VAN RUITEN FAMILY VINEYARDS RIB COOK-OFF

This Saturday, we were privileged to participate at the Van Ruiten Family Vineyards Rib Cook-off. We donned our shiny judge’s badges to judge ribs, tri-tip and a ‘Mystery Meat’ of Cornish game hens. The weather could not have been nicer and hot. The thermometer was very close to the century mark. As judges we were once again spoiled with a shaded gazebo area with a very large swamp cooler to keep us very comfortable. Twenty five bbq teams hunkered down, toiled and sweated to create some very tasty, award winning meats.

The Van Ruiten Family Vineyards rolled out the red carpet with this event. We were entertained by a live band. This band kept the hungry public toe-tappin while they enjoyed bbq offered by the competitors. A nominal fee was charged to sample the various meats. When the heat became a little uncomfortable, one could take refuge in the air-conditioned tasting room. This is a winery so grape was the beverage of choice. A raffle was held to benefit local charities. Numerous bbq and wine themed prizes were offered to bid on with raffle tickets.

We judged by KCBS rules in this non-sanctioned event. The tri-tip was tender, smoky and yummy good. We always enjoy tasting and scoring ribs. They ‘Mystery Meat’ was a little challenging to judge at first. The game hen arrived cut in half arranged on a bed of lettuce and parsley all inside a plastic clam shell box. We were supplied plastic knifes and forks to separated the entry into six proportions. Luckily some of us had sharp pocket knifes to easily separate the birds. Once proportioned, we were good to go and judged some mighty fine Cornish hens.

This was a smoking hot event. (Literally). The Van Ruiten Family Vineyards held a quality bbq competition. Our friend, previous “Rookie of the Year”, ‘The Kid’ Zack Galiste took first place in ribs. This image is a Mad Meat Genius exclusive of the actual first place ribs. The public had an opportunity to sample this great looking and tasting rib. We had a blast. We even came home with some swag of a coupe of bottles of wine. We cannot wait for the next event.

Van Ruiten Family Vineyards