New Big Apple Event Brings BBQ Back to Madison Square Park
This month, Madison Square Park in Manhattan will host an exciting new barbecue event called Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue. MSP was formerly home to the Big Apple Barbecue Block Parry, an enormous annual event that ended in 2018 after outgrowing the park.
Taking place on Tuesday, June 13, Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue will be an all-you-can-taste affair featuring more than 20 Tri-state area barbecue joints and pop-ups. The BBQ operations serving food range from well-established joints like Hometown Bar B Que and Blue Smoke to up-and-coming hotshots like Bark Barbecue, Hindsight Barbecue, and Pineapple Express.
The Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event will bring together more than 20 local pitmasters for one big night in Manhattan.
“This event was inspired by the beginning of the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, but it's also kind of a replacement for an event that used to be there for many years in the park,” said Marc Glosserman, Hill Country founder and Co-Chair for the Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event. “I'm really I'm thrilled about the list of participants, and I think it's going to be a great evening.”
Hometown Bar-B-Que will be one of the storied restaurants at the Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event. (Photo by Anthony Scerri)
The event includes a staggering list of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut barbecue joints and pop-ups. They include:
Bark Barbecue
Blue Smoke
Boots & Bones
Carlito’s Barbecue Taqueria
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Handsome Devil
Hill Country
Hindsight Barbecue
Hometown Bar B Que
Hudson Royal Craft BBQ
Hudson Smokehouse
Izzy’s Barbecue
Jase’s BBQ
Kimchi Smoke
Mable’s Smokehouse
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue
Pig Beach BBQ
Pineapple Express Barbecue
Pure Grit BBQ
Red White & Que Smokehouse
Sands Jerk Hut
Shake Shack
Virgil’s Real BBQ
The Meat Hook
Zaytinya
This new event is inspired by (but different from) the famed Big Apple Barbecue Block Party that took over streets and Madison Square Park. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
While this new event is inspired partly by the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, there are some notable changes. First, it is only being held on one weeknight instead of over a weekend. Second, Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue is all-inclusive instead of a la carte, with a pricey ticket required to get in the door.
Specifically, a $500 tax-deductible donation to the nonprofit Madison Square Park Conservancy will get you in for Early Access at 5:30 pm. A $300 donation will get you in the door at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
Glosserman attributes the prices to several factors. First, this is a fundraiser for a nonprofit that will help with other programming throughout the year at the park. Second, with so many BBQ joints taking part and higher costs of putting on an event like this in Manhattan, tickets can’t be rock-bottom. Third, prices are in line with several other food events held at the park.
Bark Barbecue pitmaster Ruben Santana will be one of the rising stars showcasing their food at the event. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
What makes this event notable is that it’s a new BBQ event in Manhattan, which does not host many of these gatherings anymore. Most BBQ events these days are held in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Post-COVID, Manhattan has struggled to return to its days as the “center of the city” as more people work remotely and activities in other boroughs have thrived. Events like this can bring people back to the NYC parks like MSP, which are truly special urban spaces.
The event is also special in its broad showcase of local barbecue talent, encompassing a diverse array of BBQ styles, including Dominican, Korean, Mexican, kosher, and even vegan.
“I think that's one of the really awesome things about barbecue from the [Tri-state area],” Glosserman said. "It's a real reflection of the melting pot that New York is and all the different cultural influences, flavors, ingredients, and creativity. You don't have to go far anymore for great barbecue. It's not just in New York, it's also Long Island, New Jersey, Westchester, and Connecticut.”
Glosserman also notes that he hopes this event could lead to other barbecue events at Madison Square Park down the road.
"Let's call this a first run, if you will, of Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue," he said. "We hope it's something that the park could host on an annual basis."
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT (NEWS)
Pitmaster Jose Perez of Bear’s Smokehouse in Connecticut was crowned the new RIb King of NYC this past weekend. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
This past weekend, hundreds of barbecue fans gathered at Industry City in Brooklyn for Rib King NYC. The event featured 15 pitmasters and restaurants cooking up delicious ribs and other bites. Bear’s Smokehouse from Connecticut won the top prize, while Brooklyn-based Smoke Sweats won runner-up. Other award winners included Blue Smoke, Sands Jerk Hut, and Fire & Smoke. READ HERE.
New York-based Bark Barbecue is teaming up with Charleston-based Palmira BBQ for a pop-up this Sunday at the Time Out Market in Brooklyn. “Santana, who began what would become Bark at his Queens home in 2020, is hosting the crossover from his post on the market’s rooftop. Bark’s Dominican-Texas-style ribs, pulled pork, chicharrón, and longaniza will be joined by Palmira’s beef cheeks, pionono sausage, and chuleta kan kan. The collaboration on the 5th floor of 55 Water Street this Sunday, June 4, will begin at 11 am and run until it’s sold out.” READ HERE.
Speaking of Bear’s Smokehouse, the CT-based chain celebrated its 10th anniversary this past week. READ HERE.
In a sad bit of news, Ray’s Roadside Kitchen in Cream Ridge, NJ, has closed for good after struggling with a challenging environment for restaurants. The joint had been the brainchild of chef, pitmaster, and sauce guru Ray Sheehan. READ HERE.
As the weather gets nicer, more people are pulling out their grills for summer fun. The Rochester Fire Department shared grilling safety tips to prevent accidents this season. READ HERE.
Sibling newsletter The Smoke Sheet interviewed BBQ master Steven Raichlen about the 25th anniversary of his book The Barbecue! Bible and about his new TV show Planet Barbecue.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
Jase's BBQ will be one of the featured pop-ups at the Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event on June 13. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Here are the top BBQ and related food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
Tuesday, June 13, 2023: BBQ will soon return to Madison Square Park in the form of a fundraiser. The upcoming Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event on June 13 will host 20+ great BBQ joints from around the NYC metro area. To get a ticket, you have to make a $300 tax-deductible donation to Madison Square Park Conservancy. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Saturday, July 8, 2023: It’s time to get smokin’! The 13th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is returning on July 8, 2023, to Brooklyn to celebrate the summer! The event takes place at Industry City and will feature a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. Admission buys you a sampling glass to enjoy an ALL-YOU-CARE-TO-TASTE sampling of beer and bourbon. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Saturday, September 29, 2023: Back for its 14th year, Pig Island NYC is returning to Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens on Staten Island for its third year in a row. More than 20 chefs will come together for this pork-laden festival and compete for the most delicious porcine dishes. There will also be craft beer, hard cider, spirits, and other food offerings – all included with a GA ticket! BUY TICKETS HERE.
Please get in touch if you would like your food event listed here!
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