The 7 Best Bites at 2015's Big Apple Barbecue Block Party
The 7 Best Bites at 2015's Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

This past Saturday, I attended the thirteenth annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in Madison Square Park. As I sat in the VIP section (which cost me a not-cheap $275), I was able to eat an enormous amount of BBQ and drink a lot of William Wolf Bourbon. On Sunday morning, I could hardly get out of bed, but it was worth it.

I tried every Block Party item, which were served by 17 different pitmasters from around the U.S. Pitmasters included local heroes like Hometown BBQ's Billy Durney and Dinosaur BBQ's John Stage and national mainstays such as Mike Mills and Scott Roberts. Sometimes I would go for seconds. Sometimes I would just take a few bites.

Here are seven standout items I tried at the Block Party and that I can't wait to try again down the road.

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Arrogant Swine: Brooklyn Barbecue Takes a Detour Through North Carolina (Review)
Arrogant Swine: Brooklyn Barbecue Takes a Detour Through North Carolina (Review)

Even if you haven't been paying close attention, you probably know Brooklyn has a food scene that rivals and often surpasses Manhattan. Barbecue is no exception and, in fact, most of the top BBQ restaurants in NYC are now sprinkled all over Brooklyn.

Arrogant Swine (173 Morgan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11237), a relatively new addition to Brooklyn BBQ, is not one of the those top restaurants. But it's quite good for a newcomer and with a little refinement, it could be in a higher tier in a year's time.

The restaurant opened in October 2014 with pitmaster and blogger Tyson Ho at the helm. Ho comes from Queens, New York but is obsessed with North-Carolina-style BBQ and so, Arrogant Swine was born. Ho likes to call his restaurant the "church of pork."

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Say Hello at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party this Saturday
Say Hello at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party this Saturday

My journey to document the best of New York City's BBQ restaurants and culture might just be getting started, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to go big at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, an annual celebration of barbecue from around the country this weekend in Madison Square Park. This is the thirteenth year for the event, which raises cash for the Madison Square Park Conservancy.

This Saturday, I will be attending the Block Party, and I'm ready to chow down on some of the finest BBQ this country has to offer. Pitmasters from New York, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and more will be serving up all kinds grub. I can't wait to dig into everything I can, especially NYC's Hometown BBQ, Driftwood/Austin's Salt Lick Bar-B-Que, and St. Louis' Pappy's Smokehouse. I'll be documenting the best of what I find on Instagram, Facebook, and in a postmortem blog post on this site.

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Hill Country: Come for the Fake Texas Ambiance, Stay for the Quality Meats (Review)
Hill Country: Come for the Fake Texas Ambiance, Stay for the Quality Meats (Review)

It's highly appropriate that Hill Country Barbecue Market (30 West 26th St, New York, NY 10010) is the first stop in my journey to review's NYC's best BBQ joints because it's the first one I ever visited when I moved here more than seven years ago. I was invited to eat at an "authentic barbecue restaurant" by a friendly woman I had met on a plane ride between New York and Kansas City. As I loved BBQ and hardly knew anyone in the city, I obliged.

Even back in my early NYC days, Hill Country had the scent of commercial-ness -- the sort of place designed by someone trying to emulate a Texas barbecue restaurant he or she saw in pictures but had never actually visited. The owners wanted to make this feel like Texas, but we're clearly in Manhattan. 

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ReviewsSean LudwigMighty Quinn's, NYC BBQ, Reviews, Manhattan BBQ, Dinosaur BBQ, Hill Country Comments
Welcome to NYC BBQ
Welcome to NYC BBQ

New York City is a wondrous place. When I moved here from Missouri seven years ago, I quickly realized there was so much to see that I’d never be able to do it all. Even though I’ve accepted that fact, I’ve been visiting new restaurants, bars, museums, concert halls, performance spaces, parks, and more as often as I can. I enjoy breathing in the city and letting it elevate me.

One thing I brought with me from Missouri was a love of American barbecue. Smoked and seasoned meats of all kinds, sweet and spicy sauces, and tasty sides are things I love with a passion. And so it’s been fascinating to watch a true barbecue renaissance emerge in the city that I’ve settled. It’s been a wild and delicious ride to visit many of these barbecue restaurants and see what some of America’s best pitmasters can cook up.

New York City’s barbecue brilliance comes from chefs from all over the United States (hell, the world) and sharing their food styles with us. Because we have enough people to support diversity and many of us have adventurous palates, we've attracted most American barbecue styles. Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, Texas, and North Carolina styles are all currently represented in NYC. And who knows what else is to come?

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Sean LudwigNYC BBQ, New York City, Barbecue Comment