Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off

So if you want ribs and a variety of styles from a variety of vendors this is your place to go. I arrived and jumped in line immediately because the lines were just so long, a lot of places offered combo plates and it was up to you which one to try. I would say out of the ones I had at the rib festival my favorite was probably the aussie one because it was so tender it just fell off the bone. It is interesting to see all the different types of bbq sauce you can try from the various vendors and the different ways they make the ribs. Advice: walk through the entire place before you just jump in line for ribs because there are a lot to choose from and dont be like me and be full after 3 and then realizing there are a ton of places left. The rib festival was a little too crowded for my liking but that is to be expected. I guess I just can’t eat nearly as much as I used too so I couldn’t take full advantage of this festival.

What in god’s name was I thinking, heading to the rib cook-​off on a Saturday afternoon? We got lucky and scored the last free parking spot at the garage on the roof, but the elevator was broken. I felt sorry for those who had to traipse up and down those four flights of stairs with strollers and walking canes. Next came with dealing with the crowds — horrible. People were shoving each other on the lines, making rude comments, throwing trash everywhere. It looked like those poor Syrians stuck at the train stations across Europe, but instead of trying to find a better life, here in Reno, people were literally trying to kill each other FOR OVERPRICED PORK RIBS. All it took was standing in line for approximately 25 minutes just to get something to eat, then trying to find a somewhat shady clean spot to sit down and eat with friends, only to have your ear drums blasted by horrible music while trying to eat without dropping your $ 8 ribs onto your shirt to make me decide I’d never ever come back…
Okay, caveat here — I would come back, it was my fault for agreeing to go here at the worst possible time in human history to go to a ribs festival (on a simmering Saturday afternoon). Next time we should do what we did last last time — arrive a lot earlier to avoid crowds (as in 30 minutes before the stated opening time) and get good parking. As always, bring lots of cash, your own ice cold drinks in a backpack and a hell of a lot of patience.
Oh — the only ribs I ended up tasting before getting all schwetty and mad were the Back Forty ribs. They were a bit dry this year, but the flavors were still as good as I remembered.
To give you an idea of what things were costing this year:
Sampler of ribs ($ 8) — you got maybe 3 or 4 ribs
Half rack (between $ 15-​$ 18)
Funnel cake ($ 9 — extortion)
Bottled water ($ 2-​$ 3)

You could smell BBQ Ribs from far away! The event is put on by the Nugget Casino in Sparks. This year’s event was by far the largest to date. Parking was a challenge but we found a private lot where a family charged $ 10 which included a free milk shake. Can’t beat that!
We arrived around 4 in the afternoon and it was packed, the festivities began at noon.
There were Ribs everywhere so we worked our way to the middle where it wasn’t quite so crowded. The ribs were GREAT, we managed to find a bench and chowed down elbow deep in BBQ sauce.
The plusses — great ribs, several music venues, water and beer were reasonably priced. There were also several rows of art and craft booths and of course they sold everything related to Ribs that you can imagine.
Negative– they need a bigger venue. It was so packed you can hardly move. Lack of parking, most people had to park in the neighborhood streets.
But overall it was fun and the bottom line is that the ribs were delicious.

I went to the cook of Friday afternoon and Saturday night. On Friday afternoon I got a ticket to the vip area which included a meal from any of the bbq booths and all you could drink soda, water and beer. The vip area had tables and a nice waitstaff. I chose Back Forty Texas BBQ and got brisket and ribs. They were very good. On Saturday night I tried a brisket sandwich, mac & cheese and beans from Kinders. I also tried the bbq chicken sandwich from Aussom Aussies. This was my first time and the rib cook off and I enjoyed it a lot. All the food was good however there wasn’t much variety. Every BBQ booth offered pretty much the same thing. The food was a little bit overpriced and it would have been nice if the booths displayed their menus more prominently. I get that you are proud you won a rib cook-​off in Albuquerque 10 years ago but you don’t have to put up a banner twice the size of your menu. Some of the bad parts of event were the large crowds in a small area with the lines of people trying to get food overflowed into the walkways. It also amazed me that in a huge food event there wasn’t any places to sit. Like all events in Victorian square parking was extremely difficult and it was a typical reno/​sparks type crowd if you know what I mean. On a positive note Locash Cowboy performed a concert and they were very good and entertaining. Overall I had a good time at the rib cook off and would come again next year.
~BMO

