Ribfest vendors say Fargo is one of the best places to serve BBQ

You can smell it in the air. Day two of Happy Harry's RibFest draws out meat lovers to try smoked ribs, pulled pork, chicken and brisket.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR)- The 26th Annual Happy Harry’s RibFest continues to attract a stable of vendors all over the country and even Australia to answer the BBQ cravings of people in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Vendors say the community and hospitality of Fargo keeps them coming back year after year.

“You can talk to any vendor out here anywhere we go nationwide, one of the best shows in the entire country is Fargo, North Dakota,” Dan Johnson of Johnson’s Bar-B-Que said.

There were some differences with sauces but fall off the bone meat was a common theme.

Johnson and Donna with Desperado’s are regulars year after year. Johnson is from Arkansas and decided to start his BBQ business because he didn’t have a lot of options in Virginia Beach. Donna is based out of Ohio and was the only vendor with beef ribs.

“There’s a lot of people either for religious reasons or just personal preference like the beef rib and they’re a little harder to cook. They’re big, they’re, its like eating steak on a bone,” Donna said.

Johnson says they’re big on sauce.

“I got several sauces you can try out I’ve got a mild sauce. We won best sauce in America with eight times. I’ve got a thermonuclear sauce for the brave. You bite it, it bites back,” Johnson said.

“If you want just brisket, we do brisket. You can do ribs. You can do pork. You can do chicken. You can do any combination you want whatsoever,” Johnson said.

RibFest will be going through Saturday from 11 AM to 11 PM.

If you go between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM Friday, there is free parking and admission and you get your sides for free with purchase of meat.