Eat Thanksgiving Dinner at These 4 Great NYC BBQ Joints
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With Thanksgiving coming up next Thursday, there isn't much more time to get your act together. If you've been slacking and don't have plans firmed up, you might still have time to reserve a small feast at one of NYC's local BBQ joints.
Four of the top joints in the city will be open on Thanksgiving and if you're lucky, you might still be able to snag a reservation. If you call and the restaurant is booked up, also be sure to ask about walk-ins and cancellations, because you might be able to still get in on Thanksgiving.
Here are the four joints that I've spoken to about what they'll be offering up to customers on this special food-focused holiday.
Hill Country will be serving a ton of people on Thanksgiving.
Hill Country Barbecue Market - Manhattan, NY
Hill Country Barbecue Market has been serving Thanksgiving lunch and dinner at its restaurant in the Flatiron district since 2013, and it's a very popular affair. The restaurant will be serving smoked turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, and more to more than 1,500 guests, making this the largest day of the year for the restaurant. Hill Country will also offer its full menu as well, including brisket, pork ribs, sausage mac 'n' cheese, and more.
"What we provide that many don't is a good environment that is friendly for kids,” Hill Country Executive Chef and Pitmaster Ash Fulk said. “It's a loud, honky tonk of a restaurant and people can be comfortable there. We'll play some football too. It's one step above your living room."
For dining in, the restaurant offers all-you-can-eat pricing of $70 per adult and $40 for kids 10 and under. Hill Country is the only joint I've heard of that offers all your can eat.
“We've had a couple of years to really figure out an offering that is pretty much too good to be true,” Fulk said. “All you can eat is pretty crazy for a Thanksgiving offering."
Virgil’s in Times Square will be a Thanksgiving hot spot with lots of big groups.
Virgil’s Real Barbecue - Manhattan, NY
Popular BBQ joint Virgil's Real Barbecue will certainly be the best Thanksgiving dinner you'll be able to eat in Times Square this year.
The joint is offering a package for $249 that serves six to eight people, which includes an 18-pound smoked turkey with gravy, accompanied by dishes like sausage and pecan stuffing, cornbread, sweet potatoes cranberry sauce, candied Brussels sprouts with pecans and smoked bacon, green beans, and buttermilk biscuits.
If you want to get fancy with your Thanksgiving feast, Holy Ground has you covered.
Holy Ground NYC - Manhattan, NY
Holy Ground NYC, a barbecue and meat speakeasy in Tribeca, will allow you to eat Thanksgiving dinner in style, with fancy cocktails and wine to pair with your turkey and sides.
Their special prix-fixe Thanksgiving menu includes smoked turkey, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, candied yams, pumpkin pie, and more. It costs $70 per person, plus an extra $20 if you'd like to add a custom wine pairing.
One item you’ll want to try at Morgan’s is their special pecan pie.
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue - Brooklyn, NY
Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue is the only Brooklyn BBQ joint that I know is serving Thanksgiving on the day-of. Morgan's has told me that they expect this will be incredibly busy day based on them also hosting it last year, but one they are excited to host.
On top of their normal full menu, they will have a few special Thanksgiving items including smoked turkey, stuffing, sweet potato, gravy, cranberry sauce, butternut squash soup, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and more.
“We are ready to fill our smoker full of whole turkeys and turkey breasts,” Executive Chef Cenobio Canalizo said. “Last year, it was packed in here. Thanksgiving should be a big day and we are in a great neighborhood for this.”
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Additionally, Grub Street has published this good list of restaurants open on Thanksgiving. I imagine many of the places are booked up but I would call around to find a place before it gets too late. If you know of any other BBQ joint serving Thanksgiving the day-of, please let me know.
Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Alison Roman’s hilarious how-to video on Thanksgiving cooking in a small kitchen is great prep for the upcoming holiday.
Most New Yorkers don’t have that much room in the kitchen and kitchen renovation to make your cooking space better is incredibly expensive. That said, if you’re going to attempt making Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, the New York Times has a fantastic new video starring columnist Alison Roman about making Thanksgiving dinner in a small space that you should watch.
