I took a serious detour from my pre-30 year high school reunion diet on Sunday to judge the Rib Cookoff at Havana Hideout in Lake Worth. Boy, was it ever worth it! Leslie Gray Streeter was there too, providing moral support only though as she is an avowed vegan. There were 8 teams of various experience levels competing in the event and I’m tellin’ you I enjoyed every sample I tried. But as in any contest, someone must prevail and I was charged with picking the winner. There was also a prize for the “people’s favorite” which took some of the pressure off of me.

The first order of business though, as I am The Beer Guy, was to decide which beer would pair best with the spicy, smokey flavor of the ribs. I chose the Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale, which Havana Hideout serves on tap. It’s got an aggressive hop flavor which matches the spiciness of the ribs and some malt sweetness in the body which goes well with the bbq sauces. A match made in Hawaiian Heaven, my friends.

Havana Hideout owner Chrissy Benoit served up some excellent homemade sides as well including mac and cheese, cole slaw, watermelon and a huge cookie.

Ok, without further ado, here are the top three finishers:

1st place-Smokin Gator BBQ-Baby Back Ribs-The baby backs were smoked in a HUGE mobile smoking unit you’d have to see to believe. They came out very tender with that great pink smoked color and terrific flavor. The ribs were served with a touch of sauce on the side but didn’t really need any. My guess is Smokin Gator has got a bunch of trophies on his mantle or will have soon.

2nd place-Jason Fournier-Happy Belly Bar-B-Que-Jason was the defending champion in this event and it was easy to see why. His ribs were perfectly spiced and bursting with flavor. The sauce went extremely well with the meat. Jason came away with the “people’s choice” award, which I was very glad to hear because he was definitely derserving of a prize.

3rd place-Deborah Jean-Ya Gotta Get Messy Ribs-Another strong contender who was particularly impressive considering this was her first rib competition. Deborah prepared the ribs completely on site, using a couple of outdoor grills with charcoal and soaked wood chips. Another great spice and sauce combination here as Deborah ran out of ribs just before the afternoon rain came.

Perhaps there should have been an award for most creatively named ribs. My winner in that department would be Weekend Rubbers-Better than Sex Ribs. They may have been having the most fun of any team and their ribs were very good and popular as well.

So I had a blast and can’t think of any better way to stray from the diet. Much thanks to Chrissy and the staff at Havana Hideout for having me and hosting such a great event. I think you should have another as soon as I come back from the reunion.