«The Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook-​Off» I love BBQ! There are a lot of BBQ Rib Cook-​off Contenders, striving for the grand prize of $ 7500, for the ‘The Best in The West” BBQ Ribs. I wish that I could try them all!
The Nugget Casino sponsor’s the event and it is held in Victoria Square, right in front of The Nugget Casino.
There are southern ‘style’ BBQ ribs … «Austin Texas Lightning» and «Back Forty Texas BBQ» but don’t let the names fool you. They are from Illinois and Pleasant Hill, CA. The Back Forty Texas BBQ won the 2014 «People’s Choice Award.»
There are locals such as Carson City BBQ and of course BJ’s BBQ, located in Sparks, NV. Both have delicious BBQ.
There is Bourbon Q from Kentucky, Aussom Aussie, Australian style «Barbie» is from Pittsburgh, PA. The chef is from Australia and he has won over 150 awards … a very accomplished chef.
I gave four stars because it is pricey. You can try the ribs. For about $ 8 you get 3 ribs. You can get roasted ears of corn on the cob for about $ 8, and don’t forget the cotton candy and all the other delicious treats!
This year’s event runs from September 2 till the 7, 2015. There are bands and shows every day. Foghat is performing Saturday @ 7:00 p.m. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Went all afternoon on Saturday. Great food by all. LOVED DESPERATE RIBS HANDS down!!.Hope they take first place again this year! Had to wait ten minutes for the mac & cheese but well worth it!

We had a great time at the rib cook off, we came in on Saturday September 5, 2015 around noon and parked pretty far which was ok, it is such a busy festival and so packed. The lines are so long and I do think the food was way over priced for what they give you. The music was pretty good. Then we came back the next day and we got to park closer and it wasn’t so packed. They had a lot great vendors selling things at a reasonable price. It was a lot fun.

Most tender ribs: Austin Lightning BBQ. They were the only ribs faking of the bones. Best sauce: Porky and Beans. Best rub: Butch’s.

INCREDIBLE!!! Rib village is the way to go!!! So much fun with friends and my fiancé!! The fried Oreo tent was right next to us on the opposite side of the fence so smell alone made this decision for us, and the were life changing!!! Ribs were bomb diggity so we’re the sauces. Honestly I didn’t pay attention to the numbers but I hope to go again next year and I’ll try to!!! Our server Ruth was crème de la crème she brought our drinks over without us having to ask for them! This was a great experience the I’ll never forget!

Love this event! Love the ribs, the yummy smells, and all the Mac & cheese this year! Butch’s piggy and moo moo Mac was so good, there are no words.
Why four stars instead of five? There is no seating. You cram all these people into that small area and there is no place to sit. What few picnic tables are there are always packed and usually filled with people just sitting and chatting. It’s like guerrilla warfare when a table opens and other people can be super rude shoving their way onto your table without so much as an acknowledgment.
Also, it says no dogs so I don’t bring my dog. Tell me why everyone else has their furry friends and they’re not approached by anyone. These aren’t service dogs, they’re family pets jumping on people and weaving their leashes around an already overly crowded group.

BBQ Cow: delicious.
BBQ Pork: delicious.
BBQ MEAT in your mouth with sauces on every flavor spectrum dripping down your face and hands: mouthgasm delicious.
I’ve been a fan of this rib cook-​off for years and is one of my favorite festivals for the long Labor Day weekend. Usually starting the week of the Labor Day ending on the Labor Day holiday, there’s just so much to see, eat and do! Held in the middle of Victoria Square, the heart of Sparks near The Nugget Casino and Hotel, offers no admission. For those coming from all directions of USA, Carson City, Sparks and Reno areas there’s a free shuttle service off Sparks, Blvd near the Legends Shopping center with free (very dusty) parking. They take you right up to the bus station which is a short walking distance to all the ribtastic fun.
Weather was amazing this year!!! Usually it’s super hot and at times miserable if you can’t find shade.
Must try:
–beer battered zucchini, mushrooms and onion rings (add that garlic salt for added umph)
–Butch’s
–Bone Daddy
–Rasta Joe’s
–kettle chips
…you’ll figure out the rest! Cheers!
Note: it’s a festival. Expect long lines, crowds/​drunk people and lack of seating.

