Friday, June 27, 2008

The grillers are back

By Sarah Poulton

NILES — They anticipate the summer months.

For a quarter of the year, they travel from city to city and town to town. They don’t know anyone except the people they’re traveling with.

They sleep in RVs, hotels and campgrounds. They eat on the road and don’t really have a place to call home.

They’re not nomads, gypsies or hitch-hikers. They’re professional rib grillers and this weekend, they’re in Niles.

The Mahoning Valley Rib Burn Off is here again. It kicked off last night with a light turnout under ugly storm clouds and sporadic rain. But the eight competitors all came, setting up shop and feeding ribs to anyone they could find.

One of the local competitors, Heather Ramsey of Niles, owns The Copper Fox in Liberty, but at the Rib Burn Off, she represents The Piggy Back Shack. This is their first time at the Rib Burn Off, as well as her first year competing.

She recently came back from the Bedford Rotary Day of the Rib in Bedford, where she placed third. But, she said, she’s a little nervous because her lone trophy looks tiny compared to the awards displayed by her competitors.

“I was very much intimidated... but I love it,” Ramsey said. “It’s a lot of fun. If I could do this all winter long, I’d do it.”

Ramsey’s staffer, Bill Reed, said in the end, it all comes down to strategy, and that strategy is modern technology. He said accepting credit cards and having top-of-the-line grills is important, but a lot of it comes down to makin’ some noise.

“The louder you are — we have a cow bell,” Reed said. “That’s pretty loud; it get’s people’s attention.”

Reed said what’s more sweet than any sauce is the sense of family you get when you travel to competitions. It’s more than a competition, he said — it’s fun. They’re not out for blood and they always go the extra mile to help one another out.

“People call us carneys and other names, but that’s what’s good about it,” Reed said. “We all fit in here.”

Emmit Moody traveled all the way from Houston, to compete in the Rib Burn Off. He’s been competing nationally for five years and has traveled to seven states. During winter months, Moody is a roofer, but from the end of May through September, he’s on the road.

He’s been competing at the Rib Burn Off for the past four years, and took first place two years ago for “Best Sauce” and “Best Presentation.”

“It’s good, all good,” Moody said. “I like this show and we do pretty good here. It’s about time to win again.”

Last night’s rain brought back a familiar memory for Moody. He said two years ago in Fort Wayne, Ind., 70mph winds blew through the competition. Their tents crashed into each other and the everything got soaked.

“We bend, but we don’t break,” Moody said. “We won first place in ‘People’s Choice.’ ”

Moody said his strategy is simple — thank the people and make them feel welcome: “Every time someone orders, we all yell back, ‘Thank you.’ We just have a fun time smiling.”

Alex Houser of Chambersburg, Pa., has been traveling to competitions with his father, Randell Adams, for eight years. He said they haven’t been to the Rib Burn Off for several years, but he enjoyed the it the last time they were here — especially the fireworks.

Houser, whose father has been competing for 13 years, said they have their strategy down to a science.

“The sauce is what makes the difference,” Houser said.

Like Moody, they travel about four months out of the year. During the off-season, they sell ribs from a stand in their hometown and usually pick up a side job. But Houser said, the best time of the year is when they travel and compete.

“The best experience is going from town to town, city to city and getting to know people,” he said. “Seeing what’s different and what’s the same.”

The Mahoning Valley Rib Burn Off continues through Sunday at the Eastwood Mall.