Holy Ground Heads Back to Popups After Closing BBQ Restaurant
Holy Ground NYC partner and pitmaster Franco V holds up freshly smoked chicken at a recent popup.
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A few weeks ago, Tribeca-based "barbecue speakeasy" Holy Ground NYC, which was known for its smoked steaks and beef ribs, closed its doors. The restaurant, located in a basement, was ill-suited for the coronavirus age and the landlord wouldn't cut them a break on rent.
"The way our restaurant was structured, we were in the least feasible position to do traditional service in this environment," Holy Ground NYC partner Nathan Lithgow said. "We were subterranean, so there's no airflow. Basically, COVID and landlords happened."
But Holy Ground NYC partners Lithgow and Franco V aren't sitting still and have already launched a series of new popups in Brooklyn and Manhattan so they can still make and sell barbecue to the masses. The team had done four years of weekend popups before opening the restaurant.
"It was the only option," V said. "The idea was 'what is dining going to look like this summer'. We thought parks would be where people will be dining together and wondered about the best way to service that."
After indoor dining was banned in NYC in March, Franco anticipated going back to popups eventually so he invested time to build an 800-pound mobile smoker from scratch. He and his team then went to work looking for a classic truck on which the smoker could sit. They eventually found a red 1966 Chevrolet C20 in Connecticut and installed the smoker on the back, creating a nimble smoker setup that can be parked virtually anywhere.
"I do metalwork so I built the smoker," V said. "We didn't think about it too much and just did it."
They are currently scheduled to do popups every Wednesday through Sunday at the following spaces:
On Wednesdays, the team is set up at Ray's Bar on the Lower East Side.
Thursday to Sunday, they will be at Elsewhere in Bushwick.
Friday to Sunday, they will spend some time at We Got Company in Williamsburg.
Fridays and Sundays, they’ll spend time at Donna in South Williamsburg.
Keep an eye on the team's Instagram Stories to see what they are cooking and how they are setup each day.
"We'd like to do popups as long as we can," V said. "It's weather permitting. When it starts getting really cold, it won't be possible but we'll do it as long as we can do it."
The ribs from Holy Ground NYC are one of the crew's most popular items.
On Monday and Tuesday, Lithgow said he and the team will focus on the brand's bottled cocktail business, The Fox Club NYC. This side business lets you order pre-made cocktails that can then be picked up on-site at Holy Ground's popups around town.
I stopped by the crew's Wednesday night popup at Ray's Bar on the Lower East Side. I tried the pork ribs, smoked chicken sandwich, apple salad, and vegetable kebabs, all of which were tasty and a step up from the food you'd normally get at most bars.
Lithgow said the menu will change depending on the day and the weather. During hot days, he said the team will focus on items like ribs, shrimp, and kebabs, and then when the weather gets cooler, brisket, beef ribs, steak, and heavier items will likely join the fray.
Holy Ground NYC's mobile smoker is attached to a 1966 Chevy C20 truck.
As for the future, the Holy Ground team has said they will seek out a new restaurant space at the same time they are running popups. With much commercial real estate available in New York because of closures, they anticipate being able to find a space they can open in 2021.
"We are already looking and we don't think there's a clear scope yet of what's happening in the commercial real estate market," Lithgow said. "Just walk around and read. There's a lot of different kinds of spaces."
The Holy Ground team's insistence on making their BBQ and culinary business work no matter what hurdles lie ahead is, frankly, an inspiration.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Brothers Smokehouse has just opened up in Ramsey, NJ and it offers up lots of great barbecue options.
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
Brothers Smokehouse has just opened a new location in Ramsey, New Jersey. The 130-seat full-service restaurant and bar serves Southern-style food and slow-cooked barbecue seven days a week. This is the third restaurant for brothers Gavin, Chris, and James Farella, reports NorthJersey.com
Nearly 1,000 NYC restaurants and bars have permanently closed since March, but more accurate documentation of the pandemic’s toll could take months or years, Eater NY reports. Eater NY has a continually updated list that includes more than 150 restaurant and bar closings that have happened to date but that list is far from complete.
Connecticut’s first food hall, Parkville Market in Hartford, opened recently and the hall’s unique dining setup works well even during the pandemic. The market includes lots of food choices, including barbecue from The Portly Pig.
Anticipated Philly-based Korean BBQ pop-up Char Kol has received much backlash since its recent opening due to accusations of cultural appropriation.
Finally, in a bit of heartwarming news, TST BBQ in Leonardo, New Jersey is donating free mini-golf time to teenagers with special needs. TST BBQ is a rare barbecue joint that also features mini-golf and now there’s even more reason to give them some patronage.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
Pig Island NYC is returning in September as a fun “socially distanced picnic” that will be more spaced out but still have awesome food.
Every Saturday through August 29: Green Hill Kitchen & Que in Greenport, NY (on Long Island) is hosting a Pitmaster Series, where each Saturday a big BBQ name will come and cook. Guests will feature Pig Beach, Gotham Burger Social Club, The BBQ Ninja, and Memphis Barbecue Company. More info here.
September 12, 2020: At Pig Island NYC 2020, this year’s event will be a socially distanced picnic at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on Staten Island. Come enjoy food and drinks at this 84-acre outdoor space. Buy tickets here.
September 12, 2020: This year’s NYC Hot Sauce Expo will take place at the Brooklyn Expo Center. This event was rescheduled from April due to COVID-19 but is currently planned for September. The Hot Sauce Expo typically features tons of vendors you can buy hot sauces and BBQ sauces from Buy tickets here.
November 7, 2020: The Forest Hills Wings Fest, perfect for anyone who loves chicken wings and beer, is scheduled for November at Cobblestones Pub & Biergarten in Forest Hills, Queens. Lots of wings will be available to try and more. Buy tickets here.
NOTE: Due to COVID-19, information concerning events in NYC is subject to change and events may be rescheduled. Click the button below to see the latest up-to-date information. CHECK OUT THE FULL EVENTS CALENDAR HERE
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