Whooooaah Rib Cook-​Off is awesome!!! If you your want to have fun, experience real american spirit and culture, and have absolutely delicious and incredible ribs this is the place to be… The atmosphere is amazing on its own… Alright, I am getting too excited…
I am gonna give some tips:
— go on Friday since the lines are not as long as on the weekend
— get the samplers with three rib in each and share it with each other. That way you will try as many as possible.
— stand in the different lines simultaneously (with your folks) so you dont wait too long to enjoy the awesomeness…
I will definitely be back in 2016 …
But right now I am going to my gym to take care of those extra pounds I gained during the event

There’s a reason everyone loves this event and looks forward to it every year: mounds of delicious ribs. You can get nearly every version of this mouthwatering treat each summer at the rib cook-​off held in downtown Sparks. Victorian Square is blocked off to maximize the space for booths that have everything from ribs, to candy apples, lemonade, ice cream, popcorn, funnel cake, and other fair-​food style treats. It really is a smörgåsbord, and there is something to please everyone (except Vegans).

Came here once about 7 – 8 years ago because I love BBQ! This past weekend was my second time and probably the last. To put simply: Expensive, crowded, and Rude RUDE Rude people! The good was the free parking and free admission. Came Friday morning hoping it would not be so crowded just yet. I was wrong. TON of people. So Many BBQ vendors that it was hard to choose from because you can’t eat at every single one of them. Decided on Kinders and ordred the rib dinner for $ 17 and brisket sandwich $ 10 from a Chicago one. Two corn on the cobs $ 7. Lemonade $ 5. And the kicker … deep fried peaches $ 9. Kinders was good but not the best Ive ever had. Brisket was so awful, we threw it away but service was terrible there too so that should have been a clue. Corn was cold and no cayenne pepper available. Lemonade suspect of not being fresh squeezed as advertised. Tasted like Minute maid with some lemons thrown in. Peaches were pretty good but I about crapped my pants when my husband told me how much he paid. Maybe I just went to the wrong vendors, but the $ 48 I spent was not worth it at all. I much prefer my own ribs and could’ve had an awesome dinner for that price. People who rave about it must not know how to cook?
Okay so you figure this is an eating event and there would be places to sit. Nope, not enough. Had one picnic area but it was so completely full. We tried to find a place and man there was so many rude people when we tried to sit. I felt like Forrest Gump when he was trying to find a seat on the bus. Instead of just saying, «sorry that seat is taken», they’d bark at us everything but anything pleasant. One lady just grunted at us with a dirty look shaking her head. Another just moved over to not make room. There are some open areas throughout the area that the venue could have provided more tables and chairs. We ended up near the theater in the grass. Vendors are all the same you see anywhere else but did find one cool kitchen gadget for mincing garlic etc. We left soon after walking back to the lot only to have security bark at us that we can’t walk there and go here. Um, a simple «please use the other sidewalk» would have been nice. As a matter of fact, they all seemed to have attitude as I watched them bark at other people. I left here feeling so mistreated and robbed.

I’m not sure if it was improvements made over the years or simply the good company I had but I thought this was the best rib cook off I’ve been to yet! The crowds and lines are inevitable but the each tent we went to was extremely efficient with taking orders and getting the food out so although I didn’t mind standing in line it was a rather short process.
Aussom Aussie really stood out to my group of friends and I, the ribs were cooked perfect and they offered alternate sauces which we all enjoyed! We also tried Johnson’s Hickory Smoked Bar-​B Que, which was amazing as well!
My only suggestion would be bring cash! Some of the tents are strictly cash only and sometimes you don’t know until you get up to the register to order. Regardless, 5 stars for another great rib cook off experience. Can’t wait to go back!

Enjoyed the rib cook off in Sparks on Wednesday 9÷2÷2015. Had many samples, just do the rib, cuz it is a Rib Cook Off.
Enjoyed Butchs and Chicago ribs and Checkered Pig.
It was getting pretty crowded at 3:30.
It is a fun event to go to.

