Big Apple BBQ Block Party

I’ve wanted to attend this event for awhile but always shied away because of the tales of massive soul sucking lines. This year I decided it was time to bite the bullet and go. I took someone who hates lines and should be watching his cholesterol — because if we’re gonna do this let’s do this, right?
I will say the lines move more quickly than you expect (except for Salt Lick, whose line was the largest and slowest). The strategy we adopted was to get your food from one place, then immediately get on the next line, and split what we got with each other. There’s almost no where to sit so be prepared to eat standing and walking. And bring water, every beverage was at least $ 3.
The quality of the food was hit or miss. We made of point of only trying places that were not from NY, because why bother eating something from Blue Smoke when we can do that any time? Hands down, my favorite vendor was Big Bob Gibson. His pulled pork practically melted in your mouth, and they had jars of this delicious habanero hot sauce. Not too thick, not particularly spicy, but low on vinegar and just right for pulled pork. I would absolutely buy a bottle just to have in the house.
We also had brisket, ribs, a fried apple pie, and another pulled pork sandwich from a different vendor and nothing came close to touching Gibson’s product. At $ 10 a plate, plus water, it adds up and the food didn’t really blow me away enough to make it worth it. I was really glad I didn’t pay $ 125 for a fast pass, the lines aren’t THAT bad and you’d need to eat a grotesque amount of what sometimes amounts to mediocre BBQ to make your money back. NYC also needs to update it’s alcohol laws. It’s ridiculous that you have to essentially drink beer in a roped off pen (ahem, I mean «garden»), away from the food. Same story at LIC Flea, or any temporary outdoor venue, it just seems completely unnecessary, but it’s not the fault of the event planners.
While I’m glad I went I don’t think I’ll be returning next year.

I was extremely disappointed that places were out of food as early as 12:30 when the event began at 11:30 on Saturday 6÷11÷16. The worst violator of this behavior was Hometown BBQ. This is my hometown and it was a poor showing. They restocked and would run out again in the afternoon. The portions were all over the map. People received huge Beef ribs on the bone, and my portion was minuscule in comparison.
The Fast Pass was a waste of time and money. Lines weren’t entirely too long, except early at Salt Lick, and they ran out by mid afternoon too. By the end of my experience, i was eating just to spend what was prepaid. $ 125 for Fast Pass and $ 100 towards food and beverage.
Dinosaur BBQ was my favorite St. Louis Rib. It is a chain, but the quality was good. Not better than Pappy’s though (which i had in St. Louis). 17^th street Baby Backs were very good, Bakers were not as good. Had whole hog from 17^th street too. Fried apple pie from Bakers was off the hook.
I would return next year with a better strategy and without the Fast Pass.

Came back this year to visit people I know that work the event/​own businesses. This year was beautiful weather wise– no rain on Sunday. This year companies stopped giving VIP passes. Guessing the promoters wanted more money for the passes ($ 200) nothing less like the usual $ 50 passes I used to receive. So that led to massive lines of people all paying with cash. I miss the vip lines. There’s no way I was eating $ 200 worth of BBQ. The rates per sample also went up– as does everything in life. Samples are now $ 10. I remember when it used to be $ 7.00. And sad to say the portions aren’t as generous. Still nice to come by– purple watch, listen to music and try other samples from non BBQ vendors.

This is an awesome event to take your friends and family and smother down some delicious BBQ from around the US!
My advice: skip the fast pass ($ 125) or VIP ($ 225) badged. Doesn’t save you that much time, but yes it does have its perks.
Fast pass will give you a fast line plus $ 100 dollars to spend on food. It didn’t help much for me on Sat because it wasn’t too busy and general lines were empty.
VIP will give you everything in the fast pass, but you can also chill in a private area of the booths and drinks.
2016 vendors:
Memphis BBQ, South Haven, MS***
–baby back ribs
Salt Lick, TX
–brisket
Dinosaur BBQ, Harlem, NY
Hill Country, NYC
–pulled pork burger
Hutchins BBQ, McKinney, TX***
–brisket
(There were a few others, but I didn’t get a chance to try)
***definately a must have!
My favorite was Hutchins BBQ! The brisket was juicy, well seasoned, and the meat melts in your mouth. I normally don’t like fat, but the fat on this brisket was so tasty! I loved it so much I went back on Sunday just to have it again.
Overall this was a fun event we music and families being able to lay on the grass and enjoy the weekend. It definitely was a fun experience that brought me back to Texas. I honestly don’t think I can have any other BBQ again for awhile unless I go to the south or Texas specifically.
I hope next year they have just as good vendors because it was worth the hype!

