BEST BBQ RESTAURANTS BOTH NEW AND CLASSIC: NYC’S TOP SMOKEHOUSES
Satisfy your craving for smoked meats and homespun comfort food at the best BBQ restaurants in NYC.
By Christina Izzo and Patty Lee
Southern food is well represented in Gotham, with a recent barbecue boom bringing meat-hungry New Yorkers even more low-and-slow cooking. Armed with Wet-Naps, Time Out New York trekked from Williamsburg to Harlem in search of the best BBQ in the city, from young upstarts to established stalwarts. BBQ hounds, get ready to feast.
Best BBQ in NYC: Blue Smoke
Legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer took a casual turn with this classed-up ’cue house in 2002. Number crunchers pack the skylighted dining room—accented with rustic flourishes (red vinyl booths, exposed-brick wall)—and roll up their pin-striped sleeves to dig into platters of Kenny Callaghan’s pit barbecue. Opt for moist shredded pork lightly coated in a sharp vinegar sauce ($19), hickory-smoked slices of marbled Creekstone Farms brisket ($19) and hefty beef ribs (half rack $17, full $27); a dash of Spanish paprika adds extra bite. Homestyle desserts, including a towering wedge of luscious banana cream pie ($8), complete the all-American offerings. 116 E 27th St between Park Ave South and Lexington Ave (212-447-7733) • 255 Vesey St between North End Ave and West St (212-889-2005) • bluesmoke.com—Patty Lee
New York’s reigning pit maestros: Eight BBQ grill masters
These modern-day Prometheuses call forth smoke and fire with delicious results. Get to know the grill masters behind New York’s best BBQ.
Go behind the smoke curtain and find out what drives NYC’s grill masters. We check in with eight of the the city’s top pit masters, including pioneering ’cue biker John Stage (Dinosaur Bar-B-Que), new-school mixmaster Hugh Magnum (Mighty Quinn’s) and Oklahoma booster Jeff Lutonsky (Mable’s Smokehouse). Read on for the details on these best BBQ chefs.
Kenny “The Velvet Touch” Callaghan
Smokehouses: Blue Smoke, 16 E 27th St between Park Ave South and Lexington Ave (212-447-7733)• 255 Vesey St between North End Ave and West St (212-889-2005) • bluesmoke.com
Origins: Longtime Danny Meyer cohort Callaghan (Union Square Cafe) spent months on the road immersing himself in barbecue culture across the country to prepare for the opening of Blue Smoke in the Flatiron District in 2002 (a second outpost arrived last year in Battery Park City). “We wanted to pay homage to all of the different regional styles,” Callaghan explains. “It’s my job to re-create the greatest hits from across the country, but because my fine-dining background keeps creeping out, I try to do it with a little more finesse.”
Pit hits: About that finesse: Every smoked meat has its own custom spice-rub-and-sauce combination, and some are given the full chef treatment. The spicy-sweet Kansas City spareribs are smoked for seven hours, then quickly charbroiled before serving to imbue them with an extra-tasty caramelized edge. “Blue Smoke is a different experience than your down-home smokehouse joint,” says Callaghan.
(ORIGINAL ARTICLE)
Best ‘Cue
