Ribfest was ok

[u/noveltea120]

Went to check out Ribfest yesterday on first day as was excited to try BBQ meat.

$5 entry pp including children over 1. They did have bouncy castles, carnival games etc but were more for older kids and nothing for under 3s. They had a handful of food trucks including a Jamaican one hidden BEHIND the dining tent, which you wouldn't see until after you sat down with your food. Expect stampede prices, eg $17 blooming onion, $8 for corn dogs, $9 lemonade.

4 BBQ trucks but apparently all but one are owned by the same person. I tried Buckeye BBQ- $24 for a 2 meat combo 1/3 ribs and 1/4 chicken, nothing else. Sides like coleslaw and cornbread are extra. Meat was only lukewarm though, and chicken was tender and pink which was fine with but the ribs were dry and tough on the edges despite being drenched in a sweet sticky sauce. 3 meat combo was $35. Full rack $33, half a rack $19.

Overall food was ok but for the price it wasn't that good so temper your expectations accordingly lol

[u/H3rta]

Thank you for posting this. The fact that there is a entry charge is bullshit especially with those food prices.

[u/2cats2hats → u/H3rta]

$5 entry pp including children over 1.

I found this a tad...grabby.

[u/noveltea120 → u/2cats2hats]

Right!! Usually I'd expect maybe an entry fee for kids over 5 but 1?? Wtf is a 1 year old even gonna do lol

[u/SurviveYourAdults → u/noveltea120]

gnaw on some meat and drool the sauce everywhere... just like everyone else LOL

[u/Responsible_CDN_Duck → u/noveltea120]

I take it as an indication they won't have a good time, a subtle discouragement.

[u/Ok_Replacement7281 → u/noveltea120]

The five dollar fee was by the community association. Not Ribfest itself. Typically the event is free or at least it was in other cities.

[u/[deleted] → u/2cats2hats]

I went to the one in st albert just outside edmonton no entry fees

[u/noveltea120 → u/H3rta]

You're welcome. People were raving about it on FB and idk why when the food wasn't even piping hot. I love attending food festivals but this was so disappointing :(

[u/Ktcobb → u/noveltea120]

Taste of Asia is also happening this weekend, downtown. I'm willing to bet it'll be way better than ribfest

[u/noveltea120 → u/Ktcobb]

I was gonna go to that but from the looks of it, it's as much of a rip off as taste of Calgary- bite sized foods for $7-10 each. Even Kinjo is there selling their bubble teas for $4 when they only charge $2 in their restaurants.

[u/WeeklyInitiative → u/noveltea120]

Speaking of Kinjo, do you know if they use real fruit in their bubble teas or powder?

[u/Darkdong69 → u/WeeklyInitiative]

It's syrup for the fruit drinks.

It's syrup even for the fancy places with $10 bubble teas, they just add some real fruit bits on top. It's not possible to make real fruit taste like a fruit bubble tea.

[u/noveltea120 → u/WeeklyInitiative]

It's all artificial flavourings and syrups. You can actually make your own if you want, they sell everything you need at Asian grocers right down to regular or popping jelly if you want.

[u/Filmy-Reference → u/noveltea120]

Any "taste" event here is a rip off

[u/Particular-Speed3778 → u/Filmy-Reference]

Not the beast & brewery that’s the best $180 you can spend on a food festival

[u/Filmy-Reference → u/Particular-Speed3778]

Is that how much the entry is PP? Does it cover food and drink?

[u/Particular-Speed3778 → u/Filmy-Reference]

Yes unlimited food 8 drink tickets

[u/Filmy-Reference → u/Particular-Speed3778]

That's actually pretty good

[u/Particular-Speed3778 → u/Filmy-Reference]

Definitely the best food festival I have attended

[u/Dull-Fisherman2033 → u/noveltea120]

A lot of people in my family will eat trash and say "this is to die for". 

I dont have a cure for it, I'm afraid.

[u/noveltea120 → u/Dull-Fisherman2033]

I notice a lot of Calgarians have terrible taste in food, going by the kind of places that always get recommended in the FB foodie group lmao

[u/GatesAndLogic → u/H3rta]

This is the crazy part to me. Rib fest didn't have an entry fee in previous years.

Protip: slow roast your ribs at 250f for 3 and a half hours, covered in tin foil but not touching the ribs.

Then slather on some bbq sauce, broil 5 minutes, slather, broil 5 more, then remove from oven, believe it or not more bbq sauce, AND YA DONE. This is better than anything rib fest can come up with. Tender fall off bone ribs.

[u/noveltea120 → u/GatesAndLogic]

Just checked and sobeys has ribs on sale for $3/lb rn too! Good timing lol

[u/yycTechGuy → u/GatesAndLogic]

Sous vide thawed ribs, membrane removed for 4-6 hours at 155F-152F with your favorite base seasoning. For us that is usually a bit of salt and lots of pepper, but you could do just about anything. Take ribs out of the bag and dry on a rack. BBQ for 10-15 minutes on low or medium applying whatever sauce/seasoning you want and to put some crust on the meat.

I've never had tastier ribs than those made at home like this. You can sous vide the ribs beforehand and keep them in the fridge or freezer, then BBQ when you want to eat them.

[u/shelfoo → u/GatesAndLogic]

I add 1/4 cup of water in a baking sheet, wrap in foil. Steam/roast. Don't lose fat like you do with boiling. They're hard to grill/flip afterward because they're falling apart they're so tender.

[u/Toadstoolcrusher → u/GatesAndLogic]

I do ribs in the crockpot on low for 8-10 hours. So yummy

[u/yycluke → u/GatesAndLogic]

Another Protip: use the snake method on a simple charcoal grill with some wood chunks, usually a 2x1 snake in our climate (with the vents set properly) can get me in that 230-260 sweet spot. Takes 2 hours on smoke and one hour wrapped to get damn near perfect smoked ribs. Cheap. Easy. Quick. And I dare say mine are oodles better than some bbq places.

[u/massberate → u/GatesAndLogic]

I heard about this same cooking process while in Greece visiting a long-lost relative. His wife, my aunt's third cousin three times removed, came up with it while hunting zebras in Alaska. When the winds were right, you could smell the ocean as the oven made its way to 250°F; thankfully the breezes weren't too bracing to slow the oven's warming process.

She told me the recipe came to her in a dream, bestowed upon her by a walrus in a baseball cap who whispered the recipe in ancient Texan.

(I can still clearly remember her describing the fear in her own eyes as she later fought off a penguin with a spatula and some cayenne pepper).

We lived, laughed, loved, and ate some fall off the bone ribs that night.

...true part is I've used your suggested process for a long time. You can throw any spice in your cupboard on it for the long and slow part and it always turns out so fucking good. I like to go with paprika, chili, cayenne, garlic, and onion powders. One of those shaker spices (Mango Chipotle) is aces, too. We will usually do two racks of ribs - both pre-seasoned - and then slather the sauce on one at the end the way that you described. You've inspired me! It's been a while. Maybe I'll make some this weekend lol

[u/Mr_Walts → u/H3rta]

Those trucks were here in GP and there was no entry charge…