Big Apple BBQ is a nice event. Love the different varieties of BBQ vendors available. Love the pricing system keeping everything consistent. Don’t love the fast pass system as it seems on occasion the lines are the same or even slower than the regular lines. It’s also odd that some vendors with short lines serve up better BBQ than those with long lines.

(In the interest of speed, I’m simply reposting my notes to a friend after 2016’s Day One… I don’t have time to write a real review now, because I’m off of Day Two.)
Baker’s. No innovation, no nonsense. This is what I would call a neighborhood rib joint. Fine for daily use but not too OMG. Well-​cooked but not hugely flavorful.
Hutchin’s. Classic Texas brisket.
Skyline. Meat itself isn’t super-​powerful but with vinegar dip it’s good and the coleslaw helps texturally.
Salt Lick. Go early (and often.) My line was 25 minutes. They WILL sell out. Brisket is skippable but the sausage and the hot and regular sauces are killer.
Ubon’s. Pretty good. Some pepper or something in there for decent pre-​sauce flavor but still add sauce.
17^th St. Is it just wishful thinking for the post-Pappy’s era or have these guys stepped up their game? I feel like they got more Pappy’s-ish by going for more of a sweet-​and-​salty thing. In any case, great stuff. No need for the additional sauce. Even the beans are good.
Martin’s.Good whole hog. Maybe I didn’t go crazy for it since it was my 7^th meat of the day.
Baker’s Fried Pies. Good (peach) but I don’t know if it lives up to the extreme hype. Maybe I’ll try blackberry and/​or apple tomorrow.

I’ve been coming here for 3 years and at this point this is a summer staple. Whenever I think of summer, I think of hanging out a beach, rooftops and BBQ! Here you get awesome BBQ from all over the country (including representation from NY) and you get to hang out in Madison Sq Park and picnic with said BBQ. DO IT! The lines can get pretty long so I would suggest splitting your party up in different food truck lines or timing it right to get there when there isn’t too much of a wait. They also have VIP passes but I don’t think it’s humanly possible to eat that much meat.
Best of all, the park itself usually has family-​fun games for the kids, live music (usually country) and a beer garden for the adults. This is a cool experience to get to eat real southern cooking without traveling to the south.

It is a bit hard to review this festival because it is a gathering of BQQ pitmasters. Depending on whose BBQ you try, it can vary one’s whole experience. I have read other Unilocalers’ low star reviews and I agree with them, but I also read high star reviews which I agree with as well. Overall, I’m a fan and I had a great time and most of the food was delicious.
The event itself was efficient in my mind. I was prepared to wait in Cronut level lines (or LA Ramen Festival lines for you West coasters), but was happy that the longest lines took me an average of 15 – 20 minutes to get through. I was also pleased that they all had the same checkout system, so I can use my credit card without fumbling around with cash and change.
Knowing that this was a festival in Manhattan, I expected higher than normal prices for the quantity given and with any festivals, there would be vendors that served great food and others that served not so great food. This foresight led me to do a bit of research the night before and helped me avoid quite a few under average BBQ pitmasters, though not all. Rounding out my strategy was to avoid all New York based BBQ joints, because I figured I could go to the actual location to get a better value. I also live by the rule of thumb that if there is a line, it is probably worth waiting for. But like all rule of thumbs, you have to measure it up against other factors such as your experience/​gut to avoid the over-​hyped things and find those hidden gems.
Pappy’s Smokehouse was my favorite. This is how ribs should be — tender, juicy, and fall off the bone. The side of beans was sweater than what I would expect with beans, which was a nice surprise for my sweet tooth.
Louie Mueller Barbecue was a mixed bag of emotions for me in which I can only describe as being happy that I was ripped off. I loved the dry rub seasoning on the beef rib, which was perfectly prepared that it almost melted in my mouth. It was very delicious, but the most expensive menu item at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party at $ 12 and probably the smallest portion. The amount of beef brisket given was small and it was served alongside pickled vegetables and a slice of white bread. Useless filler side items in my book.
The Salt Lick Bar-​B-​Que was solid and I liked the «sample platter» style menu item. No complaints here, not even at their line. The sausage had a nice little kick of heat to it, which was balanced by the refreshing cole slaw side item.
Skylight Inn was average because this style of BBQ doesn’t seem to be for me (I also tried Martin’s Bar-​B-​Que Joint). The chopped whole hog sandwich was like eating into mush for me; it lacked the wonderful texture of barbecued meat. On the bright side, the Skylight Inn pitmaster chopping the whole hog had a wonderful personality and put on quite a show with his knives.
17^th Street BBQ was the biggest disappointment I ate in my life. I had high hopes after hearing great things online and in the media (Food Network, The New York Times, Bön Appetit, etc.). Whatever was served here was the complete opposite of all those positive reviews. The ribs were so overcooked and dry that I considered it treason not only against BBQ, but food in general. If I was the pitmaster of this place, I would be so ashamed at what was served that I would close all stores until the quality and consistency matched the positive reviews given by food critics. If I couldn’t, then any awards and trophies won should be burned and the positive reviews by the above mentioned media properties should removed or updated after tasting what I have tortured my taste buds with.
TL;DR. Fun event with bearable lines that averaged around 15 – 20 minutes. BBQ is delicious, but I suggest you do your homework to avoid the bad.

