Photo by Deb Gau Mark and Maradee Schettler carefully removed a rack of ribs from aluminum foil, as the clock ticked down on the Boxcar Days BBQ cookoff.

TRACY — It was down to the last 40 minutes or so in the competition, and the BBQ teams set up on Tracy’s Morgan Street were springing into action. One by one, teams took racks of baby back ribs out of smokers. Slicing the racks up into pieces involved both skill and strategy.

“With baby back ribs, it can be kind of tough, because they’re curved,” said Scott Belz, as he and his teammates worked to carefully cut up a rack of ribs. “We’re used to doing spareribs instead of baby back.”

Besides trying to present a set of six uniform-looking ribs to the judges, competitors tried to make sure their BBQ also had good flavor and the right amount of tenderness.

Saturday’s BBQ cookoff was just one of the events going on Saturday for Tracy’s annual Boxcar Days. The downtown area was a hub of activity as people gathered for a carnival, games of bingo, a street dance and more.

BBQ competitors got set up early on Saturday morning to allow time for the meat to slowly cook. Besides trying to make the perfect sample of ribs, teams were also creating desserts.

The contest drew teams from Tracy and around southwest Minnesota, with differing levels of experience. Drew Hesse and Chad Cole said it was their team’s first time competing.

“It was something we always wanted to try and do,” Hesse said.

Mark and Maradee Schettler of Echo said they started doing BBQ competitions about a year ago, and have competed at a few events since then.

“We learn something new every time,” Mark Schettler said.

Quite a few of Saturday’s competitors got started because they simply enjoyed barbecuing.

“We had all been smoking meat for a few years, so we thought, why not start a team?” said Aaric Gilbertson, one of the members of the “Papa’s Pit” BBQ team.

“It’s something different to do,” said Dan Babcock, one of Gilbertson’s fellow team members.

Jay Fultz said he had taken part in the BBQ contest for a couple of years in the past as a judge, but Saturday was his first time as a competitor.

“It’s kind of nice to be on the other end of it,” he said.

Fultz said he and teammate Brian Winter coordinated to work on the BBQ and dessert portions of the competition.

“Brian did two or three different test runs,” to help make sure the meat would be done on time, Fultz said.

The chance to enjoy the day and socialize a little with other teams was one of the best parts of the Boxcar Days BBQ cookoff, competitors said.

“This is one of the more fun ones,” Belz said of the contest.

Boxcar Days continues today. Events scheduled today include a fly-in/drive-in breakfast at the Tracy Municipal Airport, a farmer’s market, a carnival, and the St. Mary’s arts and crafts fair. The Boxcar Days grand parade starts at 1 p.m. today.