BarBeQueMe: Snake Parade and Family Funfest in Kansas City!

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October 20, 2007

Sauce is key for Gold Bar griller

By Kristi O'Harran
Herald Columnist

The best barbecue sauce, featured at my house, is a mixture of Coca-Cola and ketchup.

No? You have a better recipe? Perhaps you would like to put it on the line, like Gil Ruiz.

Diners at his Depot Cafe and Smokehouse at 3201 McDougall Ave. in Everett may not know they're ordering award-winning grub the chef prepares as both hobby and career. On spring and summer days off, Ruiz enjoys traveling around the Northwest to compete in barbecue competitions.

"In May of 2005 I entered my first barbecue competition at the 'Cruzin' to Colby' event in Everett," Ruiz said. "I placed dead last."

Dazed and confused, he figured he better do some research to improve on the product.

"I had a custom barbecue pit built for me in Texas and had it shipped to the cafe," he said. "It showed up in July, very exciting. I started cooking like crazy."

He entered the Montana State Barbecue Championship.

"My oldest son, Peter, and I took three top-10 finishes that weekend out of the four meat categories. The game was on, and we were hooked on competition barbecue."

The drill goes like this: You cook four categories, pork shoulder, pork ribs, beef brisket and chicken. State championships must have 25 teams or more to make it a "qualifier" for national events. The grand champion of a qualifier may compete in a national championship.

He calls his team "Smokin' Red Wolf." In 2006, they won 11 cooking awards.

"This year we walked with a total of 19 awards including a grand championship," Ruiz, 49, said. "We scored firsts, seconds and really improved our scores."

Raised in the Bay Area of California, Ruiz aimed to be a rock star, but found working in restaurants actually paid the bills. He's been so low as to wash dishes at a Sizzler, then had an opportunity to learn the restaurant business from inside an Italian operation.

He was the general manager at Lombardi's on the Everett waterfront before opening his Depot, which marks its third anniversary Sunday. One regular customer, Barbara Andersen of Snohomish, said she loves a nonbarbecued dish at the Depot: crab cake salad. She also enjoys the pulled-pork sandwich and navy bean soup.

Ruiz commutes to work from a little farm in Gold Bar, where he lives with his wife, Sue, and Sam, 11, and Lilliana, 8, who often join him on trips. The team has yet to win a national qualifier, but the quest is on, he said.

Smokin' Red Wolf is ranked 433rd nationwide out of 1,033 teams.

Ruiz is tweaking ideas for next season. Everyone has their own ideas and philosophies about barbecue sauces, he said. Though he won't share any cooking secrets, he hinted at a "fruit component" to his chicken.

"I've kept that close to the vest," he said. "It adds a nice profile to it."

We toured his sparkling kitchen and I saw big old slabs of meat slow-cooking on a grill out back. My secret was safe. There didn't seem to be any bottles of ketchup and Coke.

Columnist Kristi O'Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Snake Parade and Family Funfest in Kansas City!

Snake Day is Irish in origin and many people will be in period piece costumes, so this should be fun. I think Family Funfest would aptly describe it. Parade, arts & crafts, barbeque and you probably will be able to find some apple pie. Don't get no better than this.

BARBECUES WILL BE SMOKIN IN NORTH KANSAS CITY
AT THE ANNUAL NORTH KANSAS CITY MISSOURI STATE BARBECUE CHAMPIONSHIP
ON MARCH 9 - 10, 2007

The Annual North Kansas City Missouri State Barbeque Championship will be held in conjunction with Northland Festivals' Snake Saturday Parade and Family Funfest. Tantalizing aroma of barbecue will fill the air of the City of North Kansas City.

While spectators are enjoying the fabulous taste of freshly grilled barbecue, the contests entrants in the open division from commercial businesses, families, and other organized groups will be cooking up a variety of meats and competing for cash prizes in the first inaugural cooking event in the entire country.

In addition to the magic of barbecue, the Snake Saturday Parade will start promptly at 11:00 A.M., regardless of the weather conditions. The parade route will start at 14th & Swift, where it will travel north on Swift to Armour Road, then turn east down Armour Road to Howell Street, turn south and end after crossing 14th Street. The reviewing stand will be on Armour Road in front of the North Kansas City/City Hall.

After the barbecuing and the parade, families are entertained at the festival grounds which are open from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. The festival grounds are bordered by Armour Road on the north and 18th Avenue on the south, Fayette on the west and Howell on the east. One of the great features of the festival is that nearly every activity for kids and adults is free, thanks to many wonderful sponsors. Thrill seekers can purchase tickets for exciting carnival rides. Arts & crafts enthusiasts can buy original art. The hungry and thirsty can satisfy their appetites by buying food and beverages either at the festival or the many restaurants and bars nearby. Race fans can view over 50 racecars on display, including the Kansas Speedway Pace Car, Lakeside Speedway Pace Car and the famous Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Car. The children's square features free pony rides, petting zoo, and kids' live stage entertainment. Parking is free! This is a wonderful way to break the doldrums of winter's cabin fever. So please join us and have an Irish good time!

For more information on any of these Northland Festivals events please call our office at (816) 421-4438!

technorati tags:Snake, Day, Festival, Family, Funfest, barbeque, sauce, ribs, Championship, Cometition, Kansas, City, Barbeque, Society, free, parade

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Saturday, January 20, 2007

Snake Parade and Family Funfest in Kansas City!

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