2009 Rock'n Ribs
Springfield, MO
A Special Thank You for
Helping at Rock'n Ribs
Sharon B - our publicist, Amanda B, Dale B, Mitchell B and Bill R
Jeff Payne, right, receives a sample of barbecued pulled pork from Mitchell Bosley, left, and his cousin Aaron Bosley, second from left, of the Smoke Me Tender barbecue team during the 10th annual Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival Childrens Charity Event at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, April 18, 2009. Photo by Jerome T. Nakagawa/Springfield News-Leader
Smoke Me Tender BBQ team traveled 200 miles to Springfield, Missouri for the Rock ‘n Ribs barbecue contest and festival, April 16-19. Hosted by Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, 2009 marked the tenth year for this fun-filled event. A beer garden, live music, bike show, rock climbing wall, kid’s pie-eating contest and more were going on around the barbecue teams. Rock 'n Ribs was started by Springfield’s Rotary clubs as a fundraiser for children’s charities in the area. The Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, Boys and Girls Clubs and other worthy organizations benefit. Although the bottom line for 2009 has not yet been announced, the event has raised over $500,000 for its charities over the previous nine years.
Smoke Me Tender BBQ team was on a waiting list for two years for the opportunity to enter this contest. Because Bass Pro Shop gives up one of its parking lots for the event, the competition is limited to 60 teams. There simply isn’t room for any more!
The public gets to sample barbecue at this event, and meat is provided to the teams to prepare especially for sampling, nearly 200 pounds when raw. The meat ran out so fast on the first day, team members purchased extra pork butts out of their own pockets in an attempt to satisfy the hungry attendees. The Springfield News-Herald reported that this year’s attendance was 24,000. There were times it seemed like they were all lined up in front of the Smoke Me Tender tent! In spite of several bouts of heavy rain on Saturday, the crowds just kept coming.
At the awards ceremony, the team received a sixth place trophy for chicken and eighth place trophy for pork. Ribs were barely out of the top ten at 12th, and brisket was 30th. Overall, the team ranked 12th out of the 60 teams.
The next contest is the Great American Barbecue, May 22 – 25 in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Team members are both excited and nervous about competing against the barbecue elite in the prestigious Invitational division for the first time.
Overall: 12 / 60 teams
Chicken: 6th
Ribs: 12th
Pork: 8th
Brisket: 30th