Some folks become addicted to working, working out, eating or smoking.

Others are getting hooked on smoking meat.

And the rest of us can pony up to fill our bellies with the results of their tasty obsession.

“My sister bought me a smoker for a housewarming gift in 2003 and then family kept encouraging me to enter my ribs in a competition,” said Oak Forest resident Steve Kwasiborski, whose South Side Pit Men first stepped into the barbecue competition circuit — yes, there is such a thing — in 2011 at the Frankfort Amateur Rib Cook-Off and won first place. “The hook was set. We’ve won the Crowd Pleaser award every year there since 2012.”

“We can’t seem to crack that,” said Mitch Koss, whose 2-year-old team Blowin’ Smoke earned second place at the Frankfort event in 2016, but hasn’t yet been able to score the crowd-selected win.

Koss, a Mokena resident, became addicted to smoking meat after helping another team at a past competition, not landing any award and determining to perfect a winning recipe.

“I was hooked and bought a smoker,” said Koss, who enlisted a Northern Trust co-worker, Mike Etzkorn, to make 10 slabs of ribs 10 ways and test them out at work parties before their first competition in 2015 where they placed fourth. “With a smoker, you also can do bigger meats like brisket, pork shoulder and pork belly.”

Last year, Blowin’ Smoke — which also includes Koss’s wife Megan and her parents Ken and Laura Raskey — won first place for ribs and second for chicken at Autumn in the Park in Palos Park. The team also ranked fourth place overall in three categories among 43 teams at a Glen Ellyn event.

“I enjoy the atmosphere and competitive nature of it and constantly experimenting with what’s new,” Koss said. “What’s most addicting is when people tell you they like it.”

South Side Pit Men and Blowin’ Smoke are among 15 teams who will vie for the Crowd Pleaser and judges’ first-, second- and third-place awards at the eighth annual Frankfort Amateur Rib Cook-Off from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 5 in downtown Frankfort. While amateur cook-offs elsewhere might encompass ribs, chicken, chili, side dishes or more, Frankfort is all about the slabs.

Only ribs, corn on the cob, soda and water will be sold via tickets priced at $5 for four, $10 for eight or $15 for a dozen. One rib bone equals one ticket. All food proceeds will benefit the Frankfort Area Jaycees and beverage purchases benefit the Frankfort Lions Club.

“We focus just on the ribs,” said Mary Canino, community relations manager for the Village of Frankfort. “People like the food and it’s not an expensive day for families to enjoy different recipes.”

People like ribs so much the event has grown to attract some 600 attendees when weather cooperates.

“It started with seven or eight contestants and it wasn’t enough to feed the crowd. We ran out of ribs in 20 minutes,” she said. “It has just blown up over the years. Each contestant cooks 15 slabs of ribs.”

And just how will they be cooking them?

Blowin’ Smoke starts with dry rubs, first a layer of salty hot then a second layer of sweet. They use a blend of store-bought sauces and boil the ribs before placing them in two 22-inch Weber Smokey Mountain cookers.

“Finding that balance of sweet and heat is tough,” Koss said.

“It can’t be too hot or too sweet,” agreed South Side Pit Men’s Kwasiborski, who used his mechanical engineering skills to transform a 55-gallon drum into his temperature-controlled “Ugly Drum Smoker” and confessed to having grills all over his backyard. “I’m looking to make something that’s not going to offend anyone.”

His team uses cherry and hickory wood chunks, a homemade rub and a homemade sauce, the latter including apple jelly.

“My family definitely are my guinea pigs,” said Kwasiborski, whose team name reflects his roots. The diehard Sox fan and native of Chicago’s Ashburn community recruited his father Rich and childhood friend Alex Sliwa, of Plainfield, for the South Side Pit Men along with his brother-in-law Ryan Corrigan, a Tinley Park resident married to Kwasiborski’s sister Vera Corrigan, who started the whole craze with her housewarming gift.

“My immediate family is sick of barbecue because I am always tweaking,” Kwasiborski said. “My parents and in-laws still love when barbecue is on the menu, but hate all of the follow-up questions and me asking them to compare different variables.” The South Side Pit Men, who’ve also won trophies in Palos Park, Glen Ellyn and Gilman, typically have 20 to 30 friends and relatives supporting them at events, including the Frankfort cook-off.

“For the public, it is a great event where you are able to sample a number of great recipes, and each is a little different,” Kwasiborski said. “It is affordable and for a good cause, the Lions and Jaycees. You’ve got live blues playing in the background. We sell out early so get there early.”

The park will open at 11:30 a.m. for music by Marty “Big Dog” Mercer; ticket sales start at noon and sampling at 12:30p.m.

“It’s the best family-oriented amateur barbecue contest out there,” Blowin’ Smoke’s Koss said. “It’s in the park with a band and there’s stuff to do in the nice downtown area.”

Vickie Snow Jurkowski is a freelance reporter.