Phantom Gourmet BBQ and Country Festival

On June 26-28 Phantom Gourmet held their annual BBQ AND COUNTRY FESTIVAL at the Rochester N.H. Fairgrounds and what an event it was! If you did not have the chance to go, I highly recommend going next year! Not only did they have plenty of amazing food, they had some fun stuff for the kids too!
For the kids they had kiddieland with fair type rides and slides.  Pig racing was enjoyed by all along with live music, for the adults, cold beer and let’s not forget the mechanical bull! On Saturday they also had a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog eating championship and fireworks in the evening!
Although we were not really there for that stuff, we were all about the food! Well…a cold beer on a hot afternoon was not a bad thing either!  They had four BBQ competitors that travel the country showing off their amazing BBQ ribs and more! We sampled three of the four teams and I can honestly say even though I had a favorite they were all incredible. There was not one bad dish!!

We started off with the local favorite Firefly’s out of Marlboro, Massachusetts. We were both really hungry when we arrived so at Firefly’s we ordered a BBQ bowl and, oh my, let me tell you, that was amazing! The bowl was made up of four layers  The bottom was mac and cheese, next was pulled pork, then baked beans and last on top was the coleslaw! It was outstanding!! I actually recreated this “bowl” using my favorite recipes.  I had a lot of friends that day!! Next time we are in MA you can bet we will be stopping at Firefly’s!

Next stop on the BBQ trail was the Aussom Aussie BBQ. This was MY favorite. I loved the sweet and heat components that the Aussies served up. They use a spicy seasoning, then sweeten it up with the sauces. All of their sauces are fruit based (some sauces are hot too!)  they use apple, orange, pineapple and raspberries in the various sauces they serve up! I went with a combination plate of ribs and shrimp …on the barbie!  (The shrimp was grilled on sugar cane skewers, absolutely yummy) Where else would you want to get shrimp served up with that oh so adorable Aussie accent they have! The shrimp is seasoned and grilled, the ribs are seasoned grilled and then you pick the sauce, I went with the raspberry sauce and it was all hands down , slap yo Momma DELICIOUS!! So good!! We loved those Aussies!

We were not done just yet! Next up was Chicago BBQ. This was Jim’s favorite in the rib category.  Although I found this to be very good I thought the ribs were just a little too fatty for me.  Don’t get me wrong they are not bad ribs they were excellent, but I am sticking to my Aussie boys!!

Johnson’s BBQ was the only competitor that we did not try and it was not because we did not want to.  Trust me we tried packing in all the BBQ we possibly could, but alas it just was not so.

A couple things I had learned about Johnson’s is that they have won many competitions as well as many awards for their sauce. They have been awarded best “mild” sauce in America for five years in a row! They also have a thermodore sauce that is so hot you have to be over 21 and sign a waiver just to try it!! Now that’s HOT!! Not for me, I will stick with the mild sauce!!

That was all for the competitive teams, but there were also several, other smaller vendors selling BBQ, cupcakes and hot sauces! Lots to see and do. We are ready to go for next year!! If you get a chance to go it is full of great food and entertainment!

Enjoy!