Sparks Street's Chicken-Rib Cook-Off (often referred to as the Chicken and Ribfest) is an annual event that in recent years has garnered some controversy. For all the people who crowd the street's massive stalls for chicken, ribs, and pulled pork, there are die-heard barbecue enthusiasts who turn away in disgust. You see, barbecue is a time honoured tradition in the American South, one that has developed regional specialization and much following. The various "styles" of barbecue are considered one of the novel cuisines, originating from the United States.

The Chicken-Rib Cook-Off isn't about making the best chicken or ribs. It isn't about authenticity. It is about celebrating the start of summer and drawing office dwellers from their fluorescent lit cubicles into the sunshine. It is about demonstrating to the City of Ottawa their myopic policy regarding street cart fare is ungrounded. People can and do enjoy street cart fare beyond hot dogs. This year, it was about chatting up the latest FIFA World Cub soccer match with random strangers as you lined up for your "baked then grilled" chicken, "overpriced" pork ribs (that don't have the tough membrane or silver skin removed), and your heavily sauced pulled pork on "flavourless buns."

While I do believe enthusiasts should taste more authentic barbecue, sooner or later, I think the ribs at the event, which garner the most debate, could be worse. Take for instance the ribs I came across at Tony Roma's in Edmonton, Alberta. Tony Roma's is a big box, large chain, monstrosity of a restaurant that "specializes" in baby back ribs. It opened in 1972, later establishing 260 location in 27 countries. It serves ribs, ribs that are oven braised and then "flame grilled" (likely broiled under a salamander)

Ribs, Canned Beans, Mayonnaise Coleslaw

Tony Roma's Business Card
Tony Roma's ribs are arguably even less authentic. Todd Wilbur even reverse engineered the ribs for an edition of "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes."

At least, the purveyors at Sparks Street's Chicken-Rib Cook-Off use smokers for their ribs. Is it great barbecue? No. Does it feed hundreds of people during the 5 days the event runs? Does it encourage people from the suburbs to travel downtown? Does it benefit surrounding businesses like nearby restaurants who offer their patios to sit in, so long as you buy drinks? Do good cooks work really hard for 5 days to produce the food? Does the event raise money for CHEO's (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario) Children's Wish Foundation? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

We at foodiePrints feel it's not an event to be missed and have been covering the Chicken-Rib Cook-Off for a number of years. As last year, the usual suspects participated:

More after the jump...

This spring, excited for the upcoming annual Chicken and Ribfest on Sparks, I tweeted my anticipation for the event, hoping to find time in my schedule to take part. In response, Ron Eade, food editor for the Ottawa Citizen, decided to "bust my bubble", expressing his rather negative sentiments on the event. They follow:

RonEade Jun 17, 07:51 AM
@foodiePrints Hate to burst bubble, but the rib fest is just a traveling show to sell ribs. Chicken done in ovens, only finished on grill.

RonEade Jun 17, 07:52 AM
Make that, a travelling show to sell overpriced ribs.

DivaQBBQ Jun 17, 08:00 AM
@RonEade re: about rib fests that the www.beachribfest.com is being done BY REAL BBQ'ers B @BusterRhinosBBQ will be one of them my FAVORITES

RonEade Jun 17, 08:14 AM
@DivaQBBQ I'm sure the beachfest is real; the BBQ carpetbaggers who visit Ott. each year are hucksters selling to folks who do not know.

RonEade Jun 17, 08:16 AM
@DivaQBBQ Heck, the carpetbaggers don't even rip membranes off ribs (and consumers don't realize the difference). Then, off to next town ...

DivaQBBQ Jun 17, 09:16 AM
@RonEade you are right! Never heard them referred to as carpetbaggers before.

Then, he promptly unfollowed me.

Despite Eade's warning I decided to head down to Sparks' Chicken and Ribfest nevertheless, inviting another Ottawa tweep, @spoonsie, to join me for lunch.

Since it was St. Jean Babtiste (June 24, 2009), I had the day off and went down before meeting up with my invitee. There, I took pics of the the vendors just before opening, paying particular attention to field ovens, grills, and smokers.

Boss Hog's:

Signage

Eat Sleep and Grill

Grill Pit w/Wood

Texas Rangers:

Signage

Pre-Cooked Chicken

Smoker?

