Ribs were finger lickin’ good!

or several hours, visitors to Boxelder Bug Days are subjected to the smell of ribs wafting through the air from the smokers in the parking lot next to Veterans Park.

And when the smoke cleared and the votes were tabulated this year, Dallas Reese of Lennox, SD was selected as the People's Choice winner of the annual Smokin' BBQ Cook-off for cooking the best pork ribs.

The win earned the unassuming Reese an engraved mug with a cash prize of $307 inside; half the amount of money from tickets purchased by the public tasting.

“I'll be back next year,” he said with a big smile. There were six contestants this year that were required to cook ribs, chicken and any ground beef recipe they chose.

The public does not get to taste or vote on the cook’s chicken or beef recipes.

The judge's choice of the top three overall winners from the combined three recipes were each awarded a cooking apron. The winners of each individual recipe received an engraved cutting board.

Eric Faris of Taunton was chosen by the judges as the overall winner, which was based on a points system.

He was assisted by Nathan Freeman of Minneota. Faris won for Best Chicken and Best Beef. It was the second straight year Faris was named the overall winner.

John Otto of Marshall, who was chosen as having the Best Ribs by the judges, was also second overall. Mike Nybo of Marshall placed third.

Reese, who was at the event last year watching Nybo compete. He and Nybo both grew up in Tracy. Reese then decided to enter the Boxelder Bug Days Rib Cook-off this year and made the 2 1/2-hour commute from Lennox.

“I've been in three competitions this summer,” said Reese, who was assisted by his wife Marissa.

“I've probably been in eight competitions over the past few years. This is the first time we've been at this one and we really enjoyed it.”

Reese built his own smoker, welding it inside a small trailer to make it easier than loading and unloading the cooking apparatus at competitions.

The approximate five-foot tall by four-foot wide smoker was large enough to cook all three recipes at once on the shelves he built into it.

“Before (Dallas) made this, I would help him load and unload the smokers,” said Marissa.

“But we just had a baby (three months ago) and when I was pregnant, I couldn't help him move them. So he decided to make this.” At home, Dallas does all the cooking. “I love to cook,” he said.

“I watch a lot of cooking shows on TV.”