Rhythm & Ribs delivers one other 12 months of meals & enjoyable to Tifton

Rhythm & Ribs delivers one other 12 months of meals & enjoyable to Tifton

Published 1:43 pm Tuesday, March 10, 2026

TIFTON — At practically fifteen years going sturdy, Tifton’s Rhythm & Ribs pageant stays a cherished staple of the neighborhood.

In one other excellent showcase for the books, the annual music and barbecue celebration exploded onto Fulwood Park this previous weekend, with distributors, entertainers, and neighborhood members alike popping out in droves keen to hitch the get together.

Like with earlier years, makers, bakers, craftsmen, and extra lined the roads and walkways working by means of the park, forming the acquainted community of pop-up retailers, meals distributors, and native crafters providing their selfmade items that has turn out to be such an necessary side of the yearly occasion.

Attractions and leisure pleasurable by all ages had been in abundance as properly, starting from high-energy actions like gellyball or mountain climbing to extra enjoyable endeavors like a quick spell in a butterfly backyard, a brand new attraction at this 12 months’s occasion, or just having fun with the performances going down all through each days of the pageant on the park’s principal stage.

And in fact, no Rhythm & Ribs may very well be full with out its annual barbecue contest, pitting the highest pitmasters of the area up towards each other for the title of finest BBQ.

This 12 months’s competitors noticed the return of the children’ contest, however rescheduled the occasion to the pageant’s opening kickoff get together Friday night. Thirteen younger grillmasters took half within the competitors, serving up their very own spin on burgers, together with some distinctive approaches like a s’mores-focused dessert burger.

Barbecue groups within the skilled and yard divisions of the occasion took to their grills and people who smoke throughout the principle day of the pageant, each teams competing in the identical classes of loin, ribs, and pulled pork for an opportunity to stroll dwelling with a Squealbert trophy painted by the scholars of Tiftarea Academy’s highschool artwork class.

First place for loin, ribs, and pulled pork within the yard portion respectively went to Meat Minions, Sazon Mejia, and Two Toes BBQ, with The Meat Show–final 12 months’s champion–incomes the reserve champion title and Butcher & Banker profitable the general competitors.

Tyron Spearman, emcee for the yard barbecue contest, reported that this 12 months had seen thirty groups, the utmost quantity allowed, compete within the division.

The skilled division additionally had an surprising improvement in regard to workforce numbers, as every class of meat had its personal distinctive set of prime three finalists, leading to 9 groups all competing for the spot of grand champion.

While Rescue Smokers took dwelling first place in loin, Shark Bite BBQ rose to the entrance of the pack for pulled pork and Big Butts BBQ gained the ribs class.

Big Butts was additionally this 12 months’s Wild Child winner, rating the very best in pulled pork exterior of the highest ten within the class.

The race to find out the competitors’s grand and reserve champion was the closest out of all the occasion, the outcomes decided by a mere seven-tenths of a degree.

Ultimately, final 12 months’s champion The Look & The Cook got here away from the competition with the title of reserve champion, whereas Rescue Smokers took dwelling the grand champion trophy–their first ever of their time competing at Rhythm & Ribs.