Celebrity chef Guy Fieri has his triple-D with his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Well, Fort Wayne’s RibFest has its own triple-B with Blues, Brews, and Barbecue.

“It always rolled off the tongue pretty well, saying, ‘It’s the ultimate in blues, brew, and barbecue,’ ” RibFest co-executive director Mark Chappius said. 

Well, those three beautiful B’s return to Headwaters Park for the 26th annual BBQ RibFest from Thursday-Saturday, June 15-18.

Get your fill

According to Chappius, ribmasters have repeatedly told him how impressed they are by the demand they see here. 

“They tell us that Fort Wayne has been one of their best shows,” he said. “They’re ecstatic to come back each year.”

So what is it make RibFest so popular in the Summit City?

“It’s like someone said in an interview, ‘Making barbecue is hard,’ ” he said.

There’s no doubt about that. Sure, there might be grillmasters out there, but making good barbecue is a whole other beast. It takes hours to smoke the meat. Even after plenty of practice (and plenty of wasted meat), you’re not going to get the flavor achieved by national ribmasters that you’ll see at Headwaters Park.

“These guys are competing week in and week out, so they pretty much have it down to a science,” Chappius said.

This year’s “scientists” include Desperado’s out of Hinkley, Ohio; Porky Chicks BBQ of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Cowboys of Fort Worth, Texas; Pigfoot of Mentor, Ohio; Big Boned BBQ of Ravenel, South Carolina; Carolina Rib King of Spartansburg, South Carolina; and Timmy’s of Huntertown.

Strong musical lineup

While you’re enjoying that great grub, you’ll also have a chance to hear some great music.

The musical slate includes some jazz, tribute bands, and, of course, blues, headlined by Ally Venable Band on Saturday night. If the name looks familiar, Venable played at Embassy Theatre in February with Buddy Guy and Eric Gales.

“Ally Venable’s been on tour recently with Buddy Guy and Kenny Wayne Shepherd,” Chappius said. “So she looks like she might be one of the anointed ones.”

The festival music begins with another young musician on the rise when Erin Coburn takes the stage at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday.

“She’s really an amazing artist,” Chappius said of Coburn, who was in town in December to play at Baker Street Centre. “She kind of reminds me of Pink a little bit. She really likes to get right in there and mix it up. She’s not an all-blues musician at all.”

Following Coburn on Thursday will be Journey tribute band E5C4P3 out of Cleveland.

“We’ve kind of joined that tribute bandwagon a little bit too because there’s some great tributes out there, which we have two of this year,” Chappius said. 

The second tribute band, Lynyrd Skynyrd enthusiasts Freebird, close out Friday, following Hip Pocket of Fort Wayne and Scotty Bratcher.

Ahead of Venable on Saturday is a full slate of music, beginning with local jazz-fusion band Los Galaxy at 12:30 p.m. Set the Hook and The Jimi Vincent Band follow, setting the stage for Venable at 8:45 p.m.

On Sunday there will be a Fort Wayne All-Stars Blues Jam.

“It’s G-Money and Lee Lewis, so it’s a couple of the local guys that have been real big in the blues scene over the years,” Chappius said.

Saucy

Whatever you’re looking for, RibFest is sure to deliver … even if it’s something you don’t really need (barbecue sauce).

Sure, a flavorful dip is nice, but these folks spend a lot of time to cook flavor into the meat. So maybe taste it before dousing it in sauce.

“You got this beautiful smoke ring, they’ve been smoking these ribs for three to four hours, the brisket eight hours, up to 18 hours,” Chappius said. “Then a lot of the Midwestern people just want to cover it up with goopy barbecue sauce and kind of cover up the smoke and rub flavor. Really, with the smoke and rub flavor, you really don’t need the sauce. But people get acclimated to a certain way.”

While sauces might be looked down upon, rest assured the ribmasters will have theirs on hand to purchase.

And sauce or not, the festival is all about having a good time.

“By the time you get some great barbecue in front of you and some cold drinks and kick back to some good music, it really doesn’t put you in a fighting mood,” Chappius said.

“Gnawing on a bone with some good smoked meat, it doesn’t get any better.”