Popular Southern BBQ joint Reilly's Rib Cage (which closed its doors in Bergenfield, NJ a year ago) has plans to open a new spot in Hillsdale, NJ, NorthJersey.com reports. Owner Dan Reilly initially made the announcement on Facebook and Instagram, and said he will be sharing more details soon.
Brothers Tucker and Colin Ray of Ray Brothers BBQ in Bouckville, NY were shocked when they recently were rated as the best ribs in New York by the Food Network. They spoke to the Oneida Dispatch about this honor and the growing popularity of their Upstate restaurant.
If you love fried chicken, you’ll want to head to Bushwick, Brooklyn to try the just-opened Redcrest inside the Starliner bar. The operation is one of Philly’s top fried chicken joints and this is their first foray into New York.
The new Miami location of Brooklyn’s Hometown Bar-B-Que has been nominated as Restaurant of the Year by Eater Miami, showing that the joint has been received very well in South Florida.
A new high-end Philly cheesesteak joint has opened in Huntington, NY on Long Island. Appropriately named United Cheesesteaks, the restaurant has set out to create a “better cheesesteak, using Prime strip loins, slices of American cheese, and crusty French baguettes,” Newsday reports.
Finally, in case you missed the news, BBQ Tourist, who co-founded The Smoke Sheet BBQ newsletter with me, was diagnosed with colon cancer last week. He’s in stable condition after emergency surgery but has a long road to recovery ahead. A fundraiser has been started to help him and his family during this difficult time, so please consider throwing a few bucks his way.
IRL BBQ
Holy Ground NYC will be hosting a martini-learning session paired with great BBQ this Monday. (Photo by Holy Ground NYC / Facebook)
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food events coming soon to the New York metro and the Tri-State area:
Monday, November 25: Holy Ground BBQ in Tribeca will be hosting two BBQ & Martinis 101 sessions on November 21. The joint will welcome Robby Nelson, East Coast Sales Director for AMASS (an innovative spirits startup based out of L.A) to teach everything there is to know about the martini. The experience will be paired with BBQ mainstays from Holy Ground. Buy tickets here.
Thursday, November 28: Few barbecue joints are actually open on Thanksgiving itself, but you’ll be able to eat smoked turkey and more at Hill Country Barbecue Market, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue, Holy Ground, and Virgil’s Real Barbecue. The restaurants will be open and doing a traditional Thanksgiving feast with all sorts of meats and sides.
Saturday, December 14: Pitmaster Robert Austin Cho will be hosting a Brisket Master Class at his restaurant Kimchi Smoke in Westwood, NJ. He will go over the basics and advanced level techniques from selecting a brisket (different grades), trimming, seasoning, cook times and temperatures. He’ll also take a deeper look at issues like tenderness, bark, smoke ring, and finally eat some brisket together. There will be a Q&A afterwards where Cho will give personalized tips for different types of smokers. Wherever you are in your smoke journey, you’ll be sure to take it the next level. Buy tickets here.
Saturday, December 7: If you love cheese, you won’t want to miss The Great Northeast Cheese Fest 2019, which will be held soon at Flushing Town Hall in Queens. The event will feature the region’s best artisanal creameries and dishes made with cheese from New York City’s top chefs, including Chef Hugue Dufour, Chef Stephen Yen, Chef Alfonso Zhicay, and Chef Michael Mignano. Plus, there will also be Portuguese charcuterie from Rodrigo Duarte. Buy tickets here.
Saturday, January 18: The 10th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is leaving Manhattan after a decade of fun and heading to Brooklyn. A ticket buys you access to tasting great local barbecue, hot sauces, and tons of spirits. The “Beast Cage” will be back with exotic smoked meats, including alligator, lamb, bison, longhorn rounds, and much more. There will also be whole hog as well and you won’t want to miss it. Buy tickets here.
SAY HELLO
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