HOLT, Fla., May 25, 2022—If it’s Memorial Day weekend, it’s rib time in Holt.

Holt Fire District’s first fundraising rib sale of 2022 is Friday and Saturday, conveniently after all this rain moves out of the area.

“I know everyone missed the rib sale Super Bowl weekend, but sometimes life gets in the way,” said HFD commissioner Jim Connors.

Due to scheduling conflicts, HFD’s rib team wasn’t able to host its January sale.

“But we’re back for the Memorial Day sale,” he said.

Ribs sell for $22 a rack. However, people who want to guarantee they have hot, juicy ribs can reserve a rack—or two.

“You can pay in advance and tell us when you’ll pick them up. Everyone else is first-come, first-served,” said Connors. “We’ve had to turn people away before when the ribs were sold out.”

Sides of potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans are also available for $4 a pint, two pints for $7 or three pints for $11, provided by Susan’s Restaurant in Holt, but they tend to sell out quickly.

Three smokings are scheduled for this weekend: two on Friday and one on Saturday for a total of 198 racks. The ribs weigh about 4 1/2 pounds before they go in the smoker. After four hours, they’re fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy.

Early Friday and Saturday morning, the ribs are prepared with a secret rub recipe the firefighters got from former Holt resident Al Ash famously of Mickey’s Grill on State Road 189 in Baker, said Connors.

After seasoning, the ribs are double smoked with pecan wood, beginning around 8 a.m. The first two hours, they are smoked directly on the grill grates. Then, they’re wrapped in foil and cooked for another two hours.

Besides locking in the juices and steam, the foil helps keep the tender meat from falling off the bones, said Connors.

Ribs will be available for pickup after 1 p.m. on both days.

The volunteer fire district holds rib sales each year to raise money for the fireman’s fund to support programs such as its annual Kid’s Day held the first Saturday in December and to help its firefighters when a need arises.