Rib Judging
Judges got their tasting palates ready for ribs and sauces at Ribfest’s annual rib judging event.
About 30 judges, including Mayor Steve Chirico and the president of the national exchange club Scot Warren, were tasked with trying ribs ranging from sweet to smoky from 11 different rib vendors this year.
“You can tell the nuances and to make sure that we’re selecting the right winners, you really need to be focused on the taste,” said Warren.
The ribbers were judged on appearance, taste, and tenderness. But it’s not just the adults who cast a vote.
“For my first time it was very interesting, like there were some that were similar but they were all different in their own way,” said 10-year-old judge Ashlyn Jacobs.
The Winner
After collecting the votes from all judges, the ribber who gets to hold the coveted title of best ribs and sauce is third-time-champ Uncle Bub’s, winning $4,000 for both categories.
“The trophies is all I really want. This is about the kids, so our proceeds go – that we win goes to the kids that the Exchange Club donates to, it’s very important to us,” said winner Mark Linc.
Linc’s ribs also won over the kids, taking home the kid’s choice award as well.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
