lot meatier, these ribs had the perfect pull off the bone. It took the only the slightest effort to free the meat, but once I had it, the bone was left bare.

The meat was pink almost all the way through, a clear sign of being properly smoked, but it didn't have an over-powering smokey flavor. The light and fruity applewood offered just the right amount of smokiness, allowing the flavors of the pork, rub, and light coating of a sweet and slightly spicy sauce to all come through. The only problem here: I asked for two ribs and was given four plus a bowl of beans. How could I not eat them all? First ribs down, and I was already veering off track.

Checkered Pig BBQ from Martinsville, VA

Pitmaster: Tommy Houston

Second stop on the whirlwind rib tour landed me with the incredibly tender ribs from Checkered Pig BBQ. The meat just fell off the bone of these beauties, something not seen much with smoked ribs. (I was left questioning how it was done.) Also applewood-smoked, these ribs had only the faintest trace of smoke, one that I possibly could not detect because of the thick layer of caramelized, molasses-based sauce coating. These were a fine contender for lovers of sticky-sweet ribs.

Aussom Aussie from Pittsburgh, PA

Pitmaster: Paul MacKay

Originally hailing from Sydney, Australia, Paul MacKay from Aussom Aussie was cooking up racks full of fruit flavors. After being smoked for four-and-a-half hours over a mix of cherry and applewoods, the ribs are finished with a sweet sauce, which has a natural tang from the pineapples, apples, oranges, and tomatoes.

Despite a decent smoke ring, I didn't get much of a smokey flavors from these, but they had a nice pull from the bone, and paired with the unique sauce, they were tasty. If you're like myself, and prefer more of a spice to your sauce, Paul also has a Flamin Crazy HOT Sauce that left at least one over-confident customer running for liquid relief.

Razorback Cookers from Blythville, AR

Pitmaster: Ray Gill

The first three stops had me veering away from the two rib game game plan, so I decided it was time to get serious when I made my way to Razorback Cookers. Colorful pitmaster Ray Gill (think orange boxers worn on top of jeans) boasted a 23-ingredient rub on his pecan smoked ribs. They were finished with a fairly standard sweet sauce of vinegar, ketchup, and brown sugar—not globbed on, but artfully applied in a layer thick enough to evenly caramelize the top of the rack. A wonderful mix of smoke and spice put these in the top running of my favorites of the day.

Bone Daddy’s from Midland, MI

Pitmaster: Bill Wall

As last year's Best in the West winner, Bone Daddy's was a must-visit on my list. Pitmaster Bill Wall claims the original Northern-Style barbecue, using nothing but quality ingredients, starts with sugar maple and wild cherry woods. Without much of smoke flavor to talk about, it was clear on first bite these ribs were all about the sauce.

The thick coating flavored every bite of pork, starting out sweet with a delayed, lingering spiciness. After two, my mouth was already feeling the effects of the heat—I can only imagine what a half or full rack would do. Surprising and unique, they were a standout among the bunch.

Armadillo Willy's from Los Altos, CA

Pitmaster: John Berwald

Pitmaster John Berwald shed some light for me on what drives tastes for ribs in this part of Nevada. At his restaurant in the San Francisco area, Armadillo Willy's he never sauces his ribs, but at this event, he said it's a must. He still tried to stay true to his dry rub only philosophy, serving the ribs on a bed of sauce rather than mopped on top. The result was a rib where the flavors of the smoke the pork really dominated, with the sauce adding just the slightest spice and moisture.

Sweet Meat Cooking Team from Euless, TX

Pitmaster: Ray Green

Texas is best known for their beef barbecue, and during my times in Texas, I've never ordered anything but beef brisket or sausage—ribs has never even crossed my mind. I wish I could say Ray Green from the Sweet Meat Cooking Team expanded my view of Texas barbecue, but the ribs were overly smokey and dry after being grilled for a tad too long during finishing.

The team did have the best smoker among the lot, an anatomically correct armadillo, where the grease was drained out of its, umm, "unit," which is taken off and put away each night to prevent its theft.

Butch's Smack Your Lips BBQ from Mt. Laurel, NJ

Pitmaster: Butch Lupinetti

My final ribs were smoked up by Butch Lupinetti, an Italian pitmaster hailing from New Jersey. A state barbecue champion, his ribs were a perfect way to end the evening. Smoked for four-and-a-half hours over hickory and red oak, the ribs had the smoke-rub-sauce ratio down pat. With just enough pull off the bone, I downed my flavorful last two ribs of the evening while all the crews began clean-up and started prepping for the next day.

Having strayed from my original plan by many tasty distractions, I ended the day only sampling one-third of the ribs offered (which I'm still fairly proud of). Unfortunately this did not include this year's winner, Desperado's BBQ from Hinckley, Ohio.

So I guess that means I'll have to return to next year's Nugget Rib Cook-off, on a quest to see what makes a perfect rib by Nevada standards by eating my way through all 24 of the pitmaster's ribs—a task I'm totally up for.

Related: The Best in the West: Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada

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