15 replies to this topic

[Fat Guy]

The Big Apple Barbecue Block Party turns 10 this year -- not quite as old as us, but I remember covering the first one when our community was nascent. Anyway, this year's event is on June 9 and 10 (the latter is my birthday) and the FastPass is on sale now. The website is up at:

http://www.bigapplebbq.org/index.php

Click here for the terms under which this event has been posted

[jsmeeker]

Too bad Texas isn't as well represented as it could be.

Bakers Ribs from Dallas? Eh... While they are better than the larger local chain places, they aren't the best BBQ to find in Dallas. A city that really has pretty poor BBQ for a major BBQ state. Salt Lick? So many better choices in Central Texas, the Mecca of Texas BBQ.

I just wonder how well this stuff translates when these places have to travel to cook in a place like NYC.

[weinoo]

Too bad Texas isn't as well represented as it could be.

Bakers Ribs from Dallas? Eh... While they are better than the larger local chain places, they aren't the best BBQ to find in Dallas. A city that really has pretty poor BBQ for a major BBQ state. Salt Lick? So many better choices in Central Texas, the Mecca of Texas BBQ.

I just wonder how well this stuff translates when these places have to travel to cook in a place like NYC.

My experience over the years has been that our local, indigenous BBQ does as good a job at this event as any of the out-of-towners. Blue Smoke does a really good job. Dinosaur also. Other favorites tend to be Ed Mitchell, Mike Mills and Chris Lilly.

[jsmeeker]

NYC has indigenous BBQ?



I think I might kill myself if a joint in NYC had better BBQ than what I get at the top places in Central Texas.

[Fat Guy]

The best representative of Texas that came to the event was Southside Market from Elgin. But at least in some years the Big Apple Barbecue weekend competes with some big barbecue event in Texas so the Southside people stopped coming. Hill Country, the New York-based operation, is in my opinion the event's best representative of the Texas style.

As for the question of quality, I think most of the operations that come up for the Big Apple Barbecue are accustomed to doing offsite cooking and events. They do as good a job in New York as at any other offsite engagement, I think. Depending on the establishment, you might actually do better at an event. For example, on any given day you won't likely find Mike Mills supervising the pits at any given Mike Mills restaurant, but you'll always find him at the Big Apple Barbecue.

The context of the Big Apple Barbecue has changed over the past decade. New York City was a barbecue wasteland a decade ago, with just a handful of places even attempting to do anything good. Today, it is possible to live in New York City and not be barbecue-deprived. I'm going to Dinosaur for dinner tonight and anticipate that, as usual, I'll get meat on par with what I'd get at a good barbecue place in barbecue country, albeit at a higher cost, and most everything else (other food items, beer selection, etc.) will be superior.

[weinoo]

The best representative of Texas that came to the event was Southside Market from Elgin. But at least in some years the Big Apple Barbecue weekend competes with some big barbecue event in Texas so the Southside people stopped coming. Hill Country, the New York-based operation, is in my opinion the event's best representative of the Texas style.

As for the question of quality, I think most of the operations that come up for the Big Apple Barbecue are accustomed to doing offsite cooking and events. They do as good a job in New York as at any other offsite engagement, I think. Depending on the establishment, you might actually do better at an event. For example, on any given day you won't likely find Mike Mills supervising the pits at any given Mike Mills restaurant, but you'll always find him at the Big Apple Barbecue.

The context of the Big Apple Barbecue has changed over the past decade. New York City was a barbecue wasteland a decade ago, with just a handful of places even attempting to do anything good. Today, it is possible to live in New York City and not be barbecue-deprived. I'm going to Dinosaur for dinner tonight and anticipate that, as usual, I'll get meat on par with what I'd get at a good barbecue place in barbecue country, albeit at a higher cost, and most everything else (other food items, beer selection, etc.) will be superior.

Right, Southside was very good. Last year, a couple of friends and I were given the special treatment by Mike Mills - some of the best ribs I've ever had in his little private tent.

[Fat Guy]

NYC has indigenous BBQ?

This is a question that gets debated a lot and depends first and foremost on the definition of barbecue. Narrowly defined, no, New York does not, though plenty of people would argue that some narrow definitions of barbecue exclude Texas barbecue because it's not "low and slow" and there are people in Eastern/Central North Carolina who argue that whole hog is barbecue and everything else is just grilling. If you look at broader definitions, pastrami is probably barbecue as is Peking duck. Neither of those is really indigenous to New York City but pastrami at least is close. Also, Dinosaur is a New York-based operation that has pretty much developed its own style.

I think I might kill myself if a joint in NYC had better BBQ than what I get at the top places in Central Texas.

