Mark Your Calendars for These 5 Top-Notch 2021 BBQ Events
BBQ events like Pig Island NYC are back on the menu in 2021.
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The New York metro area was hit exceptionally hard by the pandemic, with an extraordinary loss of life, jobs, and businesses. The area spent the year reeling from being the epicenter of the pandemic and trying to do everything it could to not return to those dark days in March and April 2020. As such, it was no surprise that virtually no food events were held in the area in 2020 minus one socially distanced event.
Things have gotten better recently, with more than half of New York State now vaccinated (including myself!) from COVID-19, case numbers down drastically, and all kinds of restrictions lifting. Part of the reopening is that events (and in my case, food events) are back on the metaphorical table. That these events are coming back so quickly brings a sigh of relief, although there are not as many events scheduled in 2021 as there were in 2019.
Food events, which can bring people together from all walks of life and allow them to try a lot of dishes for a comparably small price, are great fun. I hope to attend several of them in NYC and around the country this year, and hopefully, you can too.
Here are five BBQ and food events happening in the NYC metro area this year you should attend.
May 29, 2021 — Rib King NYC at the 5 Boro PicNYC
Food Karma Projects, the producers of Pig Island NYC and Brisket King NYC, are putting on the ultimate Memorial Day weekend barbecue event at Snug Harbor on Staten Island. Join in the fun for a full day of live music, whole hog barbecue, vegetarian dishes, and plenty of drinks. This event will also feature a new version of the Rib King NYC competition, winners from Sauce King NYC showing off their best sauces, and much more. No matter what you’re into, there’s something for everyone there. Buy tickets here.
May 29, 2021 — Smorgasburg Jersey City Launch
Smorgasburg started 12 years ago in Williamsburg, Brooklyn as a weekly food festival and now is much larger and in multiple cities. The newest Smorgasburg will launch on May 29 in Jersey City with a new lineup of vendors, including Carlitos Barbecue Tacos. While not a traditional one-and-done food event, Smorgasurg’s weekly food festivals regularly host top-notch barbecue vendors that are worth trying. The new Jersey City location will be no exception. More info here.
June 25, 2021 — Rock, Ribs & Ridges Festival
The upcoming 11th annual Rock, Ribs & Ridges festival will feature music from Southern rock bands plus mouthwatering barbecue served up by top pitmasters from around the country. It will be held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ. It’s a little far outside the NYC area but it’s one of the few events of its kind being held in the area this summer. Buy tickets here.
July 31 & August 1st, 2021 — Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival
The 11th annual Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival is back this summer at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint. The event focuses on bourbon and beer tastings, along with multiple barbecue joints there serving up food. The event features a “Beast Cage” with exotic meats served up and a “Shrine of Swine” with whole hog being dished up. If you can afford a VIP ticket, pull the trigger on that because you’ll be able to try a lot more barbecue with it. If not, come try some barbecue and a lot of bourbon samples. Buy tickets here.
September 11, 2021 — Pig Island NYC
Pig Island NYC will celebrate its twelfth year this September. It will return to Snug Harbor on Staten Island, which has 84 acres to spread out. Attendees can join in for all-inclusive food and drinks from all-star pitmasters and chefs. As the name implies, the food is typically centered around pork dishes with pork shoulder, pulled pork, pork belly burnt ends, and, of course, pork ribs. Local breweries, distilleries, and cideries will also be around to pour you samples. Chefs and pitmasters also compete to win the best dishes, so there’s an extra element of fun too. Buy tickets here.
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Check out the full events calendar here for other local events you need to check out. And if you are hosting or attending a BBQ event in the tri-state area this year and want it listed, please let me know about it.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
KB's BBQ Smokehouse in Irvington, NJ was ranked the number one joint NJ recently. (Photo by Pete Genovese)
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
Food writer Pete Genovese has released several lists outlining the best barbecue joints in New Jersey, but he’s never actually ranked them before. That changed this year with his list of the 32 greatest BBQ joints in N.J. The list shouts out joints including KB's BBQ Smokehouse, Red White & Que Smokehouse, The Bearded One BBQ, Local Smoke BBQ, Boss Hog Barbecue, TST BBQ, & Kimchi Smoke Barbecue. READ HERE.
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue, one of the top BBQ joints in Brooklyn, is opening a second location in King of Prussia, PA next week. The Brooklyn location closed temporarily due to a bad fire in January, but while they work to reopen it they worked to open the KOP location and a Mexican restaurant called Tiny’s Cantina. The KOP location will feature a large, 80-seat outdoor patio, and 70 seats inside and serve a menu similar to what you find in Brooklyn. READ HERE.
Staten Island’s Top Gun BBQ competition team, which I’d written about previously, was profiled recently by SILive. Dan and Jabob Jacobellis regularly compete at some of the biggest barbecue competitions around the country, and they were named Grand Champions in New Jersey’s “KnoQ-out” event in April. READ HERE.
If you’re looking for the best BBQ spots in nearby Philadelphia, look no further than this new list from Philly Mag. The list includes both old and new joints that are worth checking out, including Mike’s BBQ, Zig Zag BBQ, and North By Texas. READ HERE.
Ruthie’s BBQ and Pizza in Montclair, NJ was recently profiled by the Wall Street Journal. Owner Ruth Perretti wants to reinvent local farming all while slinging tasty pizza and barbecue. READ HERE.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
The next big BBQ event of the year will be the Rib King NYC competition during the 5 Boro PicNYC.
May 29, 2021: This Memorial Day weekend, you won’t want to miss the food, drinks, and fun at the 5 Boro PicNYC at Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island. This event will feature a new version of the Rib King NYC competition, winners from Sauce King NYC showing off their best sauces, and much more. BUY TICKETS HERE.
July 31 & August 1st, 2021: The 11th Annual Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival will be back at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint for a two-day event. This event focuses on bourbon and beer tastings, along with multiple barbecue joints serving up lots of excellent smoked meats. BUY TICKETS HERE.
September 11, 2021: At the end of the summer, Pig Island NYC will celebrate its 12th year on September 11, 2021, at Snug Harbor on Staten Island. Join in for all-inclusive food and drink, from all-star pitmasters and chefs who will be serving up delicious porky goodness, as well as local breweries, distilleries, and cideries. Top chefs will compete for the best dishes and event-goers reap the benefits. BUY TICKETS HERE.
October 16-17, 2021: The 8th Annual Hot Sauce Expo NYC will be back for two days in fall 2021. The event will be held at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint and will feature tons of hot sauce samples, barbecue, and beer to purchase, fun on-stage events, and more. BUY TICKETS HERE.
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