Youth club Ribfest turns up the heat

There appeared to be a strong home team advantage at this year’s Ribfest, the annual fundraiser for the Blooming Prairie Youth Club.

Half of the eight teams were from town, said Amanda Johnson, president of the youth club board.

They ranged from The Hermanator’s 14 racks cooked over charcoal to the team of Smoke It While It’s Hot, which barbecued 50 racks of ribs in its large smoker welded to a trailer.

The Smoke It team typically doesn’t do ribs, focusing instead on whole hogs.

“They probably don’t want to do that many” racks, said Bryce Schlichter, who grills on the Blooming Prairie team of All Sauced Up.

“Someone has to do that many to feed the public,” he said, to ensure everyone who buys a ticket gets their fill of ribs.

“That’s a public service over there,” agreed Nick Nelson, Schlichter’s teammate.

Though the public doesn’t eat until 4 p.m., the action starts early.

“We were here about 7 this morning,” said Herm Beede, who is the lone member – and reluctant title character – of The Hermanator. “You get all your stuff set up, then go in and get your meat.”

The 14 racks of St. Louis ribs he requested each take four to four and a half hours on his grills.

“That’s all I can do,” Beede said. “You have to keep a pretty close eye on a charcoal grill.”

Most of the other contestants use Traeger grills, which use wood pellets and are considered automatic, with temperature and timer controls.

Beede stays old-school, using charcoal, “because it’s the way I like to do it.”

He’s competed at Ribfest for seven years; his best finish was second place a few years ago.

Saturday’s hot, humid weather helps, he said. “It makes ‘em cook a little quicker. These are St. Louis ribs; everyone seems to rather have those – there’s a little more fat on them.”

While it may have helped the ribs, the heat may have taken a toll on attendance.

“The heat really affects it,” Johnson said of the high temperatures and humidity, though a breeze kept it tolerable. “I’m grateful it’s not raining.”

The All Sauced Up team, which won People’s Choice last year, has an unconventional – yet democratic – approach to the competition.

“We always do our own,” said Schlichter, referring to the 18 racks prepared by he, Nelson and Darren Pauly, all of Blooming Prairie. “We lay them out, cut them up and try them, then vote on which one to turn in” for the judging.

“If you come taste our ribs, you might not always get the same, because all three of us make different ribs – and mix them all together to serve the public,” he said.

“It’s a taste test at the end,” agreed Nelson, whose ribs were the ones they served the judges this year.

“I’ve never had mine picked,” he said.

“So we might win this year,” Schlichter said. “We’ve never won – and we’re probably biased, but we feel like we (should) win every year.”

Each team is also given a “mystery meat” when they pick up their ribs; this year’s item was tofu.

How did that go for All Sauced Up?

“Oh, we butchered it,” Nelson said, as the others groaned.

“We forgot about it … ” Pauly said.

“… and we had 10 minutes to get it done,” Schlichter finished.

It was similar to the Food Network show, “Chopped,” which gives chefs four unusual ingredients they must use to prepare a dish, he agreed. Forgetting an ingredient means almost certain elimination.

“It’s exactly the same – just add alcohol,” Schlichter laughed.

The team quickly marinated the tofu in a steak seasoning and served it as a sandwich. None of them had eaten tofu before.

“It’s a mystery, but it’s not a meat,” Nelson said, shaking his head.

The club has an annual goal of $100,000; Ribfest is the organization’s biggest fundraiser.

Grants have accounted for about 60% of the funding received so far this year, Johnson said.

As it turned out, the homefield advantage meant nothing.

First place in the rib competition went to Nobody, a team from Owatonna; Nobody also won the People’s Choice award.

Weasel’s Bone Lickin’ BBQ, out of St. Peter, placed second with its ribs. The husband-and-wife team also won the mystery meat competition and took home the win for best sauce.

Their son, Colin Wiese, won the kids’ hamburger cook-off.

The ribs cooked by Pig Wrangler, a team from Blooming Prairie, took third.