On Monday, Sonny's BBQ unveiled 24K gold ribs to the world. But, surprisingly, the Florida-based barbecue chain's golden ribs aren't slathered with "Carolina gold" barbecue sauce. They aren't even for sale.
They were, however, dreamed up for a reason.
Sonny's has released the sparkling rack of smoked goodness to celebrate its golden-age milestone — 50 years in business — with a national sweepstakes called the Good as Gold Experience. Running through July 31, Good as Gold encourages barbecue buffs to enter to win an all-expenses-paid trip to (gasp!) Orlando, where they'll chow down on the golden ribs during an exclusive dinner.
No, seriously — the meal is billed as exclusive because it's the only time that the chain plans to serve these ribs.
Created by head pitmaster Bryan Mroczka and valued at $1,968, the golden ribs are sourced from a heritage pig, then brined in sweet tea for 24 hours. Next? They're slow-smoked for an additional three hours before getting dressed with 24K edible gold. The dish's luxurious treatment also involves ingredients like white truffle oil and butter, Gainesville bee pollen, sea salt from South Carolina, and Kentucky rye whiskey that's been aged for 11 years.
Now back to the sweepstakes: In addition to the coveted dinner, the winner's experience includes a one-on-one 'cue class with Mroczka, not to mention a flight and two-night hotel stay for two.
Sonny's fans can register for Good as Gold online, as well as retweet the official sweepstakes tweet to help donate 20 meals to food-insecure youth through Longwood nonprofit Feeding Children Everywhere. The chain has committed to giving away 100,000 meals, which will reach kids in the eight states where it operates. Those states, aside from Florida, are Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 5, 2018.