Celebrating Two Years of NYC BBQ Weekly

Most of the year has been very strange, but NYC BBQ has carried on.

Two years ago, I started a simple newsletter in order to better report and write about the underrated barbecue scene in New York City and around the Northeast. Since that time, this newsletter and community have grown rapidly, and it’s been a pleasure to meet fans, restauranteurs, workers, and everyone in between.

Since the one year anniversary of the NYC BBQ Weekly newsletter, however, a lot has changed for restaurants and events in the Northeast and around the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many restaurants to the edge and a good number of them have closed their doors. We should be thankful that only a few in the local barbecue community have totally closed. (Be sure to pour one out for Mothership Meat Company, Randall’s, and Holy Ground NYC.)

Restaurant and bar owners, who were uniquely hit by COVID, still need our help. Even if that means just getting takeout from them, please continue to order from them and buy extra for later if you can afford it. Also, call your members of Congress to pass the RESTAURANTS Act or some form of targeted aid that can help independent restaurant owners survive what will almost certainly be a cruel winter.

I don’t want to just dwell on the bad of the past year, because even in the pandemic, innovation and determination have stood out in the local barbecue community. I’d like to take this moment to highlight five stories published in this newsletter in the past year that I was proud to write and share with this incredible audience.

Before COVID-19, I got to learn from Hoodoo Brown at BBQ 101.

Learning from the Best at BBQ 101 Class
One of my favorite stories in the past year concerned the popular BBQ 101 classes (which are still happening in 2020) from Hoodoo Brown Barbeque in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Hoodoo Brown has offered BBQ 101 classes since July 2019, and I was honored to be part of class number nine. The class is a fairly unique offering and nothing like it (to my knowledge) is available elsewhere in the Northeastern U.S. Read the story here.

If you love mac and cheese, try our this recipe this fall.

You Have to Try This Crazy Good Baked Mac And Cheese Recipe
I don’t share my own recipes often, but I used one issue of the newsletter to highlight a mac-and-cheese recipe I’ve been working on for several years. I’ve had several friends try the recipe out and said it was delicious, so I’m re-upping it here for others to check out. Read the story here.

Kerry Fitzmaurice of Pure Grit BBQ delayed the launch of her vegan BBQ restaurant and pivoted to e-commerce.

Vegan Barbecue Newcomer Pure Grit BBQ Pivots from Restaurant to Retail
Pure Grit BBQ Founder Kerry Fitzmaurice planned to launch a fast-casual vegan BBQ restaurant in Manhattan in May 2020, but COVID-19 had other plans. Instead, she has pivoted the operation into an e-commerce business and hub for recipes. Fitzmaurice plans to open a restaurant in 2021. Read the story here.

The team from Holy Ground NYC has returned to pop-ups after closing their restaurant.

Holy Ground Heads Back to Popups After Closing BBQ Restaurant
Holy Ground NYC partners Nathan Lithgow and Franco V were forced to close their subterranean barbecue speakeasy in Tribeca but they are carrying on. They’ve been hosting pop-ups in Brooklyn and Manhattan while they figure out the best way to open a new smoked meats restaurant. Read the story here.

Pig Island NYC was one of the few food events that happened in 2020.

The Most Mouthwatering Bites at Pig Island NYC 2020
After food events being canceled for most of 2020, it was a minor miracle that Pig Island NYC 2020 happened. The event featured a ton of great food but it felt like a symbolic win as well, because people could gather safely and enjoy the spirit of camaraderie again. Read the story here.

These are just a few stories, and I’d encourage you to look through the NYC BBQ archive to read other stories you may have missed.

On a final note, I would ask that if you appreciate this newsletter, please strongly encourage your barbecue-loving friends and family to also sign up for NYC BBQ Weekly. (Also sign up for sister newsletter The Smoke Sheet while you’re at it.) Without more supporters, we can’t grow this community further. Thank you to everyone and I look forward to sharing more great stories with you soon.

Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ

EAT ALL ABOUT IT

Independent restaurants, including many local barbecue joints like Hudson Smokehouse in the Bronx, still need your help as cold temperatures set in.

Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:

• As the weather gets colder in many places, mom-and-pop restaurants are under even more strain. The New York Times provides some simple steps to help them survive, including ordering takeout, ordering directly from the restaurant, and tipping well.

• Erie, PA's Federal Hill Smokehouse was recently named “the best in BBQ joint in Pennsylvania” by Food & Wine. Erie News Now checked in with the restaurant, whose business has seen a lot more action since earning the honor.

• Colin and Tucker Ray of Ray Brothers Barbecue in Bouckville, NY have put their own spin on their "Real Men Wear Pink" fundraising campaign for the American Cancer Society. Every week in October they are doing a pink-themed "Who Wore It Better" competition and pit themselves against each other to get more people involved.

• The New York Post has a nice roundup of restaurants for outdoor dining just outside of NYC, including High Voltage Café & Creek Bar in The Catskills, Las Mañanitas in the Hudson Valley, and The Seafarer on the Jersey Shore.

• While a little outside of the New York area, a new Washington, D.C.-area BBQ joint deserves a shoutout. Eater reports that chef Matt Hill recently opened the family-friendly barbecue restaurant Ruthie’s All-Day in Arlington, Virginia. It loosely follows the Southern “meat and three” format, except with a twist. The joint has plans to be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers a stunning array of proteins such as brisket, pork shoulder, spare ribs, hanger steak, salmon, trout, duck, and honeynut squash.

IRL BBQ EVENTS

BBQ popup operator Smoke Sweats will be hosting a very cool popup event at Project Parlor in Brooklyn on Oct. 24.

• October 24, 2020: BBQ popup operator Smoke Sweats will be hosting its last popup of 2020 from 2-9 p.m. at Project Parlor in Brooklyn. The menu will include pork ribs, beef short ribs, Frankenstein 50-day dry-aged burgers, queso elote, and more. More info here.

• November 8, 2020 - February 8, 2021: The Forest Hills Wings Fest has been canceled but it has turned into The Great Queens Chicken Wing Hunt instead. From 11/8 through 2/8, you can pick up a “Wing Hunting Season Pass” and visit great joints around Queens to try wings. At each participating location, you’ll get four jumbo wings. Buy tickets here.

• January 30, 2021: The 11th Annual Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival will be back at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint. The event focuses on bourbon and beer tastings, along with multiple barbecue joints serving up lots of excellent smoked meats. More info here.

• April 21, 2021: If you love brisket, you won’t want to miss Brisket King 2021. More than 15 chefs and pitmasters will be there serving up their take on brisket and pastrami. Read more about the 2019 edition of Brisket King or about the importance of Brisket King to the BBQ community. Buy tickets here.

• NOTE: Due to COVID-19, information concerning events in NYC is subject to change, and events may be rescheduled. CHECK OUT THE FULL EVENTS CALENDAR HERE

SAY HELLO

If you're not already subscribed to the newsletter, sign up here. You can also follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If you want to write for NYC BBQ Weekly, sponsor the newsletter, or let me know about the best new barbecue you’ve tried, send me an email and let’s talk!