Happy Holidays from NYC BBQ Weekly!
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The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve are a curious time. Some people are still enjoying time with family and friends. Some are working a few days in between the holidays. Some are traveling far and wide around the country. For me, I actually celebrate my birthday during this period, and it’s always difficult to predict what I’ll be doing except that I almost always make it to a barbecue joint.
This is also the time of year when we reflect on what we did the past 12 months. (Or even the past decade if you’re feeling ambitious.) As I look back on 2019, I’m grateful I was able to visit barbecue joints all around New York, the Northeast, and the greater United States. I forged a stronger relationship with my girlfriend, who has supported my passion for finding the best barbecue around the country. And I also made many new friends in the culinary and barbecue worlds, including pitmasters, owners, and event operators.
I’m thankful I was able to travel all around the country trying amazing barbecue in 2019.
With the year coming to a close in the next few days, I’m tremendously grateful for family, friends, and supporters of both NYC BBQ Weekly and The Smoke Sheet. I’ve learned so much from all of you and hope to learn more as both of these newsletters and brands continue to grow. It’s been my pleasure to share the best barbecue, events, and more from around the country, and I can’t wait to do more.
Next week, I’ll outline some of the top barbecue events happening in the Northeast in the first half of 2020. Until then, have a fantastic rest of the year and here’s to making 2020 bigger and better than 2019!
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food news stories you need to know about this week:
Red Hook Tavern, from the team behind Hometown Bar-B-Que, made the Eater NY’s list of best new restaurants for 2019.
Eater NY has rounded up its list of the best NYC restaurant newcomers of 2019, selected by food writers and editors around NYC. These include Red Hook Tavern, Hometown Bar-B-Que in Industry City, Win Son Bakery in Williamsburg, Golden Diner on the Lower East Side, and many more.
New York State will likely soon ban single-use foam containers used for takeout and leftovers at restaurants around the state. The ban is already in place in New York City. Some BBQ joints around the state, including Brooks House of BBQ in Oneonta County, have already made the switch to pricier containers made of plastic or pulp to get ready for the changes. “I don’t like costs, believe me,” owner Ryan Brooks said. “But it was important for us to listen to what our customers are looking for and feel better about it. We know what foam can do.”
The popular Oakmont Barbecue Company food truck in Pittsburgh will soon open a full-fledged brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2020, reports Patch. The truck is known for its pulled pork, brisket, ribs, nachos, and mac and cheese.
Finally, in a bit of weird news this week, a contraband search at the Manhattan Detention Complex in lower Manhattan found weed, cigarettes, cellphones, cords, and barbecue sauce, the New York Daily News reports. “The inmates use the warmers that warm up the food to make special barbecue chicken,” said Fitzgerald David, a retired correction officer. “They use it to flavor up their chicken on chicken day."
IRL BBQ
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
Be sure to check out the delicious Cassoulet Cook Off in Brooklyn on January 25th.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020: Pig Beach in Gowanus will be hosting a fun New Years Day Hangover Party on January 1! They’ll be open at 11 a.m. and offering pastrami, egg, and cheese sandwiches until 1 p.m., plus free waffles for kids 8 & under. They’ll also be a special happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. and football food specials all day.
Saturday, January 18, 2020: 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.
Saturday, January 25, 2020: The 12th Annual Cassoulet Cook Off will take place on Jan 25 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Cassoulet is the ultimate winter dish, where French traditions meet New England baked beans, Texas BBQ brisket burnt ends and beans, California vegetarian beans casserole, and many other chef driven styles. There will be 10+ chefs and more food than ever, plus craft beer, hard cider, wine, and spirits. Buy tickets here.
January 26 - February 11, 2020: A musical called Das Barbecü will be performed at Hill Country Barbecue Market in Manhattan this January and February. The performance, a reimagining of Wagner’s Ring Cycle that takes place in Texas, is a musical farce about mismatched lovers who meet during a double shotgun wedding. Five actors play more than 30 characters. This will be the first full production to be performed in the lower-level music space of Hill Country Barbecue. BBQ will be served during the production. More info here.
April 18, 2020: Mark your calendars for the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit 2020 at Pig Beach. Following the successful 2019 version of the event, this will feature many of the top pitmasters from around the country at Pig Beach in Brooklyn. Read about the 2019 Jeff Michner BBQ benefit here and this listing will be updated when tickets are available.
SAY HELLO
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