Ribfest judging a process with rules, regulations

Naperville Mayor George Pradel keeps a secret from his cardiologist and lets himself deviate from his diet once a year for a special event — Ribfest.

Pradel has served as a judge in past years and will do so again Sunday, July 1, at the Hollywood Casino Sponsors tent. Winners will be announced between 4 and 4:30 p.m.

“I feel very privileged to be a judge at Ribfest because we have some of the best ribbers from all over the world and country,” Pradel said. “We have 16 great ribbers, and we will be testing their ribs and making sure they give the best quality that we can give to the people who are coming to Ribfest.”

Twenty-six judges, including the Ribfest chairman, the police and firefighter of the year, various sponsors (including Jim Davis, the Daily Herald’s DuPage County editor and manager) and eight children will pick their favorites at this year’s festival, which is sponsored by the Naperville Exchange Club and continues through Tuesday in Knoch Park near downtown.

The process is one that includes more rules and regulations than you might expect.

The 16 ribbers will prepare their ribs overnight and present them for judging in the morning.

“They’re all cooking the same meat from the same supplier,” said Lori Klemm, rib judging chairwoman.

The kind of meat being used this year is the St. Louis-style rib, which is a premium cut taken from spare rib, said David Payne from the Midwest Food Group. Midwest provides the meat for Ribfest.

Payne said the ribs being used are “2½ and down,” meaning that they weigh 2½ pounds or less.

“It’s a bigger portion and a better value to customers,” Payne said.

The ribs are judged on a one-to-seven scale for appearance, taste and tenderness.

Sauces are poured into a sauce jar, and judges taste spoonfuls to pick a winner.

“Every sauce is different,” Klemm said. “It’s just a personal preference on what kind of sauce you want to eat with your ribs.”

Pradel said the wide range of tastes among judges can make it difficult to judge.

“It’s really hard because I’m not really good with hot stuff, so I might think that one of them is great while another person says it’s too bland,” he said.

Winners are chosen from a majority vote. They receive trophies and cash prizes ranging from $500 to $2,500.

Last year marked the first time there was a tie, Klemm said, and the ribbers split the money. A kids’ choice award is also awarded, but that carries no cash prize.

Ribbers are numbered to ensure the judging is blind. It’s a double-blind process, meaning ribbers don’t know what number they are given and judges don’t know whose ribs they are eating.

“They’re all judged with the same criteria,” Klemm said.

Ribbers and judges both have guidelines they must follow.

Ribbers have to deliver six slabs of ribs, which are then cut into portions. They can’t ladle sauces on after cooking; the ribs must be cooked with the sauce already on. They can’t be precooked and must use the whole rib, not just the juiciest parts.

Judges must abide by a code of conduct. They can’t vocalize their feelings about the ribs during the judging or wear heavy cologne that can stifle the senses. They are sworn in by the mayor, and they must eat crackers and drink water between tastings to keep the flavors distinct.

“We test the ribs by smelling to see if they’ve had some sort of a wood that they’ve cooked them in, we look at the quality and we look at how it sticks to the bones,” Pradel said. “We always constantly drink water and cleanse our cleft palates so everything doesn’t taste the same.”

Ribbers take the judging seriously, Pradel said.

“When they get a lower mark from us than they do from somewhere else, boy, they’re hustling to make sure that they go back and check those ribs and say ‘why didn’t we have this winning streak?’” he said. “They say ‘wow, I just can’t believe that we didn’t do it right; next year we’ll sure bring the best ribs that we can to make it wonderful for the people of Naperville.’”