Somewhat Disappointed at NYC BBQ Event


 
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Ben Milano

TVWBB Member
I went to the BBQ Blast in NYC this past weekend and tasted two "Championship" pitmaster's works. I must say I was not that impressed at all with what I was eating.

My wife tried the brisket and sausage from Salt Lick and I had 17th Street Bar and Grill/Memphis Championship BBQ which served ribs and beans. Forget the fact that the Salt Lick forgot to plate the sausage for my wife - the food overall was not that great. Don't get me wrong it was tasty but my own Que is really much better than what I tried this past weekend.

The brisket was very fatty and the ribs were a bit dry. The beans were good with a nice smoky flavor to them and they used a variety of beans too. The slaw from my guys though was excellent.

I amg lad I went 'cause it shows how far I've come as a cooker in just one year. Next year I'll go again and I hope to have a better tasting experience.
 
your not alone,every july i attend the new england bbq championships at the harpoon brewery in vermont, they have about 56-60 camps in competion, only about 10 of these was i impressed with, and these guys are from all over the country with state of the art equipment and custom built smokers, but 2 years running the winner for best ribs uses weber bullets, but i agree my first butt tasted better than most at this cook off
 
Mordechai - It was complete dumb luck. Three weeks ago I was reading Smokestack Lightning and came across several BBQ periodical references. I called them and they sent me sample issues. In one of them was a blurb about the event - totally unexpected.

Keep me on your email list and put me in your tickler file to email me next year
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and we'll hook-up. I went with my wife who is VERY cool and puts up with all of my books on wine, Q, etc. - plus she LOVES my food!

I would have loved to hook-up with a fellow smoker or two or three... and review the Q so to speak.
 
I swung by that thing as well -- in addition to the fact that it was raining, the lines were 100 yards long for most things. So I didn't bother tasting any of it. I heard about it through Time Out New York.

But I did try Paul Kirk's place last Friday. Overall, it is pretty solid. I tried spares, BBs, and pulled pork. The BBs were the best (although I like them a little softer), the PP was the most average (although I like his sauce, and I need to work on mine). I'm almost embarrassed to say that, while the Q was fine, I was most enamored of the onion strings and the fried oreos.
 
I was bummed I couldn't make it (I had a photo shoot out of town), but now I don't feel so bad.

I wonder why it was not better.
 
Originally posted by Mordechai Striks:
ben, how did you find out about this.. i would d to have gone.....
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It's always a big topic on the manhattan and outer boroughs boards on chowhound.com. That is where I first heard about it a couple of years ago.

Art... I've been meaning to try R.U.B. (kirk's place). I've heard very mixed things... but most of the negative reviews seemed to be in the first few weeks of opening.

However, we have a new BBQ place that just opened here in Port Chester (30 minutes north of NYC) and it is AWESOME. so I don't have much motivation to go down to 23rd street lately...

(Bryan, your Yankees avatar inspired me to add mine... only not the yankees...)
 
My husband and I went to our first BBQ contest this last weekend. A small local event, but enjoyed it. We only went to taste, talk, and see what the people were cooking on. (Lots of WSM's)

We have eaten some mighty fine BBQ. Been to Memphis a few times, Kansas City, and Texas. I have also been BBQ-ing for a few years at home. So, I guess you might say our taste buds have been spoiled.

We had fun at the cook off, and met some really nice folks, but most of the BBQ had just way too sweet of sauce, and not enough smoke. Some was greasy, some was dry. I guess you just can't judge it by what you eat at home, off your own smoker. Just enjoy the day out, and the people, and who knows, maybe, just maybe, you'll stumble on to some good Q.
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Deb (and all other NW BBQ'ers) Come over to Lincoln City (OR) for Smokin' at the Ocean on July 16 and 17. It a KCBS sanctioned event sponsered by the Western BBQ Association. There's a certified judging class on Saturday from 9 AM-2 PM. Should be great BBQ and not too huge an event, but teams from all over.
 
Bryan - I was the Corp. Comm. Mgr for Nikon for several years - what kind of photography are you into? What do you shoot with?
 
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