Remember when SLO’s best barbecue joints battled in the annual Rib Cook-off?
There’s something primal and satisfying about eating hot barbecue under an open sky.
F. McLintocks, which closed earlier this year, was the last original connection to the earliest days of oak pit barbecues at San Luis Obispo’s Thursday night Farmers Market.
But the tradition hasn’t died out, and ribs can still be found downtown from Vix Creek Saloon and Rib Line among others.
In the 1980s, however, it seemed like every half-block had a smoking pit of oak charcoal.
I remember a clothing store that was especially nonplussed to have smoke waft through the front door and into garments.
Today there is a much bigger variety of food options than there was in the late 1980s.
Rachel Lackman, marketing and communications manager for Downtown SLO, said the first Rib Cook-Off took place during a “Thursday Night Activities” program before the downtown Farmers Market first reserved Higuera Street for pedestrians in 1983.
The last cook-off was held in 2010.
Stories and captions from the event are a nostalgic roll call of former restaurants.
In addition to the ones listed in the following story, there were competitors like Wine Street Inn, Nothing But the Best, Assembly Line and Cattaneos’ Beanery.
Photographing the annual competition, it was a bit of a challenge to bring something new back each year, but fortunately at such a light-hearted event, there were plenty of fun moments.
This March 20, 1996, story by Mary Schiller captures some of the smoky flavor from the height of the Rib Cook-Off era.
All fired up
SLO Rib Cook-off attracts those who like it hot, juicy, spicy — and messy
When you’re in the mood for ribs, you’re in the mood for a mess: grease slathered on your face and running down your arms, meat stuck between your teeth. And napkins? Even a two-foot stack can leave you feeling short-changed.
What you really need is a portable shower and a few miles of dental floss.
Let’s face it: Ribs are not for sissies. And there wasn’t a sissy in sight at the 11th Annual Rib Cook-off at the March 7 Farmers Market in downtown San Luis Obispo.
The judges — all sponsors of the event, along with the Downtown Business Improvement Association — came with their sleeves rolled up and their taste buds primed.
And speaking of judges, let’s meet them: Erik Stein of Cellular One; Paul LeSage of the Parks and Recreation Department; Reynolds Wolf of KSBY; Mike O’Neil from KJUG; Allen Settle, mayor of San Luis Obispo; John Villa of Villa Automotive; and Rick Jackoway, managing editor of New Times. Not a bad gig, huh?
“It’s why I ran (for mayor),” said Settle.
“I’ll sacrifice anything for the community,” added LeSage.
Trying to be a tad serious — this is serious stuff, you know — Jackoway said there is one piece of advice he’d give to the judges: “Just take one or two bites (of each rib). Because by the time you get to the 29th rib ...” Hey, even the best might look unappetizing on a full stomach.
“I like a tender rib,” he added, “and I like a fair amount of sauce, too. But it’s really personal taste.”
And speaking of ribs, let’s meet them.
All ribs — both beef and pork — came from Golden China, F. McLintocks, Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ, Nothing but the Best, Old Country Deli, and SLO Brewing Co. Numbered for anonymity, the ribs were judged on the basis of flavor, tenderness, juiciness and overall satisfaction.
And, of course, rib lovers who weren’t lucky enough to score a judge’s seat were able to vote for the People’s Choice award for both pork and beef.
“I want to be up there,” said Sonia Swift, 10, as she passed by the judge’s table. “They need a kid representative. And they ought to get their faces messier. That’s what ribs are for!”
“I had some yesterday,” added the pork rib aficionado, “and within a very short time, I was very messy.”
About halfway through the contest, it was the pork ribs’ turn; the wadded paper towels were piling up (and the faces were getting messier). Stein, in true cellular style, got a call just as he took a bite (greasy phone, anyone?).
“Hey, can’t you see I’m busy?” he said, tossing a leftover piece to his friend, Patrick Tray, who had positioned himself perfectly for any handouts.
“Mmmm, these are so unbelievably fatty,” Tray mumbled between slurps. After nearly two hours of tasting, the judges were finished, and the tallying — and recovery — began. The judges had just one word to describe their feelings: “Full.”
Let’s meet the winners: Judge’s Choice for beef ribs went to Old Country Deli; Judge’s Choice for pork ribs went to Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ; People’s Choice for beef also went to Old Country Deli; and People’s Choice for pork went to F. McLintocks.
“This is the one we wanted,” said Carol Kowalski, co-owner of Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ. “I’m happy now!” In fact, this is the second year Mo’s has won the judge’s award, which makes them two for two.
“We’re batting a thousand!” said Larry Kowalski.
Carol’s husband, who, by the way, is Mo said the secret to their pork ribs is really no secret; just hard work. Kowalski and a friend visited 80 different barbecue joints in the southeastern United States to find the best cooking methods.
“And I spent hours and hours and hours in the kitchen” developing the secret sauce a few days before their grand opening nearly two years ago, he said.
“Finally, by 3 o’clock in the morning ... I betcha I had ingested three or four (huge) cups of barbecue sauce.”
He finally gave up; when he came back to the kitchen the next day, he stuck a finger into his last mixture “and I said, ‘Man, that is just perfect!’ “
Kowalski recommended cooking pork ribs at home in a kettle-type barbecue, adding hickory chips for a good flavor.
“I like to put the coals on the side of the meat,” he explained, “and put the meat in the middle.” After the meat has smoked for about 30 to 45 minutes, “spread the coals flat and caramelize the sauce.”
He offered a couple of caveats: Put the sauce on at the end, and don’t boil the pork first. “I think boiling takes out all the flavor,” he said.
Norm Eggen, of Old Country Deli, is no stranger to the Rib Cook-off: The deli has won the People’s Choice award 10 times.
“We weren’t in existence for the first one!” Eggen explained. “We’ve won the Judge’s Choice either three or four times, I forget.”
Anyone who has passed the corner of Marsh and Nipomo streets has certainly smelled the deliciously smoky barbecues outside the deli. Their secret to cooking ribs is using a very hot flame.
But regular folks — who don’t happen to have a giant, open-flame grill in their back yard — can cook beef ribs effectively, too, Eggen said.
“I suggest they trim any extra fat off the inside of the rib,” he said. “We season them with our Rib Roundup ... and then you want to cook them without any other sauce on them. Any sauce, if it’s a tomato base, will generally burn by the time the ribs are done.”
If you must use sauce, Eggen said, put it on at the end just to warm it up. And if it’s a good, hot fire, he said, “It should take about 30-45 minutes to cook.” You can leave the lid off, he said, “but having the lid on, you can control the heat of the fire. Sometimes the oven effect will help cook them faster.”
Despite their competitiveness, these rib masters are quick with a compliment for each other. “I understand we won second for pork ribs,” Eggen said with a smile, “right behind Kowalski.”
“Old Country Deli has great beef ribs,” said Kowalski. “I love Norm’s ribs.”
Is he ticklish?
