There's a lot that goes into making the mouth-watering ribs, chicken, beef brisket and pulled pork dishes that will be slowly smoking their way to barbecued perfection at Port Moody RibFest this weekend in Rocky Point Park.
The five "ribbers" at the inaugural Port Moody Rotary event have spent years perfecting their sought-after spice combinations and sauces — all closely guarded secrets — and have honed their grill skills cooking for hundreds of hungry customers.
But all you need to think about is making sure you get to Rocky Point with an empty stomach and, once you're there, deciding how to sample all of the tasty fare.
"We wanted to do something big for the community," said organizing committee member Al Stjernegaard.
And it doesn't get much bigger than RibFest, an all-out homage to meat.
Tom Diavolitsis, owner of Boss Hogs Barbeque in London, Ont., will have two smokers fired up this weekend — combined, they can cook up to 1,200 lb. of meat each day.
"The key is, once you find the right cut, learning how to cook it in abundance," Diavolitsis said.
Boss Hogs is known for its St. Louis-style pork ribs, he added, but he'll also be cooking beef ribs, pulled pork and chicken.
"We're pretty consistent and we've won more awards than any other team in Canada — we're the pride of RibFest," said Diavolitsis, who also operates the Boss Hogs Smokin' Chophouse restaurant in London, Ontario.
He has been in the business for 14 years, having started working for other vendors as a way to pay for flight school. Diavolitsis' plans to become a pilot derailed when demand for his barbecue mastery spiked just over 10 years ago, "and I haven't looked back since."
Boss Hogs now attends more than 30 events each year, hauling three custom kitchen trailers — dubbed "rib rigs" — with travelling staff across the country, all pumping out acres of meat carrying the signature Boss Hogs southern flavour, the recipe for which is, of course, top secret.
"The secret is the rub, the love and the God above," Diavolitsis said with a wink.
Competing for the title of best ribs this weekend will be Rob Reinhardt of Prairie Smoke and Spice, a multiple award-winning outfit that has grown from backyard beginnings in southern Saskatchewan.
"It's a hobby that got out of control," Reinhardt said. "I started cooking for bigger and bigger groups, then friends' weddings, and it just took off from there."
Prairie Smoke and Spice's secret is its well-balanced, deep southern flavour — "It's a little bit spicy, a little bit savoury, a little bit sweet and a little bit smokey" — Reinhardt said, a combination that has won it accolades on the barbecue competition circuit, including the World Champion title (Chef's Choice) at the Jack Daniels World Championships and the Canadian National Barbecue Championships in Whistler.
Adding to the thousands of pounds of chicken, pork and beef getting rubbed, smoked and slathered this weekend will be Ontario's Gator BBQ, the Lower Mainland's Smoke and Bones, and Misty Mountain BBQ from Hinton, Alta., all of which boast numerous awards and championship finishes in Canada and the U.S.
And when all that meat eating leaves you parched, you can choose among the craft brew options from locals Yellow Dog Brewing and Moody Ales, and Red Truck at an adults-only or family-friendly beverage garden.
Families with kids can check out the Kids' Fun Zone, featuring Cap's Westwood Cycle, face painting, BMO Whitecaps soccer kick-off, climbing station and more.
PoMo Rotary's Ian MacPhail said organizers hope to attract 30,000 visitors to Rocky Point this weekend to raise money to support their local causes: sending more than 30 kids from low-income families to summer camp and donating to the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation, Inner Visions Recovery Society, Mossom Creek Hatchery and more.
"Rotary gets approached by a lot of different community groups… and hopefully this event allows us to say Yes to more of those," added fellow organizer Scott Masse.
• Volunteers are still needed for RibFest; anyone who'd like to help out should contact Elle Brovold at [email protected] or 604-785-1770.
• Visit www.portmoodyribfest.ca for full details and information on the RibFest app.
MORE MUSIC
Port Moody RibFest's live music lineup starts at 4 p.m. Friday and continues from 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
On July 10, catch James "Buddy" Rogers, Does Your Monkey Bite?, Big City Soul and Billy Dixon's Soul Train Express.
The July 11 list starts with Kristopher James and includes Hot Lucy, Blue Voodoo, Lesismore, Russell Marsland and The Chosen Few, and the R&B Allstars.
Several bands return for the July 12 lineup, along with Blue Scarlett, Incognito, Band of Rascals, Mostly Marley, Legal Limit and Brickhouse.
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