2005 Madison Ribberfest

Results of this years Madison Ribberfest

By Don Ward
Editor

Mother Nature turned up the heat for the fourth annual Madison Ribberfest on Aug. 19-20, but temperatures into the 90s didn't stop a record 58 teams from taking part in the Kansas City Barbeque Society's pro division cook-off.

J-Mack Cookers Too, the husband-and-wife team of Aaron and Christy Storey of Bardswell, Ky., along with their teammate Joe Barbee, won this year's overall title and took home the coveted Grand Champion trophy. The victory also earned the the Indiana State Championship title, since the Madison Ribberfest is the only such competition in Indiana that carries a proclamation by the governor, as required per KCBS rules for the distinction.
The couple accumulated 667.4288 points by competing in several categories and won by a comfortable 11.429 points over second-place Grand Reserve Champion Ulcer Acres. Ulcer Acres, a late entry this year, is comprised of Randy and Marla Twyford of Jacksonville, Ill.
The Storeys had finished second last year but came back with a vengeance this year, winning the pork category and placing second in chicken and brisket categories, and 14th in pork ribs.
The Storeys had competed in the Madison Ribberfest all three previous years of the event but under the name J-Mack Cookers. This year's contest was scheduled the same weekend as a similar event in Lebanon, Tenn., where Christy's father, Mike Ford, competed. So under KCBS rules, the team had to assume a new name, thus the "Too" was added.

"We thought we were close to winning because we had a second in chicken, first in pork and second in brisekt. When they started calling out the last few names and we weren't in there, it started to sink in," said Aaron Storey, 32, whose real job is as a Fed-X Express delivery employee in Paducah, Ky.
Christy Storey is a Mary Kay Cosmetics director and the mother of two sons, Tyler, 8, and Logan, 3.
The Storey have had a string of success the past two years since they started competing on the barbecue circuit in 1999. In fact, Madison was their third Grand Championship this year, after winning in June at Mt. Vernon, Ill., again over the Fourth of July at Murray, Ky.
They competed at the KCBS national championship last year after earning a berth at the competition in Slidell, La. They also were drawn from a lottery to compete at the prestigious Jack Daniels World Championship in Tennessee. They finished third overall out of 62 teams, claiming first place in ribs.
"That was the biggest accomplishment for us so far," Aaron said.
Since entering their first contest in 1999 at a small event in Paducah, they met several teams and caught the bug. They now compete in 15-16 events a year, spending about $600 each weekend to cover travel expenses and entry fees.
"That really ads up, so you have to win one now and then to pay some of the bills," Aaron said. The couple does not sell meat or sauces or rubs, like some big-time teams. They just do it all for fun, he said.
Ulcer Acres, meanwhile, climbed to second place in points with a first place in brisket, seventh in pork, 11th in chicken and pork ribs, and 13th in sauce. This was their first Madison Ribberfest, but they have had success on the circuit elsewhere, winning the Illinois State Championship trophy earlier this year in Shannon, Ill.
J-Mack Cookers Too followed a similar scenario to the top that two previous Ribberfest winners laid out, by placing second one year and returning to win the next. Both Music City Pig Pals of Nashville, Tenn., and Hoosier Hogs of Valparaiso, Ind., went 2-1 from 2002-2004..
Music City Pig Pals, the defending champion from 2004 and comprised of Lee and Bobbie McWright, placed fifth overall this year. Their best judging this year was seventh in pork ribs.
Hoosier Hogs, comprised of neighbors Fred Edwards and Ron Marquardt, finished fourth overall. Their best entry was in brisket, where they placed third. They also placed fifth in pork ribs.
Pig Pak won the "Best of Jefferson County, Ind." for the third year, this time by finishing seventh overall. The team is comprised of John Branigan, Merrill Nay, David Baratti and Mike DeShong. Pig Pak had high marks in pork (fifth), anything but (seventh), pork ribs (10th), brisket (11th) and dessert (14th).
Wildcat BBQ, a Madison-based team comprised of father-and-son duo of Mike and Chris Cammack, finished a respectable 17th overall. Their highest judged entry of eighth was in the "anything but" category, which this year had to be a dish that involved catfish. The Cammacks also scored ninth in chicken, 10th in brisket, 18th in pork ribs and 41st in pork.
The Madison-based team of Smoked Signals, comprised of Doug and Joanne Spiller, finished 24th overall and had its best judged entry of third place in "anything but." The Spillers also placed 17th in pork ribs.
Cabana Joe's, comprised of Joe Torline and his father, Charles, finished 27th overall and had its best judged entry of seventh in chicken. The Torlines also placed 12th in pork.
A record 58 teams competed this year in the Kansas City Barbeque Society Pro Division Cook-Off at the Madison Ribberfest. By having more than 50 teams, the contest offered teams an opportunity to earn triple points from the KCBS, which sanctions the event. The winner of Madison's event, which serves as the Indiana State Championship, earns an automatic berth in the KCBS Americal Royal national championship competition in October in Kansas City.
"It's a big deal to win here in Madison because of that automatic entry into the national competition," said Shawn Auxier, who co-chairs the pro division cook-off with Jeff Garrett.
Auxier said the Ribberfest committee anticipates an even larger event next year, perhaps surpassing 60 teams.

 

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