Ringneck Barbecue Co. Earns Franklin County Cookout Title

By Elian Trevino
Hampton Chronicle

HAMPTON — What began as a leap of faith turned into a championship for Refugio Contreras and Ringneck Barbecue Co. after taking first place in the Franklin County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest during the Franklin County Fair.

The victory earned Contreras the opportunity to represent Franklin County at the Iowa State Fair barbecue competition in August while bringing recognition to his growing barbecue business.

Contreras, 27, was born in Chicago before moving to Hampton with his family in 2005 when he was 5 years old. A 2017 Hampton-Dumont High School graduate, he said his love for cooking started at a young age, but smoking and grilling eventually became his favorite way to prepare food.

"I have always loved to cook, but I really enjoy smoking and grilling food and being outside," Contreras said.

Ringneck Barbecue Co. is still in its early stages, but Contreras already has ambitious plans for the future. He hopes to one day open his own smokehouse in Hampton while continuing to expand his line of homemade barbecue sauces and seasonings.

Although this year's contest marked another opportunity to showcase his skills, Contreras said entering competitive barbecue came down to simply taking a chance.

"Many people encouraged me to enter competitive barbecue competitions, and I simply took a chance and entered," he said.

Preparing for the Franklin County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest took days of planning and testing before competition day arrived. Contreras said he completed multiple trial runs on each recipe to make sure every protein met his expectations before finalizing his menu.

"I did several trial runs on each of the meats that I planned to prepare for the contest," he said. "After achieving the flavors that I desired, I began to prepare everything that was needed to replicate each dish."

His award-winning menu featured five smoked proteins across the contest's categories. For beef, he prepared a smoked picanha steak roast. His pork entry consisted of smoked spare ribs glazed with a homemade blackberry barbecue sauce. In the poultry category, he served smoked chicken thighs topped with a homemade honey kiwi barbecue sauce. His lamb entry featured a smoked rack of lamb marinated with garlic, lemon and olive oil, while his turkey category entry included smoked turkey breast finished with a homemade raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce.

Every seasoning blend and barbecue sauce used in the competition was made from scratch by Contreras.

Beyond developing recipes, he purchased ingredients, mixed his own seasonings, prepared homemade sauces and carefully planned how each dish would be presented to the judges.

"A lot of time and effort goes into preparing for these events," Contreras said. "Even though this competition is not a huge event, it takes several hours, if not days to prepare."

When his name was announced as the winner, Contreras said the moment was both exciting and rewarding.

"I was proud," he said. "It made me happy to know that my food wowed the judges. I also knew that since I won, I would be able to go to the state fair again to represent Ringneck Barbecue Co. and Franklin County."

Contreras believes his willingness to use bold, unexpected flavors helped separate his entries from the competition.

"I feel that my food stood out from the other competitors because I used bold flavors that most people would not think to use with each of the meats," he said.

While winning was rewarding, Contreras said connecting with people throughout the fair is equally meaningful. He enjoys talking with visitors who stop by his tent, explaining how each dish is prepared and watching them sample his barbecue.

"I enjoy interacting with all of the people as they stop by my tent," he said. "It is nice to talk with them and see their reactions as I explain to them what I am making."

Ringneck Barbecue Co. will next compete at Hampton's Cruisin' and Barbecuin' competition later this month before traveling to the Iowa State Fair in August. Looking ahead, Contreras said his goal is to continue serving quality barbecue throughout Franklin County and across Iowa while growing Ringneck Barbecue Co. into a hometown smokehouse.

Contreras also thanked JJ's Bar and Grill in Bradford for sponsoring and supporting Ringneck Barbecue Co. He encouraged others to participate in local competitions and community events, adding that Ringneck Barbecue Co. plans to return to the Franklin County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest next year.