The anxiety I feel when on long lines had probably taken several years off my life. Combined with all the drinking and other hijinks, I don’t have much time left on this world. Which means, I have even less time to wait on these damn lines!
Despite my first experience, FILLED WITH LINES, it was still a great time and the second time I went was a grand slam! No lines then.
The Big Apple BBQ takes over Madison Square Park for two awesome days. Long lines for food isn’t new for Madison Square Park, there’s the original shake shack. It does get pretty intense though.
Upon my first time there I chilled out in the beer zone. Nice to sip some brews on a hot summer day. You couldn’t really bring it into the other sections though. So you have to pick you battles. Drink in the shade, or roast hotter than that pig while you wait in lines for food. I couldn’t wait, I had to get some grub. Around 3 pm the lines were pretty long. As you can tell there is a common theme here. And you don’t really get a good buzz running around, and having just two drinks.
The food though was amazing. I was in BBQ heaven. I vowed to come back next year, prepared!
This past year I got there around 11 in the morning. The lines? What lines? I know what you might be thinking. «Isn’t 11 o’clock in the morning a little early for BBQ?» Shut your mouth! There’s never a wrong time for BBQ! Besides you can just chill. Lines weren’t even bad at noon. Make sure you get there early and you’ll be fine.
I suggest get one thing first, and eat it while you wait in line for whatever has the longest line. I started off with lamb sausage and drunken beans. Then went on the long line for the beef brisket, hot beef sausage, and slaw. Finished my day with a chopped hog sandwich.
As for drinking? I was done eating. And instead of sticking around in the sun, I went across the street in the AC to cool off with a frosty one.
If you haven’t done Big Apple BBQ yet, you’re missing out.

This BBQ block party have gotten just too popular. They even have a Fastpass system in place!
WTF, are we in Disney?
Either you come early with friends, divide up and conquer by each heading straight for a line or don’t bother because the lines become so long you better just skip the event.
The «samples» that you buy are overpriced after waiting on the long line.(I just walked over to Blue Smoke for real portions!

Get a gameplan (check the menu and map beforehand), consider splitting up if you have any plans to check out Salt Lick (and splitting portions if you want to try more places), and arrive early, and with patience. It seems things were either run better this year than previously, or people were turned off my previous experiences, as the only large lines dissipated quickly and early, which is great because VIP passes reached epic prices this year.
2015 spots:
Louie Mueller Barbecue — Texas beef rib with pickled southern vegetables $ 12
Skylight Inn — chopped whole hog sandwich with coleslaw $ 9
17^th Street BBQ — baby back ribs with baked beans $ 11
The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint — Pulled whole hog sandwich with baked beans $ 9
Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-​B-​Q — Smoked pork hot links with pimento cheese $ 9
Big Bob Gibson Bar-​B-​Q — Pulled pork sandwich, spicy mustard coleslaw $ 9
Blackjack Barbecue — Pulled pork with coleslaw (not $ 9 but instead pathetically free more than 7x walking around)
Sugaree’s Bakery — caramel cake $ 6
Some other freebie and promo tents like Sweet ‘n’ Low, Yeti, etc.

