Sparks-based BJ’S BBQ with the first-place trophy and check at the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, which wrapped up Sept. 5.
Courtesy of Nugget Casino
Local favorite Carson City BBQ took fourth place at the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, which ran from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5. Another local from Sparks, BJ’s BBQ, beat Carson and others to clinch the first-place trophy and $10,000 check. “I’m ecstatic,” said BJ’s owner Jay Rathmann. “It’s been a little bit since we took first and now we have bookends!” According to a press release, barbecue teams from all over the country came to compete in the annual Sparks event. Ribs were submitted to judges from 21 top cookers in the double-blind contest to determine which competitor would take home the trophy and bragging rights for the year. The second-place trophy for 2022 went to Porky Chicks BBQ from Fayetteville, Ark. Last year’s second-place finishers, Back Forty Texas Barbecue, from Pleasant Hill, Calif., took home the third-place prize this year. Carson City BBQ took home $1,000 for fourth place, and Checkered Pig BBQ, from Martinsville, Va., took $500 for rounding out the top five. Best sauce went to Just North of Memphis BBQ & Catering from Minneapolis. The 34th Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off is scheduled for Aug. 30 through Sept. 4, 2023, on Victorian Avenue at the Nugget in Sparks. For information, visit www.NuggetRibCookOff.com and www.NuggetCasinoResort.com.