Grill Pit w/Wood

Ribs Royale BBQ Team:

Signage

Metro Trophy w/Lump Charcoal

Chicken in a Smoker

Pre-Cooked Chicken

Uncle Sam's Barbecue:

Signage

Grill Pit

Camp 31:

Signage

Grill Pit

Texas Style:

Signage

Grill Pit

Billy Bones:

Signage

Grill

Chicken in a Smoker?

Gator BBQ:

Singage and Grill Pit

Bibb's BBQ

Singage

Grill Pit

Trophies and Hickory

In the end, I came across many vendors with pre-cooked chicken as described by Eade and his forthcoming blog on the subject.

And, my serving of chicken, ribs, and pulled pork, included pre-cooked chicken that was indeed sauced and finished on the grill. My ribs also had its silver skin attached.

Uncle Sam's Vegetarian Nightmare

Rib with Silver-skin-Attached
For $8.50, while the pulled pork and ribs were tender, flavorful and smokey, I found the chicken extremely harsh and dry.

My take: Despite the authenticity issue, this event establishes a sense of community among downtown workers. Office, construction, and shop workers alike came out by the hundreds to take part. In turn, many nearby businesses geared up to promote the event and encouraged increased traffic along Sparks Street. Some restaurants opened their patios to event-goers to sit down and eat their chicken and ribs in return for buying a "Chicken and Ribfest" drink special. Another Sparks Street eatery, Toss It Up, encouraged everyone to pick up salad to go with their barbecue. Good Life fitness even canvassed the busy area, handing out pamphlets for discounted memberships to those of us indulging ourselves.

As for why the Chicken and Ribfest serves pre-cooked chicken, it may have something to do with properly smoked or grilled chicken developing a smoke ring. The smoke ring is pink and patrons may think the meat undercooked.

Me, I know better and, despite my making allowances for it, I found the chicken so dissatisfying that I ended up walking to So Go Asian restaurant on Bank Street for deep fried chicken wings afterward. While the wings are equally not authentic when it comes to the "fried chicken" tradition (butter milk marinated, paprika flavoured rub, or slivered onions frying in the oil for flavour), they were satisfying. And, at $5 for 8 pieces, they were a welcome fill-in for the chicken I could not finish after a bite.

Breaded Wing from SO-GO

Particulars:
So Go Asian Restaurant
258 Bank Street
(613)321.3933

For a couple days in June, Sparks Street is lined with international barbecue professionals. Armed with enormous smokers and charcoal grills, they take some normally inedible cuts of meat and, through the careful application of smoke, flame, and sauce, turn them into tender and succulent delectables. The process requires skill, time, and care. With the air in the downtown core smelling of smoldering wood charcoal, it is no wonder that hundreds of workers emerge from their cubicles and pack the street to get a taste during lunch.

As 2007's Chicken and Ribfest leaflets state, it may be worth it to "skip work" and "eat ribs." In 2008, approximately 300 000 Ottawa residents agreed and attended the event during its five day run. This, according to Sharon McKenna, executive director of the Sparks Street Mall.

Here is what the turnout for 2008 looked like.

Barbecue-goers filling Sparks Street

View of a typical Line Up

View from a Line Up

Jenn and I actually ended up attending twice on the Saturday of the event. We went together for an early supper at 4:00 pm and again that same evening. The reason? Our new neighbor Vivien and her mom just arrived in Ottawa from Toronto and were famished. Together, we ran into Jenn's little sisters as well. Leave it to an international barbecue competition to bring together friends and family.

During our afternoon trip, we took a pass on Boss Hog's with its ground to sky signage

Tall Signage

Boss Hog

his Lady with a challenge

Grill Master

I stopped at Bibb's for some tangy sweet and super tender pulled pork.

More tall Signage

Bibb's Pulled Pork

She stopped at the highly decorated Silver Bullet for a wonderful rack of smoke ringed pork ribs.

Still More tall Signage

Silver Bullet's Trophies

Grill Master

Silver Bullet Rack of Ribs

Silver Bullet Ribs

We washed it all down with an enormous glass of sweet yet tart Alabama Lemonade

Alabama Lemonade Stand

Alabama Lemonade
The brightness of the lemonade cut through the savory excess that comes from eating too much barbecue.