You're in no danger of needing to kill yourself, but if you remove the variable of price from the equation you'll find plenty of people who will argue that on a good day Hill Country is on par. At least, in my experience, it's the most impressive facsimile of the Central Texas butcher style that I've seen anywhere outside of Lockhart.

[jsmeeker]

Southside Market in Elgin is OK.. Certainly better than most any place in Dallas, but compared to the top places in Lockhart, Luling and now even Austin proper? It doesn't measure up..

Any time I see a place outside of Texas saying they have "texas stye BBQ", I get suspicious. It would be hard for me to comment on BBQ from other established regions (North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City) since I am not too familiar with them. If you can get decent representations of all the styles, then it could be a good event. But even as much as I like BBQ, it would be hard for me to get it in NYC.

[weinoo]

Some great stuff this year, along with the insufferable crowds. We really enjoyed the whole hog from Scott's Bar-B-Que in Henderson, South Carolina, a newcomer to the BABBQBP. The hot link from Jim 'N Nick's was a standout as well. And the Checkered Pig surprised me with their tender St. Louis style spareribs.

I skipped the usual favorites like Memphis Championship and Ed Mitchell, only because I wanted to be able to try the places like the ones I mentioned above. And i usually don't bother with the locals like Blue Smoke, Dinosaur, etc. because I figure I can just go to those joints.

Fuller report with pix over at Tasty Travails.

[slkinsey]

I just had an opportunity to drive from Houston into the heart of Hill Country, stopping at a number of the most famous TX barbecue places on the way. It was good. Great, really. Of course. But I have to say, the meat wasn't categorically better than what they're serving at Hill Country Barbecue Market on 23rd Street, and HCBM's sides are significantly better.

I'll take an even more heretical step and say that the barbecue at John Brown Smokehouse in Queens -- especially their pastrami, which is absolutely phenomenal -- is better than any of the barbecue I had in the Texas Hill Country this trip.

[Fat Guy]

So much has changed in 10 years.

[weinoo]

I just had an opportunity to drive from Houston into the heart of Hill Country, stopping at a number of the most famous TX barbecue places on the way. It was good. Great, really. Of course. But I have to say, the meat wasn't categorically better than what they're serving at Hill Country Barbecue Market on 23rd Street, and HCBM's sides are significantly better.

I'll take an even more heretical step and say that the barbecue at John Brown Smokehouse in Queens -- especially their pastrami, which is absolutely phenomenal -- is better than any of the barbecue I had in the Texas Hill Country this trip.

Interesting, Sam. Sietsema alluded to this in his piece about 5 good things at the BABBQBP, saying:

A decade ago, it got the ball rolling for barbecue in NYC, and is partly responsible for our fair city becoming one of the true barbecue capitals of the country.

There's no doubt that some of our local joints are putting out some top-notch stuff.

[Fat Guy]

There are some things we still don't have in New York City, like a whole-hog operation that rivals what Ed Mitchell does. But in quite a few categories we are turning out very fine barbecue, following the pattern we have followed with so many other types of food. In the barbecue area, New York's big advantage is money. Barbecue at Hill Country costs substantially more than barbecue in Lockhart. Some of this goes into real estate and other fixed costs, but some goes into ingredients. On the whole I think the quality of meat being used for barbecue here is higher than anywhere else. Most of the other things being served, from sides to desserts, are better here than in their native places. With the smoking technology issues long settled, and so many of the top pitmasters consulting here, and an audience that has traveled and experienced and is eager to pay for good barbecue, it's hard to imagine any other outcome.

[slkinsey]

What would be interesting to see, and perhaps it will evolve in this direction, would be an actual NYC style of barbecue to emerge. John Brown's barbecue pastrami and other offerings (I have sampled barbecue foie gras there) might be moving in this direction.

One thing I will say I notice is that there seems to be a preference for a much more prominent smoke component among people here than there is in most indigenous barbecue areas.

[Jason Perlow]

I didn't make it to the Block Party this year, because I had a ton of packing to do last weekend. However, I managed to go to the Ubon's party on Friday night. Ubons is re-launching its BBQ sauce -- they've gone back to an older formulation that is tangy/vinegary rather than sweet. It's manufactured by a company based in North Carolina. I like it better than what they've been using the last several years.

The one thing I regret about not going this year is being able to try the pork from the new pitmaster from South Carolina, Rodney Scott, who set up his own Mad Max-style home made smoker which looks like it's made out of oil drums. I heard his stuff was awesome.

Edited by Jason Perlow, 11 June 2012 - 02:53 PM.

[weinoo]

The one thing I regret about not going this year is being able to try the pork from the new pitmaster from South Carolina, Rodney Scott, who set up his own Mad Max-style home made smoker which looks like it's made out of oil drums. I heard his stuff was awesome.

Scott's was my favorite this year.