NYC Tastes

It was a gorgeous day for the 12th annual Big Apple BBQ held in Madison Square Park this weekend. We've been lucky enough to attend 10 of these festivals and made sure to get there early for some of our favorites.  Pappy's Smokehouse was number one on Mr. T's list this year. These guys are out of St. Louis and specialize in Memphis Style ribs, dry rubbed and smoked over apple and cherry wood.  They're sticky and sweet...perfect with their maple glazed baked beans. I had two favorites this year...one being the Whole Hog from Ed Mitchell.  This mammoth sandwich is tender and rich with crunchy pieces of crackling sprinkled throughout.  No sauce is needed on this it's perfection just as it is. My other favorite is Big Bob Gibson.  His pulled pork is smoky and sweet with a tangy mustard coleslaw on the side that's a great complement to the meat. It was nice to see a few new guys this year...

The weather gods let the incredible sheets of rain stop for two glorious days of the Big Apple BBQ Block party.  I got there early with my Fast Pass for the best Pulled Pork sandwich I've ever eaten at Big Bob Gibson. Pitmaster Chris Lilly was on hand and the sandwich was just as incredible as I remembered... nice brunt ends and lots of saucy meat.  Then it was onto 17th Street for their smoky Baby Back Ribs. I had to take a break and do a little walk around the park to get some stomach room going...hey there's Ed Mitchell checking on his whole hog! I still wasn't ready for round two so I stopped into Eleven Madison's Kentucky Bourbon party and ordered an incredible Old Fashioned. Normally drinking an Old Fashioned at 11:45 in the morning would be crazy but it seemed totally appropriate on BBQ weekend. The band was fantastic.  I stayed for the whole set and finally felt ready for round two.  Over to Jim N' Nick's for some ...