I heard a couple coworkers talking about this event so I decided to check it out. Being extremely OCD and wanting to avoid the craziness that is the lines, I decided to head over 15 minutes before things opened up. I arrived with my girlfriend at Madison Square Park around 10:45. The crowds were not bad at all, unless you wanted to go to Salt Lick or a couple of the out-​of-​towners. Those had lines that wrapped around the block even before they opened it all up. However, all the New York chains and the pork places all had very short to no lines. We decided to set up shop at Louie Mueller BBQ because they were selling beef ribs and the lines were already pretty long. I think their system at all vendors this year with around 4 – 8 cashiers with ipads made the lines go by quickly.
From where we were standing, we could see the Mueller crew working with huge pieces of beef ribs and everyone was excited. At 11 sharp, they let loose the lines and we all crowded the registers. Imagine our surprise when the beef ribs came out to be the size of half a brisket slice. No joke, this $ 12 piece of meat could be swallowed in one bite. It was ridiculous. If you want beef ribs, go to Carnal in Smorgasburg or Daisy May’s on 46^th. Never again.
The other places such as Big Bob Gibson’s or Dinosaur BBQ had no line at all and were delicious! In total, I had baby back ribs, jerk style ribs (from Hometown), a pulled pork sandwich, and a brisket sandwich. The prices were pretty high for most items, ranging from $ 9 – 13. I don’t think the prices are really fair, but hey, you are eating a ton of bbq in beautiful Madison Square Park, so whatevs. There was plenty of space to sit and eat in the park.
Definitely come early so that you can try a whole bunch of different meats. And bring your own water bottle so you don’t have to buy their grossly inflated $ 3 waters.

A perfect day for some BBQ. What a glorious day it was. Filled with ribs, pulled pork, sausages and all things barbecue. My mouth was watering from the time I exited the subway as the barbecue scent found it’s way to my nose.
This was a much better organized event this year. It was the middle of the afternoon and the lines were moving incredibly smooth and fast. Not because of a lack of people, but a better all around organization. Nothing like past years where most lines were what seemed like an hour long. Good job Big Apple BBQ.

Amazing! Who doesnt love a good block party?!
Came to the Big Apple BBQ block party for the first time and loved it! I was overwhelmed by the transformation of Madison Sq Park and the sweet aromas of wood burning BBQ. There was BBQ everywhere!
The first thing we did was walk into one of the many beer gardens. With various beer and wine to choose from it was pretty cool to be able to drink in the park. Tried the Goose IPA which was good. They also had a live band in the park.
After scouring all of the pop up shops we decided to go with the Shed BBQ & Blues Joint from Ocean Springs, MS and Salt Lick Bar-​B-​Que from Driftwood, TX!!!
I wanted to try everything but we could only try but so much. Anyhow the pulled pork sandwich and the beans at the Shed were amazing. The Brisket at Salt Lick was so tasty and the sauces they have were great!!! The cole slaw was mediocre but it was all about the meat! Next year I know for sure that I’ll be bringing a sheet to chill on the grass. It was a beautiful day and its so amazing to have something like this in NYC!
For dessert tried the Red Velvet Cake from Sugaree’s. The cake was very moist and the cream cheese was good as well. One slice of cake was $ 6 but they give you a very healthy portion.
So happy that I was able to experience this and will return next year!

Big Apple Bbq… Yes PLEASE! Where else can you try pitmasters grub from all over USA in a few hours??? On top of all that plates ran from $ 8-​$ 11…
We decided to go and enjoy the festivities Sunday afternoon around 4pm. Why so late so might ask? We tried our best to avoid the long lines and guess what… #winning — we sure did!
We ordered ribs from pappys, brisket from hill country, jerked bbq from the spot in BK, some pulled pork here and there and finally the hot sausage. Nothing disappointed. All four us had messy fingers and joker smiles lol.
Pappys I love them! The sauce had a awesome smokey apple flavor to it. Them ribs were tender and still had a good pull to it. Hill country brisket was off the hook! The bbq sauce was dope but wasn’t needed as the meat was moist and tender enough. All of the pulled pork sandwiches were nice. The jerked bbq had an awesome molasses and fruit flavor to it. Must try their spicy sauce if your brave enough and finally the hot sausage had a great bit to it.
We will def be back next year! I wonder how the VIP passes worked, but maybe next time? If you missed out you can always go to
and stay informed. Hope to see you there next year!

