Barbecue lovers in the city already know that the 3rd Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party is this weekend. The rest of you, mark your calendars!
Last year's event drew enormous crowds and long lines thanks to the combined effects of good weather, good barbecue, and poor event planning. I only had enough patience to wait for Mitchell's, and was not disappointed. Thankfully, it sounds like a lot of lessons were learned and this year's event will be bigger and better coordinated. According to event organizers, here are some the improvements you'll notice:
Last year the food was at 26th Street between Madison and 5th Ave. This year the food will be on Madison between 23 and 26th Streets. This means more space for pitmasters and more organized lines.
Last year there were 6 pitmasters. This year there are 10.
Last year you had to buy coupons at one booth, then buy your food at another, which meant waiting on two different lines. This year, you can purchase your food by credit card or cash when you buy your food at the pitmaster tents--no coupons necessary!
At last year's events, New Yorkers consumed:
500 lbs of hot links
20 whole hogs
1200 racks of spare ribs
1500 racks of baby back ribs
2100 lbs of pork shoulder
4700 lbs of brisket
24,000 sandwich rolls
800 lbs of cabbage
37,500 bags of potato chips
1800 slices of watermelon
Things get started this Friday when the pitmasters will start firing up their smokers. Saturday and Sunday line up for your barbecue between noon and 6:00 p.m. For more information, go to Big Apple BBQ.
