The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off is an annual rib cook-off in Sparks, Nevada. The competition involves St. Louis-style pork ribs. The event is held at Victorian Square in Sparks and has taken place annually over the Labor Day weekend since 1989; it is sponsored by the Nugget Casino Resort. [1]
The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off began in 1989, with six entries and a small group of casino customers. The initial event did not involve cooking the ribs on-site, but rather reheating them with cans of Sterno fuel. [2] The inaugural winner was North Main Barbecue from Euless, Texas. [2] [3]
The event is the main attraction for Sparks, and is mentioned in travel guides [4] [5] [6] and barbecue books. [7]
The rib cook-off takes place over six days in Victorian Square in Sparks, Nevada; six blocks of Victorian Avenue are closed to traffic during the event for the cook-off competitors and other vendors to stage their booths. Aside from the actual cook-off, ribs are sold to the general public. In addition to the ribs there is a small arts and crafts fair and a few children's rides. In 2007 the event, for the first time, drew half a million visitors, and has done so every following year, serving up to 100 tons of St. Louis-style ribs. [8] [9] It was calculated that the 2006 event produced "1.4 million bones' worth of pork ribs." [10]
Top prize for the judged event is $19,500. There is also a "people's choice award" and an award for best sauce. [11]
The 32nd annual Rib Cook-off will take place 01–06 September 2021, as there'll be no cook-off in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be 23 competitors vying for upwards of $20,000 in prize money. The event includes a Rib Village, beer garden and live entertainment. [12]
| Year | Attendance (estimated) | Ribs cooked (lbs) | Winner's home state | References |
| 1989 | 30,000 | Texas | [3] [13] | |
| 1990 | ||||
| 1991 | California | |||
| 1992 | Texas | |||
| 1993 | ||||
| 1994 | ||||
| 1995 | Arizona | |||
| 1996 | Texas | [14] | ||
| 1997 | Texas | [15] | ||
| 1998 | Nevada | [16] | ||
| 1999 | Michigan | [17] | ||
| 2000 | Kentucky | [13] | ||
| 2001 | 300,000* | 126,000* | Pennsylvania | [13] [18] |
| 2002 | Kentucky | [19] | ||
| 2003 | Kentucky | [19] | ||
| 2004 | 300,000 | 148,000 | Virginia | [3] |
| 2005 | 300,000* | 150,000* | New Jersey | [20] [21] |
| 2006 | 400,000 | Minnesota | [9] [22] | |
| 2007 | 500,000* | 200,000* | Minnesota | [9] [23] [24] |
| 2008 | 500,000 | 100,000 | Michigan | [1] [2] |
| 2009 | 500,000 | 200,000 | Ohio | [25] |
| 2010 | Michigan | |||
| 2011 | California | |||
| 2012 | Illinois | |||
| 2013 | Minnesota | |||
| 2014 | Ohio | |||
| 2015 | Michigan | |||
| 2016 | Indiana | |||
| 2017 | Illinois | |||
| 2018 | Montana | |||
| 2019 | Montana | |||
| 2020 | COVID-19 pandemic saw no winner. | |||
Note: Statistics marked with an asterisk (*) are pre-event estimates.
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