This event is preceding and culminating over Labor weekend and is one of the best barbecue gatherings on the West Coast. There are around thirty different competitors and barbecue restaurants, which means a great opportunity to sample or eat at so many different restaurants all in one place. It is a little crowded of course but there seems to be enough available parking. The lines are reasonable given the type of event but it’s worth the wait. Overall, the barbecue ribs were outstanding at many of the competitors and restaurants.

We’ve been going to the Rib Cook-​Off for a few years now, but apparently I’ve never taken the time to review it. We have our day pretty much planned out before heading down there.
We walk to the bus stop by our house, the bus takes us directly to the Sparks bus station for a whopping $ 2 each. No parking, no driving through crowds, and no paying for parking. Winning.
From the bus station, we head immediately to Great Basin to get a large Icky and Bitchin’ Berry. Beer is a must for battling these crowds and the large beers are worth the price!
If you have the JA Nugget mobile app, it will tell you where every vendor is and show it on a map. No more mindless wandering looking for your favorite vendor. I don’t have a favorite, but go off of recommendations from friends, co-​workers, etc.
Some vendors take cards, but we always make sure to bring plenty of cash.
Be sure to walk through the non-​rib vendors too. We got a couple of hats this year, which are nice to have at the event, but are also great beach hats for next year.
Saturday was a whole day affair and required us taking a cab back home. But because there was practically no crowd on Monday, we were able to get a beer, some food, and still use our bus transfer to get back home. Food stops being served at 5:00 pm on Monday and the vendors also start selling off extra food at crazy cheap prices.

Labor Day Weekend 2014 — multiple dates
Atmosphere — 5 stars
Food — 5 stars
Shows — 5 stars
Background — Been coming here for years and love going to the concerts at night. I went this year to see Robert Randolph on Monday afternoon, just too hot to enjoy.
Atmosphere — As you are driving and getting closer and closer on I-​80 you can smell the sweet charring of pig parts becoming stronger and the mouth starts to water, mmmm St. Louis style ribs.
Food Ribs — What is there to say? These rib cookers are some of the nation’s best traveling cooking teams. The Nugget provides the ribs to the teams. For me there are too many choices. No really a problem other than for my waist line. I go back to my favorites from past years and try some places that I have not had or do not remember having. Typically I decide on one and buy a full slab to go home with me. They serve their ribs «dry» and you typically and find an area to obtain their sauce nearby after picking up your ribs.
Food Others — Many of the rib cookers will bring their own meats into the event. I have seen chicken and shrimp at some of the places. There are also many different deep fried vegetable places. Fresh potato chips served in a hot steamy mess seems like a crowd favorite. Mine is the fried pickles, they call them frickles. This year I actually saw alligator. I wanted to get some but never made my way back.
Pro Tips
Wear you Reno garb, whether high school, Wolf Pack, Aces or the Bighorns. Lot the people serving the food are locals and they like taking care of the locals.
Bring in your first drinks in, but still buy some there. Most of the drink vendors are raising money for charities.
Parking can be a bear if you do not get their early enough. They have had shuttle services in the past and it always less stressful as they drop you off at Nugget bus area so you can get right into the heart of the festival. The one year I did it the shuttles ran from outside of Scheels to the Nugget. Getting back to Scheels always seems easier.
If the sun is out be prepared for some serious heat. Ducking into a casino to cool off for a bit is always a nice treat. Maybe play some slots.
Future — Only reason I would not be here is if I was out of town.

First of all you have to like crowds!!!
This event is held Wednesday thru Monday every year over the Labor Day weekend in Victorian Square, Sparks. 11am to 9pm
The Nugget hotel & casino has done a great job at setting up the venue, organization and keeping it clean. I do wish there were more areas to sit and eat your ribs. My juggling skills aren’t that great yet. It also appears they have spaced the participants out more– nice
This year there seems to be more rib venders and they have made an extra leg off the main strip that has four more places for food– so don’t over look these guys. The new hot item was deep fried peach slices Otherwise the usual lemonade stands, funnel cakes and Carmel apple spots
There did seem to be a few less craft venders and they have been moved more west and towards the back. Also there was a small kiddie carnival
They still have the two stages with live band.
Some places accept credit cards in case you run out of cash. But bring the cash, it’s not a cheap date night