Rockin' Ribfest

Ryan and I have been long overdue for a date. Rather than the old dinner/movie thing, we took off for the great state of New Hamshire. Rockin' Ribfest was held at the Anheuser-Busch plant, and it was pretty incredible. The smell of smoky barbeque floated around the air, completing with the sweet chaos of fried dough, homemade ice cream and deep fried Oreos. It was one of those days where I wished I was a kid again because there were also bouncy houses galore.

Anyway, we got our Bud Lights and stood in the middle of it all, somewhat overwhelmed by the large booths for each BBQ competitor, complete with enormous signs boasting all of the previous awards won.

Our first stop was at Skin & Bones, mostly because they had a bad-ass logo (sort of like Boar's Head meats but far more sinister). The line was long, but reasonable:

We decided to start small, and ordered a half-rack of pork ribs. The sauce was sweet and tangy, and the meat was plentiful. Mmm mm good. 

Once we'd shown those ribs who the real Boss Hog was, we headed over to Jack's Down Home Barbecue to sample some of the other options.

At Jack's, we ordered another half rack of ribs (this time with a spicy sauce), a beef brisket sandwhich, and pulled-pork nachos. Again, we won.

One would think after a feast like that, we couldn't even stand up, never mind eat more, right? WRONG. I couldn't leave without sampling a deep-fried Oreo. It was as if the Food Network had finally come out of the TV and provided me with some samples!

When all was said and done, I had the best date ever with my man. He is not only my favorite person to explore new places and food with, he also makes a great road trip partner!