This week, we are reviewing Porkmania, the double Rib competition that was held at the Polish Center of Wisconsin in Franklin on April 5th.
This competition was sanctioned by the Rib Cook Off Association, which is a fantastic organization that has just started its 2nd year. There were 3 categories for this competition: Wet (sauced) Rib, Dry (no sauce) Rib, and a breakfast ancillary cook. All of the meat for this competition was provided, which is always a great bonus, and the breakfast meats were provided by the event sponsor, Jones Dairy Farm in Fort Atkinson, WI, which is a place I am very familiar with as I used to be the head of security there, many moons ago.
I decided just to do the 2 rib categories this time as those are all that’s required for association points, and it saved a little bit of money. I liked this competition because it was only an hour’s drive there, which meant that it was one of my closer ones this year, at least at this time. Friday Night, I got the trailer all packed up and ready to go, so all we had to do Saturday morning was wake up and take off. We got there about 7am, found a parking spot, and started setting up. 42 teams were signed up to cook at this comp, so the competition was strong.
The cook’s meeting was at 8am, with turn-ins being at 12 for the breakfast cook, 1pm for the dry rib, and 2pm for the wet. As soon as I got the ribs, which was right after we got there, the rib prep started. It started with trimming them down to the even rectangular slabs of ribs that I like to compete with. This helps ensure that they are going to cook evenly and regulate the size. I injected each rack with Butcher BBQ Pork Injection and then seasoned it with my Lovely Jubbly BBQ The Everything all-purpose rub, and then again with my And Then Some BBQ rub. At 9:30, the first 2 racks of ribs went on, and at 10:30, the second set did. As usual, I won’t go into too much detail about my rib recipe, but I will link to my Ribs! Ribs! Ribs! post if you are interested in my technique.
For the dry rib turn-in, I pulled the ribs out of the wrap when they were ready and then used my sponsor this year, Weekend Bum BBQ’s Hot Bum rub in my fancy little thumb grinder to coat the top of the ribs before putting them back in the smoker. The thumb grinder is a fantastic tool I use to add more rub but have it not be as grainy, therefore making a nicer mouth feel. The trick to adding more rub is to do it while the ribs are still wet, that way, the moisture activates the rub, making it more effective. At that point, I put the ribs back on the smoker for 10 minutes to help dry that moisture and make them a true dry rib. After the 10 minutes were up, I pulled them off and started slicing with my Dalstrong brisket knife. I had plenty of good ribs between the 2 racks, but I found the best 7 and made the box. I really felt good about the dry ribs after they were turned in, great bite, great flavor, and plenty juicy.
The wet ribs were done about 45 minutes early, so I pulled them off, drained the wrap, and placed them in the resting bag. I had some issues with these racks, being that there were some weird crossbones in both of these racks, but I was able to pull out the 6 minimum good bones, sauced them, and put them back on the smoker to set the sauce for about 10 minutes. I made my turn-in box and turned them in, but I was not very happy with the second batch of ribs. they were very tight, and I feared that they weren’t going to be tender enough for the judges, but there was nothing I could do at that point.
Usually, it’s a standing joke within BBQ competitors that “if you don’t like them, usually the judges will.” That was my only hope with the wet ribs, but I was able to do something well, and that was to prove the old adage wrong. Awards started closer to 3 and while I didn’t win anything in the door prize raffle, I still won because I donated 1 bottle of each rub, and I really hope that whoever grabbed them really enjoys them! The awards were reversed compared to the turn-in times, so the wet ribs were announced first. I did not get a call in this category, which I expected since I wasn’t happy about them. I came 34/41 teams in the wet rib category.
The dry rib, on the other hand, I was really looking forward to because I was confident in that cook. 10th through 6th were announced, and my ticket number (448) wasn’t called yet. Then we get word that 4th and 5th place tied, which is always cool. As he started reading the numbers for 5th place, 4…….4……..8! BOOM!!! 5th place in the dry rib category! I was shaking with excitement as I walked up to the front of the room with a few fist bumps from others on the way up there and a hug from my good friend Ron Strohbusch. The entire walk, there was a huge amount of noise from where my family was sitting, and rightfully so! So I got my medal, check, and photo taken, and that was it, validation that I was doing it correctly, and I will never stop competing now. This is way too much fun, plus I can ride this high for a while. Onto the next! Which is Minnesota in May, May 9-10 for a fun KCBS Masters Competition.
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As always, keep cookin’ and Lovely Jubbly!
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