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Tenth Annual BBQ and Blues serves Osan great ribs, fun

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chad Thompson
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  For those at Osan who might have rolled out of bed a little late Saturday, the sweet smell of barbeque in the air definitely got their day started right.

The 51st Force Support Squadron staff hosted its 10th Annual "BBQ & Blues" Oct. 8, 2011, at the parking lot near the Officers Club.

This day of free food and fun was filled with barbecued ribs and the sounds of music pounding away at the eardrums.

Eighteen groups started their day at about 7 a.m. to compete to be crowned the team with the best ribs on base.

Master Sgt. Brian Nuss, 51st Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight chief and last year's winner, said he was looking forward to a fun competition again this year.

He said the rules changed from last year to make the competition fair. Instead of being able to use personal grills everyone competing was required to use the same type of charcoal grill.

Despite the new challenge he said he was looking forward to sharing his mouth-watering ribs with attendees again.

"Sure I'd like to win again this year, but it's really all about the fun of the competition," Nuss said.

From homemade secret sauces to secret rubs to "love" these cooks had a bag of tricks up their sleeves, and they all thought they had the right ingredient that would win the judges over.

One competitor said it was all about balancing heat and smoke.

"The first hour (of cooking) is all about the wood and getting it right," said Staff Sgt. Doran Pribilski, 694th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron. "You have to keep it from catching fire, after that you're good."

Good ribs take time to cook, and to fill that time there were plenty of events to entertain all the attendees. There was live music, games, several cultural shows and break-dance and manta-style performances.

Manta is a lot like the popular "stomp" in the U.S., but manta uses the combination kitchen appliance and cutting techniques to woo their crowds.

In the end there could be only one winner for the best ribs on base.

The winners for best ribs were: 1st place -- 51st Security Forces Squadron; 2nd place -- Camp Humphreys Fire Department; 3rd place -- Osan's American Forces Network.

For the best booth decorations the winners were: 1st place -- 51st Civil Engineer Squadron; 2nd place -- 607th Air Support Operations Group; 3rd place -- 51st Force Support Squadron.

"This was the biggest and best BBQ & Blues event ever," said Jesse Diaz, 51st FSS Director of Marketing. "They just keep getting better every year."

He said the entire McPherson Community Center staff and BBQ & Blues Board worked extremely hard to ensure the base had a great event that would be fun for the whole family.

"Keep your eyes and ears out for Winterfest 2011," Diaz said. "We are bringing out a whole new genre of performers that's sure to blow your snowshoes off."