That evening, I went to Blazing BBQ for some beef ribs.

Side Signage

Blazin Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, and Chicken..oh my

Slow cooked and deeply savory beef ribs

Dry Rubbed Chicken

Interestingly, Blazing BBQ gave out tour cards with each serving.

Tour Card

According to the Ottawa Metro (a free commuter newspaper), the 17th Annual Chicken and Ribfest ended with Blazing BBQ winning an award for best chicken, Camp 31 winning for best ribs, and Billy Bones winning for best sauce.

I think Ottawa residents are the winners to be able to experience great barbecue this far north of the Mason-Dixon line.

I'm definitely looking forward to Spark Street's next installment. Drool...

Another Chicken and Ribfest competition has come and gone, with dozens of Ottawa residents congregating downtown and consuming an enormous amount of real barbecue. The Sparks Street website has yet to post the winners, but last year's winner for Barbecue Chicken, Crabby's, ranks highly in my book. I was less than impressed by Bad Wolf, which placed second to Crabby's. I don't think any of 2006's winners for Barbecue Ribs, save for Billy Bones BBQ, showed up this year.

The following is a list of competitors from the nice people at ottawastart.com.

• Between O'Connor & Bank Street
  • Camp 31 Bar B Que - Brewton, Alabama
  • Uncle Sam's BBQ - New Mexico
  • Billy Bones - Red Keg, New Mexico
• Between Bank & Kent Street
  • Sticky Fingers - Providence Rhode Island
  • Bibb'ss BBQ - Naples, Florida
• Between Kent & Lyon Street
  • Crabby BBQ - London
  • Bad Wolf BBQ -
  • Texas Outlaws - Brandenburg, Kentucky
  • Gator BBQ - Florida

Because there is a physiological limit to how much barbecue a human being can consume before his/her pores start leaking hickory, my better half and I were only able to sample fare from 3 competitors this year: Bad Wolf BBQ, Texas Outlaws, and Crabby's BBQ. However, our barbecue still hailed from at least 3 desperate geographical regions.

Bad Wolf BBQ (does anyone else detect a Dr. Who reference?)
First off, there's Bad Wolf BBQ. I visited this establishment with 3 co-workers during the lunchtime rush on the Thursday of the Chicken and Ribfest Competition. Since I was waxing poetic about pulled pork, two of us purchased the pulled pork sandwich combo. It consisted of baked beans, corn bread, and a pulled pork sandwich. The other two tucked into chicken and ribs.

Verdict: The sides were phenomenal. The cornbread was light, moist, and flavorful. The baked beans smacked of dark sugars as if they were slow cooked with brown sugar and/or molasses. The pulled pork however was a mixed bag. While the pork butt had obviously been smoked until it was so tender that it could be pulled apart, for some odd reason the sauce had either been watered down or the meat was over sauced. The pork was literally wet. The bun it was served on dissolved quickly in the liquid, making the sandwich impossible to eat with the hands. The sauce was so watery that it fell from the meat. Its flavor was barely discernible. At least the pork shards tasted like they were slow cooked in a smoker.

Texas Outlaws
That Thursday evening, my better half and I discovered that one of the purveyors of barbecue goodness was serving brisket. Brisket is an oft-overlooked cut of the beef primal that is often slow cooked. It happens to be what pastrami is made from. To make pastrami, brisket is brined, dry rubbed, smoked, and steamed. At Texas Outlaws, the brisket was slow cooked in a smoker until it just about fell apart. Then it was sliced, sauced, and served on a bun.

Verdict: The brisket was dry and barely palatable. Some pieces sported a thick black crust around a noticeable smoke ring (pink discoloration denoting smoke penetration). The sauce was vinegar-based and very tangy. However, the brisket was sauced conservatively, so the bun didn't fall apart. All in all, I was grateful for being able to try this form of barbecue for the first time. Though, the experience was bittersweet. I've heard about barbecue houses in Tennessee serving "burnt ends", which is a delicacy. Burnt ends are carefully cooked trimmings that are strategically cut and returned to the smoker to finish. They impart a heavily smoky flavor that are enjoyed by connoisseurs or used in other recipes. The pieces of brisket that were served did not look to impart smoky goodness, but an unhealthy serving of charcoal.

