This is coming from the good people of the firepit site, which are as crazy about pits as they are about a good barbecue story… here it is…
The sweet smell of down home barbecue ribs filled the air at Safford’s City Hall on Saturday as the first BBQ Rib Cook-Off was held.
The event was sponsored by Southeast Arizona Community Unique Services, and all proceeds will be used to deliver services to the frail elderly, the disabled and their families.
The smell of ribs cooking on a variety of grills started to attract people to the area at around 10 a.m., and there were a number of vendors and activities to keep people busy until the tasting began at about noon.
Ben Harrell, left, and Sandra Hayes of Safford Soul Food get ready to inspect the wares cooking on an enourmous grill. Safford Soul Food swept the competition at the rib cook-off and took first-place in the rib category and won the best sauce contest. Photo by Jon Johnson
Some of the more outstanding grillers included Safford Soul Food’s enormous grill situated on a trailer and brothers Jason and Seth Larson’s combination smoker/steam grill. The grill was built by the brothers’ father and utilizes a steam bath to keep the meat tender while the smoke infuses the flavor from the apricot and oak wood they were using. Their wood choice set them apart from most of the other competitors, who had mesquite as their wood of choice.
Safford Soul Food pit master Ben Harrell and his crew swept the awards and won the first-place trophy and $500 in the rib cook-off and a trophy and $100 prize for best sauce. Wilbur’s Wranglers, a team from the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, took the second-place trophy and $250 prize, and Ella St. Hillaire won the People’s Choice certificate and $250 prize.
Harrell has been running Safford Soul Food for eight years and guaranteed the Courier a victory in the contest prior to the tasting. He said people sometimes have misconceptions on the word “soul” in his business’ title.
“The word soul actually means that you cook with your best: your heart and your soul,” Harrell said. “So wherever you eat and you see that word, you’re going to be eating that person’s very best.”
In addition to the cook-off, there were vendors selling smoothies, kettle corn and a variety of wares. There were also several entertainment options for the youth, including a jumping castle, a craft center sponsored by Home Depot and a video game center sponsored by Aaron’s Rent-A-Center.
Organizer and SEACUS Program Manager Royce Hunt said she hoped the cook-off planted a seed and would become an annual event that will gather people from other communities like the much-heralded Salsa Trail festivities.
Indeed, one of the contestants the Courier interviewed, the Corfab Inc. group, came down from Morenci to show how they take care of barbecue.
SEACUS is a nonprofit entity that assists those in need in Graham and Greenlee counties.