If hunger moves the masses to revolution, then Northeast Ohio is going to be a bastion of order this weekend.

Get ready to pork out happily -- thanks to the two annual three-day rib cook-offs. At Jacobs Pavilion, it's the Marc's Great American Rib Cook-Off & Music Festival. At Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, it's the Berea National Rib Cook-Off.

You know what that means.

Thousands of sticky fingers.

The Great American Rib Cook-Off is expecting 100,000 pork devotees to chow through 75,000 pounds of ribs and 2,000 gallons of sauce. By the end of the pig soiree, organizers expect 445,300 discarded bones -- stretching 42 miles if placed bone to bone.

Just don't go lumping all those bones together -- especially if you're talking with a ribs expert.

They might have a bone to pick with you.

IF YOU GO

Marc's Great American Rib Cook-Off & Music Festival

What: Festival features music by Col lective Soul and Bruce Hornsby and, of course, ribs galore.

When: Noon-11 p.m. today and Sun day; noon-8 p.m. Monday.

Where: Jacobs Pavilion, west bank of Cleveland's Flats.

Tickets: $5 with coupon; free, kids un der 12. Free to all before 3 p.m. daily.

Info: www.marcs.com/m_promo.aspx or wkyc.com/rib.

13th Annual Berea's National Rib Cook-Off

What: A rib extravaganza featuring vendors and tribute bands.

When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. today and Sun day; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday.

Where: Cuyahoga Country Fairgrounds, 164 Eastland Road, Berea.

Tickets: $5; free, kids under 12.

Info: Go to berearib.com or call 440-234-5181.

You see, there's more to ribs than meets the mouth. Or the fingers. Or the shirt.

"Ribs reflect regional differences," says barbecue judge James Bauer. "You see it in the way they're prepared and in the taste."

Bauer, who lives in Cuyahoga Falls, is certified by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

That's a big deal to rib munchers -- after all, K.C. is the home of the Kansas City Style, the most popular way of doing barbecue in the Midwest.

Barbecue is prepared all over the world with countless styles from Japan and Russia to Germany, Iran and the Caribbean.

America is by no means a United States of Barbecue. There is a variety of regional styles. Let's look at five:

RIBS BY REGION

Kansas City: This is where barbecue ribs got their start. The key to the style most commonly served in Cleveland comes down to the sauce. It's thick and sweet -- "more ketchup-y," Bauer says. As for the ribs, they're larger, with the longer portion of the rib bone -- minus the fatty tips.

Memphis: More rub and less sauce -- as in, more seasoning placed on the meat. The sauce usually is served on the side or on the rib after the smoking process is done. The logic, Bauer says, comes down to: "If you're getting a hamburger covered in ketchup, are you really eating hamburger?" Memphis also loves a good pulled-pork sandwich.

St. Louis: The sauce generally is tomato-based but not as sweet and a little thinner than Kansas City Style -- thanks to small amounts of vinegar. The key resides in slow-cooking the ribs over low heat, using a smoky grill. Ribs are sauced repeatedly to caramelize them.

Carolinas: Even experts might find it hard to tell the difference between K.C. and St. Louis ribs. "Blindfold anyone and give them Carolina ribs and they'll know they're eating something different," Bauer says. Carolina barbecue usually is pulled pork with a bite. It's often rubbed with a spicy mixture and mopped with a more mustardy sauce. As in lots of vinegar.

Texas: Pork? How about big, thick beef ribs? They're spicier than most styles, using more seasonings than sauce. Think cayenne pepper and garlic. The key is to smoke the ribs for a long time over a low fire -- usually using mesquite. And, boy, do those Texans love their brisket.