Ribs glazed in olive oil and garlic and smoked in hickory and oak wood was just one of the concocted recipes for the first-ever “Pigs in the Park with Garlic” barbecue rib cook-off Friday at the 35th Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.
The all-new cooking contest was the brainchild of John Melone, son of Garlic Festival co-founder Rudy Melone. John, along with the Garlic Festival committee, selected the top four professional Bay Area barbecue crews to compete in the contest.
The cook-off resulted in an exciting, fresh competition that garnered rave reviews from judges and the contestants.
“This competition is unique and great in that each contestant gives their own interpretation of barbecuing,” said Jason Gronlund, vice-president of barbecue chain Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill.
According to Bad Boyz BBQ owner Kirk Bronsord, other barbecue competitions are regulated by very specific rules, such as mandating that everyone have the same presentation and flavor profiles.
“KCBS [Kansas City Barbecue Society] competitions have regulations but at the Garlic Festival it’s a freestyle cook-off,” Bronsord noted.
Jason Gronlund has judged a few KCBS competitions where 1,600 pounds of the same flavor gets tiresome amongst the judges. Pigs in the Park has alleviated that problem with some global and unique flavors.
Contestants got their grills smoking from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in their respective tents under the sizzling Gilroy sun.
Judges got their fix of mouthwatering delectable ribs from veteran “pitmasters”– all vying for a spot in Gilroy Garlic Festival history by being the first recipient of the Pigs in the Park award. Judging was done by John Melone, who was featured on the Learning Channels’ “Pitmasters” TV show, along with certified KCBS judge Jason Gronlund and amateur barbecue master Bill Cunningham.
Competitors included Kirk Bronsord, Ed Somerfield, Myles McEntee, Jason Redding and their respective crews.
The Competitors
Ed Somerfield, owner of Big Ed’s Buzzard BBQ, and his two sons entered the cook-off with a bit of divine inspiration and passion.
“In 2009, I was out of work and had to pay off the mortgage so I prayed to God for direction,” Somefield recalled.
He said he was directed to feed “his people” and since has been at the helm of a successful catering company. That direction has also brought him to the Gilroy Garlic Festival, where Friday he served a rosemary injected tri-tip and molasses herbed dry rubbed St. Louis ribs.
“I used hickory and cherry wood on the ribs with Kingsford charcoal,” Somerfield said.
I also used olive oil, garlic, minced garlic and molasses for the first 2.5 hours.”
He then added his own BBQ sauce before wrapping it in tin foil for another hour-and-a-half, which helped to tenderize the ribs. Somerfield described his approach as “simplistic.”
“I prefer a naked rib which has no sauce at all, because sauce should be an accent and not the overpowering flavor of a BBQ,” he noted.
Jason Redding, head chef of Pig Night Run, entered the competition hoping to sway the judges with both his ribs and personality.
“Not only are they the greatest judges I have come across, but the most handsome men as well,” Redding said.
In three years of barbecue competition, Redding hasn’t placed higher than 10th place and was hoping for a change in fortune.
Redding served garlic ribs, mixing classic barbecue flavors with garlic. According to him, it is a dishonor to not cook barbecue the classic way while still incorporating a new twist.
Kirk Bronsord, Oakland Raiders fanatic and owner of Bad Boyz BBQ, is part of a high profile BBQ team that has been featured in several Food Network specials and has even been featured on Sports Illustrated.
“We are a pretty high profile fun group to be around and our food is pretty darn good also,” Bronsord said.
Bronsord dished out a Vietnamese type rib infused with lemon grass, serrano peppers, lot of garlic and fish sauce. Thinking outside of the box, Bronsord felt it was a gamble worth taking. It was either swing for the fences or strike out with judges.
The ribs were marinated for three hours and then put on a Weber Kettle grill.
“We just put [ribs] on grill with indirect cooking for about an hour,” Bronsord said.
He was aiming for the perfect bite where the meat comes off nice and tender. To the delight of Bronsord it was just the right nibble for the judges.
Last but not least was Myles McEntee, owner of Catering by Five, and his daughter who brought a versatile approach to their dish. McEntee, who has served as head chef of the San Jose Sharks for the last 16 years, served a Greek style rib enhanced by herbs and garlic flavor.
“We used herbs which consisted of rosemary, oregano and little bit of lemon juice,” said McEntee.
The McEntees whipped up a purée to put on their ribs and added a little bit of raw sugar. The final touch to it all was candied garlic. The versatility and flavors meshed so well that the judges were floored by it.
The McEntees of Catering by Fire took home first place in the inaugural year of the Pigs in the Park with Garlic barbecue rib cook-off. The judges were impressed with the McEntee’s fusion of barbecue and unique style of cooking, which set their ribs apart from the other entrees. Bad Boyz BBQ and Pig Night Run took second and third.
