5 Things You Should Know About Ribfest

Worth a trip south on I-25, The Cheyenne Kiwanis Rib Fest is on at The Cheyenne Depot Plaza August 12-14, 2016. There will be three days of ribs, “best rib competition”, rib cooks from around the country, live music every day, fun for kids and a Car show! While most everyone considers themselves a fan, relatively few know how to make the best. You get to help decide as you eat your way through this gastronomic adventure.

You may not know:

There is not even a standard way to spell it BBQ, Barbecue, Bar-B-Cue and Barbie, Paul Hogan got that last one started back in the 70’s with “throw another shrimp on the Barbie” and since then Paul “Aussom Aussie” Mackay has continued that tradition with “throw another Rib on the Barbie”. His team will be competing this weekend.

At 210 calories per 3-ounce portion -- before sauce -- ribs might not be the most diet-conscious option for a main course, but they provide you with essential minerals, vitamins and protein.

Serious Eats has some suggestions of what beers pair best with wet ribs, dry rub ribs, pork ribs, short fibs etc.. “When pairing ribs with beer, you want to reach for malt-forward beers that offer sweetness or roast. Crisp lagers are nice for their palate cleansing power, but super-bitter beers may harshly overpower the delicate flavors of the meat.”

CareToPair.com says “Sweet foods can be really difficult to pair with beverages. Forget wine on this pairing–nothing will work. The sweetness from the glaze would just make any red wine taste bitter and astringent (from the tannins). White wine wouldn’t really stand up to the meat either. What we need here is beer. It’s more appropriate for a barbecue, anyway.”

The best rib chefs present their best in going for the Best Ribber and/or People’s Choice Awards.  Purchase of a $3.00 armband required to buy food for people 13 yrs and up. The prices vary for each Rib Chef and ribs and sides are purchased directly from the vendors. Cheyenne Rib Fest also features live music and a car show on the schedule.

Oh, and in line with the Ribfest Car Show, you should know you check out the monster rebuilt 1967 Jeep Kaiser M7 15 ‘Frankenten’ that is being raffled off! It will be there and you can even get a raffle ticket for $25.