Here is the second installment of pics from the Big Apple BBQ Block Party (the first can be found in the thread just below titled Big Apple BBQ Block Party started by NYNM.
I started off the day at Black Jack BBQ from Charleston, SC. This is their Pulled Pork Shoulder and coleslaw sandwich with vinegar sauce. Pretty good stuff. Nice soft texture, and great pork flavor, but not very smoky. The slaw was vinegar based and crunchy. Not the best I've had, but it did the job complementing the sandwich. The sauce was ok. It had a nice spicy, peppery bite that lingered for a while which I loved, but I thought it was too vinegary for my taste. I'd get it again if I had the chance, but might be a bit more sparing with the sauce.
The same sandwich (pre-sauced). I always made sure to get a good amount of bark in my sandwiches.
Look at all that lovely pulled pork! If only I had a big ziploc bag and a trenchcoat, I could make a clean getaway.
Here are some of the products that they sell online. I think that is a big part of their business.
A nice close-up of the shoulder ready to be pulled. I really dug the old wooden bowl they used!
The pitmaster getting down to business. All of the pitmasters on both days were very gracious and were happy to have their pictures taken with their pride and joy.
Black Jack had an interesting little balcony set up above their smoker. I'm not sure if it was for Bubba Fast Pass folks or for their staff, but I would have loved to have had that vantage point of the festival while I was chowing down!
I met some friends from college and made some new friends today.
Ditto.
The ribs, beans and bread from 17th St. Bar and Grill. The ribs were moist, meaty, tender and smoky. I really was down with the sauce that they liberally applied. Not drowning in it, but finger-lickin' good! I couldn't get behind the beans though as I thought they had too much going on in them. Black beans, red beans, green pepper, and I think some other vegetables. I likes 'em simple. Someone told me that he helped Danny Meyer get Blue Smoke started in NYC. Not bad, not bad at all.
The logo from 17th St.
These guys were very excited to get their photo taken. Prepping at 17th St. I should have told them I was with Bobby Flay's "Throwdown". Maybe next time...
Ahh, yes! The always succulent link and brisket from Michael Rodriguez at The Salt Lick from Driftwood, TX. It wasn't everybody's favorite, but it just speaks to me. Supremely beefy sausage, smoky brisket (which honestly was a bit cold, but still tasty) and their sauce just pairs up sooo well with it. Sweet, but not cloying, thin, it cuts through the richness of the beef for a nice balance of flavors.
Me, enjoying my bounty from the Salt Lick.
My friends enjoying their 'cue.
The judges give today's food a thumbs-up!
The St. Louis ribs and beans from Jake's Boss BBQ in Boston, MA.I gotta say, I wasn't crazy about these ribs. I though they were very ordinary. Not terrbly smoky, somewhat chewy and not much flavor in my humble opinion. Okay, but I wouldn't get them again. Since I had lived in Boston for 6 yrs and never made it there, I just had to try them today. I like ribs that pull off the bone and have some serious smoke to them. The beans were really good though. Just some straightforward pintos with a subtle hint of cumin.
A rack anyone?
More ribs.
All in all, it was a great weekend and I look forward to going next year. I hope to see some new pitmasters there as well so that I and my friends can sample even more of what the various regions have to offer. Hope to see you there!
-Billyboy
