Every summer, the Big Apple BBQ takes over Madison Square Park in New York city. The 2013 event is this weekend (June 7-9) from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. – if you’re in town I’d recommend checking it out!
To quote shamelessly from the event’s website (I’m feeling a little lazy today): Admission is free, with award-winning barbecue and Southern-inspired fare from the country’s top pit-masters available for $8/plate. Live performances from emerging and established rock, blues and soul artists take place onstage throughout the day.
I first attended in 2011 and was actually working the event as an intern for Maker’s Mark. We handed out free samples of to-die-for maple bourbon popcorn. We ran out before the event was over and people got pretty upset. Someone even threw their popcorn in my face when I told her we weren’t allowed to give out more than one sample per person. It was hot and stressful but at least I got to eat free BBQ and a few handfuls of the highly-prized popcorn.
Last year Kiyo and I went back because even with all the crowds and the smothering heat of New York City asphalt in the summer, who can resist a smorgasbord of BBQ?
Kiyo loves ribs so of course we had to try some. They were delicious and even the beans were memorable; unfortunately since this was so long ago there’s no way I can remember which booths / pits we bought from. I’m guessing they’re all very good but if you’re looking for the best of the best, I think good advice is to find the longest line and get to the back.
This bun was totally boring but when the BBQ is so good, the bread is secondary and we really didn’t care. Bread is just another way to get the meat into your mouth while standing in a huge crowd on a hot New York sidewalk. The small side of coleslaw gives the welcome illusion of a well-rounded meal. Between the music, food and happy people with BBQ sauce smeared on their faces, it’s worth spending the afternoon at this event. Maybe if I get back to it this year I’ll finally be able to snag a piece of the mouth-watering fruit pie I haven’t yet gotten to try!
Tagged: baked beans, BBQ, Big Apple BBQ, bourbon, coleslaw, hot summer day, Kiyo Egashira, madison square park, Maker's Mark, maple, meat, New York, New York City, popcorn, pork, ribs, sandwich, summer, unhealthy, work
