Vegetarians Not Welcome

There are quite a few annual events we look forward to here in New York City, but this past weekend was one of the most important: The Big Apple BBQ Festival. You've seen enough food shots on this blog to know we do not take feeding ourselves lightly, and the level of intensity increases when meat, smokers and BBQ sauce are involved. This year was the 10th annual celebration of the festival and it did not disappoint! For those that aren't aware, every year for two days Madison Square Park becomes a haven for renowned BBQ Pitmasters. They are set up along several blocks of Madison Avenue and 27th Street. Their rigs arrive on Friday night and begin to fill the air with hickory-tinged smoke. By Saturday morning, the pigs are good and cooked...the meat ripe for the pickin'.

Our process of attack has been thoroughly tested and perfected throughout the years - it starts several months in advance with the purchase of what is called a Fast Pass. The Fast Pass is the key to success. For $125 you get a 'punch card' with $100 worth of money on it and a companion pass. These allow you access to the 'inner' lines - while the commoners (who obviously lack foresight and real passion for BBQ) must wait in the outside lines. The Fast Pass lines typically move faster, but make no mistake they, too, can get outrageously long at the best rigs (Big Bob Gibson's from Birmingham is routinely upwards of 1 hour wait). Each year, we set up camp around 10:30/10:45 in the morning, and spread our blankets out on the same grassy spot each year. After plotting who to hit up first, everyone is off to the races. Martin's BBQ from TN, Ubon's of Mississippi, Jim n Nick's of AL, Jack's Old South from GA, the list goes on...

Our group varies in size from 10-20 folks throughout the day, so we'll often get in line for a particular vendor and bring back several plates for the group. For example, our friends Lindsay and Johnny took one for the team this year and stood in that crazy Big Bob's line. A well-timed "Roll Tide" got them a plate of pulled pork while they waited in line,  and they returned with 3 sandwiches back for the group. But Randy & Heath really outdid themselves by standing in the Fried Pie line that stretched two blocks, they ordered 16 fried pies at once - 4 each of peach, apple, cherry & blackberry. A friend of mine from HS was in town visiting (hi Tara!), and I'm pretty certain she was blown away by the crowds of people and what a big ordeal this whole event is. It really is truly an amazing spectacle. Day 2 was a quick stop to round out whatever you couldn't fit in your belly the first day. The goal is simply to finish all the punches in your Fast Pass. Whatever you don't spend in BBQ you can buy in rubs, spices and other merchandise. Then everybody goes home and sleeps off the meat coma...