Crabby's BBQ
During lunch on the Thursday, another group of colleagues wandered further down Sparks street. They later informed me that the barbecue shack closer to Elgin had shorter lines and served bigger ribs. As such, my better half and I decided to put this tip to the test and tried the chicken and ribs at Crabby's BBQ. Crabby's happened to be the shack at the very end of Sparks on the Elgin side.

Verdict: The tip proved true. Not only did Crabby's serve great barbecue chicken and mouth watering ribs, but it served great pulled pork too. Ironically, the combo we ordered was called the "Vegetarian's Nightmare." It consisted of a quarter piece of chicken, a half rack of ribs (4 ribs), and a mound of pulled pork; meat, meat and more meat. To start off, the chicken was grilled to perfection on charcoal grates, both tender and juicy. The ribs were incredibly tender and flavorful. The meat literally fell off the bone. Both the chicken and ribs had been mopped with a sauce that balanced smoke, sweet, and tang. No one flavor overpowered the others.

What capped of the meal was the pile of pulled pork. This is the kind of pulled pork that keeps bringing me to the Chicken and Ribfest Competition each year. If you're this far north of the American border, pulled pork like this is few and far between. Firstly, the fine people at Crabby's had obviously slow cooked the pork butt perfectly. This is because the meat came apart in fine strands. Secondly, the pulled pork was sauced conservatively, neither too much, nor too little. Thirdly, the sauce complemented the long cooked pork. We tasted both meat and sauce. It was delicious.

Next year, when I come to the Chicken and Ribfest competition, I'll be visiting Crabby's first.

Of interest, the June 25, 2007 edition of the Ottawa Metro, a local newspaper, profiled George Kefalidis, the owner of Crabby's BBQ Shack. Crabby's doesn't smoke its ribs. Instead, they marinate it, cook it for hours in an oven, and finish it on the grill just before it is served. This "very French"-sounding method to cooking ribs, actually strays away from traditional barbecuing where smoke is king. This said, Kefalidis has racked up more than 300 awards and more than 10 years of staying power in the BBQ competition circuit, so he must be doing something right.

More after the jump...

When I went to university, the annual Sparks Street's Chicken and Rib Festival was one of the reasons I tried my best to find work in downtown Ottawa during the spring and summer semesters. At least once during its 5 day run, I would wander down to lunch on smokey ribs or barbecued chicken. In fact, providing my schedule is flexible enough and with my manager's blessing, I still do.

The logo comes from the sparksstreetmall.com website.

The Chicken and Rib festival is an invitational cook-off for Canadian and American teams to compete against one another for the rank of best rib (choice), best ribs sauce, best chicken (choice), and best chicken sauce. The sparkstreetmall.com website has the word "choice" in 2 of its listings of rank. If you have the best chicken, wouldn't it be the best choice of chicken as well? The judging is usually performed by informed radio personalities in Ottawa. I've a feeling the respective radio stations are also sponsors of this event.

While I love to watch a good cook-off, the competition is no longer the reason I attend this event. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get your hands on good smokehouse-style ribs or pulled pork if you live this far north of the American South? If you don't, you probably have no idea what pulled pork is either. Pulled pork is disassembled pork shoulder (aka: Boston Butt) that has been seasoned with either a wet or dry rub and slow cooked in a smoker for upwards of 6-12 hours. Last year, I attended the Chicken and Rib festival to pickup a pulled pork sandwich alone.

On that note, I must warn you. If you buy anything for take-away from this event, do not eat it in a cubicle environment. Your neighbors will be none too happy. They will however accompany you the next time you go down.

BTW, for you enterprising foodies, Alton Brown published a recipe on how to make pulled pork at home. Unfortunately, the recipe does not include instructions or blueprints for how to build the make-shift ceramic smoker from the related episode of Good Eats, called "Q". Having watched the episode repeatedly, purchasing a pulled pork sandwich from the Chicken and Rib festival seems FAR less troublesome. You also don't need to explain to your better half why you're purchasing a pair of unglazed terra-cotta planters that she can't put plants in.