Pittsburgh's 'Ribfest' continues through Labor Day with football, music and food

Pittsburgh’s annual Acrisure Stadium Kickoff and Rib Festival is underway.

The seasonal celebration of all things barbecue — commonly referred to as Ribfest — began Thursday and runs through Labor Day.

Twelve rib vendors from across the nation, including several local establishments, are vying for Best Ribs, Best Sauce and a People’s Choice Award.

More than 100,000 people are expected to feast outside in the city’s North Shore throughout the five days.

“Thing are going phenomenal,” said Cecelia Cagni, the Steelers’ corporate communications director. “We had a great crowd last night (Friday) for the first day, which was still the workweek. It’s off to an amazing start.”

Admission is free. The FedEX Great Hall inside the stadium is open for fans to check out some Steelers and University of Pittsburgh memorabilia.

“We’re seeing a lot of folks coming over from the Savannah Bananas just to check things out while they’re on the North Shore,” Cagni said. “That’s wonderful. You can tell the fans as they are dressed (in banana gear).”

Savannah Bananas is an exhibition baseball team hugely popular on TikTok. They were set to play a two-game series at PNC Park Friday and Saturday.

“I think the weather is certainly perfect. Not too hot,” Cagni said. “It’s kind of like the official kickoff of football season in Western PA and a great opportunity for the community to come together.”

Cagni said the giant Ribfest trophies given out in previous years were replaced with pro wrestling-style title belts this time.

“I think it’s something special to help the festival stand out,” Cagni said. “We brought it out and everybody wants a picture taken with it. (Vendors) have seen it. We’ve walked around with it.”

Vendor perspectives

Vendors from Ohio, Texas and South Carolina, to name a few states, have traveled to the Steel City to flex their meat muscles.

Carolina Rib King from Spartanburg, S.C., is the reigning rib champion. Owner Solomon Williams said the key to Carolina’s success is to “stand steady” and not veer away from what’s working.

“Don’t change nothing,” Williams said. “Pick out what you want. How you want it and stick with it.

“Everybody likes a tender rib, but they’ve got to have a taste. They’ve got to have the right combination of sauce and taste. We smoke them from 3 to 4½ hours.”

Williams said the festival has had some great weather and a lot of things are going on in the city, which helps draw a crowd. He loves seeing repeat customers and people in sports jerseys and T-shirts.

“This is the only time we get to see a big fan base, so that’s exciting,” Williams said. “I call this a tailgate show.”

Peaches Adams helps keeps workers in line at Ribbin BBQ of Chambersburg.

Her son, Rondell Adams, is the owner, and several of her grandchildren help out.

“I’m the one that kicks ass,” the matriarch said. She also handles quality control and ensures cooks follow the family recipes.

Ribbins, one of the original Ribfest vendors, has a 28-ingredient barbecue sauce that’s sweet, tangy and smokey all in one. They also marinade ribs for about 36 hours. Jumbo beef ribs and smoked turkey jerk wings are popular choices, too.

Rondell Adams said attention to detail and using a wood fire grill has helped separate them from the pack.

“We try to bring a little bit of different flavor for everybody,” he said.

Kevin Crews of Donora is counting on his reverse-flow smokers and a heaping pile of cherry wood to help his ribs stand out.

The owner of Crews BBQ & Catering launched his business in 2017 and has been involved with Ribfest for four years.

“I know that we got an excellent rib,” Crews said. “We have very good sauce. Our brisket is cooked low and slow. I love competing with the other guys.

“We’re here to let them know what Pittsburgh barbecue is like. We just want to spread the word that Pittsburgh has great barbecue, too.”

Besides ribs, Crews’ sweet potato casserole and baked mac ’n cheese are its most popular selections.

Bad Azz BBQ of Pittsburgh’s South Side took home People’s Choice last year. Chef Marven Khalid said his team is ready to defend its title.

“It is a very exciting time,” Khalid said. His ribs take 13 hours to prepare and cook.

“People have tried our food and then they love it. That’s how we became champ. For the last 10 years we have been winning that award because of people and also the teamwork we have here. This is a family business.”

One of the most popular hype men outside the stadium is Hank “The Tank” Marshall of Off the Bone BBQ.

From Columbus, Ohio, the nearly 7-foot-tall frontman said he stepped back from traveling to spend more time with his three children, and will only leave Ohio for Pittsburgh’s festival.

“The workers at the Pittsburgh show love me,” Marshall said. “We’ve built a relationship. We’ve been coming here since 2017. The guy who rides on the golf carts, the electricians, the plumbers, even the promoter. I call it semi-retired.

”NO another show will get Hank,” he said. “Only Pittsburgh, and I love football. It brings me back to my roots. I get to be by the stadium. I get to be at the University of Pittsburgh home opener, and the customers are my fan base. I have the biggest following here in Pittsburgh.”

Off the Bone has a new menu item, Alabama BBQ Nachos. It’s a healthy scoop of nachos, cheese, brisket or pulled pork — or both — topped with its signature “Alabama Dirt” dry rub.

Other foods include street corn, bacon on a stick, soft pretzels and other traditional festival fare.

Bring extra money

Participants should expect to spend a little more at the festival this year.

Prices for a full rack of ribs have gone up across the board from $31 to $33. Most sides have gone up about $1.

Rondell Adams said vendors met on Wednesday to talk about pricing and how to keep things competitive while coping with rising supply costs.

“We try to figure out what’s going on and see where everybody’s at,” Adams said. “With the increase, it’s not bad for the (change) of food prices. I know some food prices are good. Some are not. We’re trying to keep it low for the event.”

Off the Bone’s signature platter, also known as “Hank’s hook-up,” featuring a sample of all meats and sides, went from $50 to $60.

Marshall said Off the Bone used to pay $150 for 150 pounds of brisket. He said that package now costs about $230.

Birthday celebration

Friday marked Olivia Long of Leechburg’s 22nd birthday. She spent part of her day at Ribfest with her mother, Melinda Long, of Leechburg.

Both were at Ribfest last year for Olivia’s 21st birthday.

“We’re going to have to make it a yearly thing,” Melinda Long said.

“There’s a great atmosphere,” Olivia Long said. “People dance with me every year, and it’s my birthday. Great time and great people.”

The mother had pulled pork and the birthday girl had brisket, both from Jim’s Smokin Que.

“They were very accommodating to food allergies,” Olivia Long said. The Longs both have dairy allergies.

New attraction

A new attraction this year is a NFL mobile draft exhibit in the Hall of Honor Museum tent along West General Robinson Street.

It looks back on the history of the NFL draft and its ties to Pittsburgh.

There have been 150 players graduated from 58 Western Pennsylvania area schools producing 23 Hall of Famers, including six quarterbacks.

The display also describes how the art of scouting came into play and honors the legendary Steelers scouts that made their mark on the game, including Hall of Famer Bill Nunn.

Next year’s NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh in April.

Other events

Ribfest continues through Monday.

Activities include the University of Pittsburgh home football opener against Duquesne on Saturday, a cornhole tournament and performance by Redferrin on Sunday and the Steelers’ RunWalk at 8 a.m. Monday. Proceeds benefit the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund and the Chuck Noll Foundation.

That will be followed by performances by Guitar Zack, The Jimmy Alder Band, House of Soul and Billy Price.