Preparations for the Nugget Rib Cook Off (2024)

Wednesday marks the first day of the Nugget Rib Cook Off and on Tuesday the grill masters prepared for the rush.

They're getting ready for their biggest year yet. They even added four more grill masters to the mix, with 24 this year compared to last year's 20.

But what exactly does the prep work look like?

The grill masters spend several weeks preparing for this event way before the first day, and a lot of them already have a lot of their equipment waiting in storage to be used at this event every year. But that shows how consistently the grill masters come back every year.

That doesn't even include how much prep goes into cooking the ribs.

Angela Kalinowski, the Owner of Back Forty BBQ says "All of the teams are cooking the same product, the same type of ribs. They all come from the same supplier. We go through hundreds of hundreds of slabs of ribs while we're here."

Back Forty has been here for 32 years and she says everyone is pretty close as a community.

This year they're defending their people's choice title.

Kalinowski says "We're the defending champions of that so it's really exciting, I think consistently we put our best foot forward and we put a lot of heart into everything that we do and we love this event."

Back Forty says their BBQ is California BBQ with Austin, Texas roots.

The grill masters tell us the weather, rain or shine, doesn't matter. It's really their enthusiasm that gets them through it.

Sometimes it's blistering hot and sometimes the streets are flooding with rain, but that never stops the lines for the cook off

Kalinowski goes on to say, "We're just going to get out here every day, roll up our sleeves, do our absolute very best to defend our title. We love connecting with the community. We encourage people to vote but we always tell them to vote for their favorite."

Last years winner for the entire cook off was Porky Chicks.

She also adds "I feel like being around so many talented cookers and longtime friends and people that come to this event. It definitely makes you stand up a little straighter and have your 'A' game on and elevate the whole experience for everybody."

Last year at the cook off they saw 400,000 people. They said those numbers were low because of the rain, but they expect this year to be around 450,000 500,000 people.

Kaycea Wallin, the Vice President of Marketing Nugget Casino Resort says "This event is so important to the City of Sparks and Reno we have a ton of hotel guests from all over the western United States come out specifically for this event. It means the world to use this is a legacy event like Hot August Nights, the Balloon Races and the Rib Cook Off."

there are still tickets available for the rib village but they're close to being sold out.

Wallin says "Rib village is under a large tent so you get all that shade and it includes a buffet of all the rib cookers, so every rib cooker that's on the street will have ribs in the rib village so you can come taste them all."

This year they're partnering with the Nevada Kids foundation where you can participate in a cornhole tournament in the grand ballroom on Saturday.

The cook off will feature have 250 crafters, 24 rib cookers and 40 other additional food vendors as well as 2 stages with entertainment and live bands.

They also have headliners like the Yin Yang Twins Wednesday, Thompson Square on Thursday, Uncle Cracker on Friday, Fog Hat Saturday, Eddy Montgomery on Sunday and the Wailers on Monday.

Wallin tells us "There is nothing better than the BBQ that we throw out here at Victorian Square in Sparks."

if you don't want to pay for parking you can always Uber or Lyft to the event, as they encourage locals to do so. However, there is also a shuttle at Greenbrae Shopping Center as well as the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center and you can look at the shuttle schedule more in depth by clicking the link here.

Also, Wallin mention to not bring pets, stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.