Rib King NYC Returns to New York This May
The Rib King NYC competition will be back on May 29, 2021, but this time as part of the 5 Boro PicNYC at Snug Harbor on Staten Island. These award-winning ribs from Mable’s will be back too.
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While most NYC barbecue events were canceled in 2020, this year appears to be a different story. Several exciting events are even coming up soon. One such event that should be on your calendar is the second edition of Rib King NYC, where some of the city’s best pitmasters will compete to be crowned the Rib King, and attendees will also be able to try all the ribs too.
Rib King NYC 2021 will take place as a part of the 5 Boro PicNYC event on Saturday, May 29 at Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island. Buy tickets to the 5 Boro PicNYC / Rib King NYC 2021 here.
The first Rib King NYC event was held in May 2019, and it featured a lot of heavy hitters, mainly from NYC BBQ restaurants. The Rib King crown was awarded to Sruli “Izzy” Eidelman of Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse. The 2020 edition of the event was canceled due to the pandemic, but things are back on track this year.
What makes this year’s Rib King NYC exciting is that it features a blend of competitors that range from large restaurants to small pop-up-only operations. The pop-up players are especially drool-worthy because most of them don’t just serve traditional American BBQ and like to bend the rules, such as Damon Wise of Wise Meats, Anthony Scerri of Smoke Sweats, and Jase Franklin of Jase’s BBQ.
The mostly full roster of competitors for Rib King NYC 2021 includes:
Central City BBQ, James Cruse, New Orleans, LA
Mable’s Smokehouse, Megan Love, Brooklyn, NY
Juicy Lucy BBQ, Richie Holmes, Staten Island, NY
Wise Meats, Damon Wise, NY
Smoke Sweats, Anthony Scerri, NY
RITISBBQ, Evan Burrows and Roberto Marquez, NJ
Chef Jesse Jones, NJ
SmoKING of Meats, Joseph Musngi, NJ
Jase’s BBQ, Jase Franklin, NY
Atom’s Ribs, Matt Fisher, NY
Smokin’ Joe’s, Joseph Abou-Daoud, NJ
And more to come
Another exciting part of the event will be trying sauces that won at Sauce King NYC.
Another cool part of the 5 Boro PicNYC will be a showcase for several winners of the first Sauce King NYC event in 2020. Sauce King was a virtual event where people from all over the country submitted their best BBQ and hot sauces, and a panel of judges crowned winners in a variety of categories, such as Best Flavor Enhancer and Best Hot Sauce.
Sauce King NYC winners that will be offering up samples of their top-notch sauces at the 5 Boro PicNYC include:
BBQ Buddha, NJ (the overall winner of Sauce King NYC)
Just Add Beer, NY
The 5 Boro PicNYC will be similar in structure to last year’s Pig Island NYC event, also at Snug Harbor.
On top of the Rib King competition and the Sauce King showcase, there will also more food to try, including pork sliders from Tank Jackson of Holy City Hogs and vegetable dishes from chef Trevor Kunk. Plus, expect a full line-up of beer, bourbon, and ciders to try from places like Knob Creek, Austin Eastcders, Flagship Brewing, and Kills Boro Brewing.
To keep attendees and exhibitors safe, the event will follow CDC guidelines, including mandatory masks and social distancing. Masks are required when not eating and drinking. The event is also being hosted at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, an 83-acre outdoor venue, so there will be plenty of room to spread out. (Read about Pig Island NYC 2020, which was also hosted at Snug Harbor.) It’s strongly recommended that guests bring picnic blankets or camp chairs, as there is no designated seating besides grass. The event will be held rain or shine, as well.
Jase’s BBQ is one of my most anticipated operations serving up ribs at Rib King. Here he is making pigtails but he makes great ribs too.
All in all, the 5 Boro PicNYC / Rib King NYC will be a big, fun event that will be great for families and friend groups. I hope you get tickets soon and expect to see you all on Saturday, May 29, at Snug Harbor!
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
If you live in or near New Jersey, there are many food truck festivals coming up this summer that should be on your radar. (Photo via Just Jersey Fest)
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
NorthJersey.com’s Rebecca King has outlined in a new article that there are NJ-based outdoor food events nearly every weekend in May and June. These include quite a few food truck festivals that will include BBQ vendors. Check out this list if you want to try some of the best food trucks in New Jersey. READ HERE.
Hometown Bar-B-Que in Red Hook, Brooklyn, was shouted out by the New York Times in a profile piece about Brooklyn food and arts activist Tiffiney Davis. Hometown was mentioned because it provides up to 200 meals a week to Davis so she can distribute them to families in need in the Red Hook area. READ HERE.
Good news for local bars and restaurants: New York State has changed its dining rules once again to extend curfew to midnight at almost all establishments starting on April 19. If the pandemic continues to trend in the right direction and vaccination rates go up, NY bars will likely be allowed to stay open even later. READ HERE.
In the latest issue of The Smoke Sheet (the sibling newsletter of NYC BBQ Weekly), Ryan Cooper rounded up three new BBQ cookbooks you need to check out this summer, from authors Chris Sussman, Bill Gillespie, and Adam McKenzie. READ HERE.
On the latest edition of This Week In Grilling & BBQ, I spoke with BBQ Tourist Ryan Cooper, Grill Gril Robyn Lindars, and Misty Banchero (aka @seattlebutcherswife) about the latest in barbecue news, tri-tip steak, and much more. Join us every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Facebook. WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE HERE.
Don’t miss “This Week In Grilling & BBQ” every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on the Facebook page for The Smoke Sheet. On the show, NYC BBQ, BBQ Tourist, and Grill Girl Robin talk about the latest and greatest in barbecue.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
Brisket King 2021 is happening next week at Pig Beach and will be the first great BBQ event of the year. This brisket from Blue Smoke will be there as well.
April 21, 2021: If you love brisket, you can’t miss Brisket King 2021. More than 20 chefs and pitmasters will be there serving up their incredible takes on brisket and pastrami. Read more about the 2019 edition of Brisket King or the importance of Brisket King to the BBQ community. BUY TICKETS HERE.
May 15, 2021: Who says NJ doesn’t have great BBQ and beer? The Beer BBQ Bacon Showdown in Morris Plains, NJ, is New Jersey’s first festival featuring only New Jersey beer, coupled with restaurants, gourmet food trucks, and more offering BBQ & bacon creations. There will be a competition to showcase their culinary skills, with a panel of judges choosing the best of the best, along with People’s Choice awards. BUY TICKETS HERE.
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.
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
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