Let me say this, it was like the heavens opened up and down descended the foods of the gods. So much BBQ I did not know were to start. Luckily my fiancée is a foodie who lives for street fairs especially focused on foods. We tried ribs, pulled pork and brisket. A specialty from down south each with a unique texture, flavor and sauce (mmm the sauce). Sorry I was reminiscing. The BBQ food was so unique that you can tell they are not from NYC. If you ever have a chance bring your stomach and if you live for BBQ come visit this event .
I had to practically drag my fiancée from the festival before we went into a food coma.
Oohh the sadness that I must wait for next year to arrive again

I absolutely love this event! I went a few years back right in the middle of the day and there were crazy lines. This year I did it right. I arrived on a Sunday at 5, and there were practically no lines.
Everything here is really good, but with vendors from places like TX and MO, I don’t understand any NYers getting NY BBQ here. If you live in or near the city, you can hit up those places any time.
I could write about all the different joints, but you just have to try them for yourself. There isn’t a vendor here that doesn’t know what BBQ is all about.

I’ve been counting down to the Big Apple Barbecue for weeks now and for good reason! Walking toward Madison Square Park you can already hear the music booming and see the barbecue smoke rising — a sort of come hither deliciousness is awaiting.
There are tons of maps and directories located around the park to help direct you, but essentially the park is lined with several different barbecue tents is a T shape. Make sure you take a scope out the map and different tents for different barbecue options. Opinions range from the classic pulled pork sandwiches and beef brisket down to the unique lamb brisket to Jamaican jerks — it’s all here.
I had the lamb brisket which I can’t remember for the life of me cannot remember the vendor. For $ 11 I received 3 finger sized slices of lamb brisket and a small cup of soupy spiced beans. The lamb was very unique, tender and well seasoned but a bit on the fatty side. The beans had a unsuspecting kick to them — overall ok. A bit pricey for the amount of food we got but at least it wasn’t cash only.
By far my absolute favorite was the pork ribs and beans from Pappy’s. Let me tell you a bit about Pappy’s for $ 12 we got a healthy portion of ribs and a bowl of barbecue baked beans. Make sure you douse with the barbecue sauce! The ribs were fall off the bone tender and there was a delicious caramelization on the outside.
To cool down make sure you stop by the lemonade stand located in front of the Credit Suisse building (closer to 5^th). It was a bit pricey at $ 6 a cup but the lemonade was divine! A tart mixture of lemon and limes with the right amount of sweetness — no wonder the line was so long!
If you aren’t into barbecue (we can’t be friends — just kidding) and want to just enjoy the vibes they have various scheduled concerts throughout the weekend as well as multiple beer gardens scattered throughout the park. Just make sure you stop by one of the ID tents to get your bracelet.
Some things to note, most of the vendors accept credit cards which is great but some of the smaller carts are cash only so be prepared for that. Also don’t let the crowds scare you, most tents have multiple lines the wait isn’t that long. Happy eating!

The barbecue is always great but the event itself is very mismanaged. After waiting on the long lines for the past few years, I decided to get the fast pass. It was a complete and total waste of money. I paid about $ 200 for my fast pass and the included guest fast pass and we still had to wait in the separate fast pass lines, which were often over 40 minutes of waiting– nearly as long as the regular lines
The pass included some amount of free food, but the lines were literally so long, most booths ran out of food before we finished our food allowance. We were able to try two booths. All the benches in the park were taken but we noticed there was a fenced off section with benches and umbrellas. When we tried to sit there, we were told that was only for people who bought an even more expensive pass.
Next year, I’ll take the $ 200 and go to Blue Smoke where I can sit down and actually eat.

Always a great time provided you are prepared
First thing is to get there first thing in the morning. I normally go on sunday to take advantage of the free parking on Madison Ave
Stands start opening at 11am, I am usually parked by 1030
Second thing, go with several people… One group grabs a table. 2 or more others get on line at your favorite stop
2 of us always go to the salt lick… best brisket there
Jim and nicks are great for ribs
Typical price is $ 8 a plate
Another recomendation is to bring a small cooler for drinks. They usually offer a bier Garten but I am usually driving so I pack water and sodas.
Madison Square park is beautiful
They often have raffles and contests to pass the time in between plates
I plan on going again this year