Nashoba Valley Ski Area

BBQ Is A Serious Competition

At the Nashoba Valley Ski Area, smell of sweet, savory barbecue lingered in the air at Westford Rotary Pig'N'Pepper Festival on Sunday afternoon, as did the smell of competition.

While at least 12 contestants were expected for the Pig'N'Pepper Fest Tailgate Barbecue Challenge, festival organizers were surprised to see that 18 contestants ready to share their wares from the grill.

Competitors submitted their pork ribs and chicken wings to a group of judges who then proceeded to give scores on in categories such as visual appeal, taste, texture, and its comparison to established norms of what the dish is expected to be.

Frank Plankey has been judging these competitions for 15 years. He is a certified judge by the New England BBQ Society(NEBS) and the Kansas City Barbeque Society. As a judge, he focuses his scores on appearance, taste and tenderness.

"I smell (the meat), I pull it apart," said Plankey. "We use all of our senses to judge the food."

One of the biggest pitfalls Plankey’s seen over the years is an over reliance on one of the most well recognized items related with barbeques: barbeque sauce.

"It's a meat contest," he said, noting that the Pig’n’Pepper’s ribs were slightly above average. "It can't just taste like sauce."

According to NEBS officials, tailgate competitions are usually for people who are just beginning to barbecue competitively. In more traditional competitions, there are usually more categories, including chicken, ribs, pulled pork and brisket.

That was the case for Pete and Betsi Mandrioli, co-owners of a supermarket in Concord. Mandrioli barbecues for a hobby and this was the first time he did so a competive atmosphere.

“It was a lot of work to compete,” he said. "But, if we we win, we'll do it again."

And yet, despite the less intense emphasis on competition, contestants began their work far before fair goers arrived to the ski area, with some competitors such as Lunenburg resident Mitchell Bixby cooking well before 6 a.m.

SnowboardSecrets.com: Nashoba Valley Ski Area Visit - Slopes ...

Our day at Nashoba Valley with Pam Fletcher was the kind of post-snowstorm bluebird day that skiers and photographers fantasize about. And Pam was one of the most charming, enthusiastic and welcoming mountain ambassadors and tour guide/teachers I have encountered. I had spent some time learning to ride at Nashoba ten years ago. The big surprises to me this time were the amped-up terrain park and the fantastic restaurant, The Outlook . Our group swooned at the surprise and variety of appealing choices on the menu! This is no fancified cafeteria. It is a destination restaurant and we enjoyed items like Wedge Salad with Gorgonzola, bacon bits and sirloin tips, fried calamari with hot cherry peppers, sushi grade tuna, and Signature Salad with roasted pairs and goat cheese. The vegan in our group was easily accommodated with a customized lunch. Picture windows overlook the slopes and happily there is a roaring wood fireplace. Nashoba Valley patriarch Alan Fletcher regaled us with stories of early days with no electricity, then tow ropes, and rocky hills to clear. It was hard to imagine while looking out at the smooth snowy hills populated by hundreds of grade school kids eagerly learning. We had a thorough beginner's tour of the terrain parks, mini called Playground and full-sized called Sundance and were encouraged by Pam to slide the box on skis or board. The professionalism and resources of Park Manager Keith Kreischer and his crew were an amazing contrast to the days ten years ago when my friends who worked in the ski shop were the ones out digging the jumps in their spare time and begging for more features and support. Keith explained that he has been to Cutter's Camp which takes place at Mount Snow and Mount Hood each year and that every change in terrain park features has to be documented. His crew spends a lot of time "keeping it fresh" by changing up the features of the park each week to please the local repeat clientele.

Small area estimation

100 Best Ski Resorts of the World

Value in the Valley, A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas

Ski Atlas of the World

Maine at Valley Forge, proceedings at the unveiling of the Maine marker, October 17, 1907; also roll of Maine men at Valley Forge