Rock, Ribs, and Ridges Festival

Barbeque fans are the real winners, as top “pitmasters” from Illinois, Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania will sell tasty BBQ at the 2024 Rock, Ribs, and Ridges Festival while competing for cash prizes, trophies and all-important bragging rights in the categories of Best Ribs, Best Sauce and by way of voting by festival attendees, the prestigious Optimum People’s Choice Award. The competition takes place from June 28-30 at the Sussex Fairgrounds, Augusta, N.J.

Pitmasters attending this year’s Rock, Ribs, and Ridges Festival will be Cowboys BBQ, from Fort Worth, TX; Ribbins BBQ from Chambersburg, PA; Off The Bone BBQ, of Canal Winchester, OH; and first-time attendee Chicago BBQ, from Burr Ridge, IL.

In its 14^th year, the festival, which features three days of the top southern and classic rock bands, offers single-day general admission and VIP tickets, as well as weekend passes and camping (for RV’s and tent campers).

The pitmasters say that to achieve just the right flavor, they need smoking good wood for their firepits —fruitwood such as applewood, cherry as well as hickory or a combination. They agree that you can’t cover up mistakes with BBQ sauce.

• Paul Myers, manager of Chicago BBQ, Burr Ridge, Ill., a first-timer at the Festival, says his customers “like the marriage of smoke and cooking, our rub and sauce. They are created to be a union, and they flow together, cooked just right to be tender, smoky and delicious.” Most important is the meat prep and the cooking. Once smoked, “we bring it to a grill to get the sear so when the sauce goes in the opened pores, it caramelizes.”
• Enrique Vega, Cowboys BBQ, Fort Worth, Texas, says the BBQ process happens in layers. “We start with the rub, the seasoning, then the wood to smoke it–the amount of time is crucial–and then the sauce. Every step is equally important.” In the five years he’s been at Rock, Ribs, and Ridges, he has won Best Ribs and Best Sauce trophies in all but one, when he took second place for Best Ribs. “Our sauce is a little spicier than others. While some bake theirs, we smoke ours.” Fans like the way the meat falls off the bone, he said. “We finish off the ribs on a grill.”
• Ribbins BBQ pitmaster Rondell Adams, Chambersburg, Pa., returns to the Festival for the third year. He has been perfecting his barbeque technique since he was six, following in his grandmother’s footsteps. “She is from the south and all her—and my—cooking skills have a southern accent.” This includes a secret, tangy, smoky Amish rub seasoning to enhance the meat and a special, 28-ingredient sauce. “Everyone wants the greatest or the best. Sometimes the best is not what appears to be the best. Signage, trophies, awards help draw in the crowds. If you want a real BBQ experience, visit a rib fest. As you wait in line, you get to see the process from raw ribs to cutting, grilling, chopping and serving.”
• Pitmaster Petey Marshall, owner of Off The Bone BBQ, Canal Winchester, Ohio, has been winning Barbecue contests all over the country for the past dozen years. His mentor is Enrique Vega, one of his competitors. He started cooking the family’s BBQ at nine. He says, “It’s always about The Three T’s: Texture, Tenderness, and Taste. You first want to eat it with your eyes before your taste buds have the opportunity to experience the frenzy of so many rich, enticing flavors all their own.” Marshal began to create his prizewinning three flavors of BBQ rubs and four flavors of secret sauces at 19. This is his fourth year at the Rock, Ribs, and Ridges Festival. In 2016 he won first place for Best Ribs and in 2017 his iconic sauce took the trophy for Best Sauce.

In addition to succulent ribs, most of their menus include BBC—big BBQ chicken– brisket, pulled pork, pork butt, smoked sausage and traditional sides such as mac and cheese.

The music lineup this year includes southern rock headliners Blackberry Smoke, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws, Larkin Poe and more.

Savvy-saver ticket pricing is now in effect, with up to 22 percent off gate prices. Visit #rockribsandridges, @rockribsandridges or www.rockribsandridges.com for all the festival info and to purchase tickets – day, weekend and VIP passes.  There are many camper perks, including a special campers-only karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights, 24-hour access to restrooms and showers and a Sunday Morning Breakfast Get Together.  RV Passes are selling quickly and will sell out, so buy your 2024 camping and RV passes now. Prices subject to change without notice.

Rock, Ribs, and Ridges, presented by Franklin Sussex Auto Mall, is produced by Promo1 of Fairfield, NJ, with more than 40 years of event marketing production.