#PickoftheWeek | BBQ? All You Can Eat!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
The only thing better than the food is the cause.
The Third Annual Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit will fire up at Pig Beach NYC in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District on Saturday, April 29, from 11 am to 5 pm.
Presented by Anheuser Busch, this fund-raiser/eat-a-thon features several dozen of the country’s best pitmasters. They’ll prepare their A List specialties in a “dine-around, swine-around” format to honor Michner, a chef who passed away at age 36 in 2018, leaving behind a wife and young daughter.
General admission is $125 ($135 at the door) to start eating and drinking at noon. Pay $225 for VIP tickets that provide early access (11 am) for a meet-and-greet with pitmasters along with cocktails, appetizers, and day-long access to the VIP Lounge. Children under age 12 can attend for free.
Proceeds will go to the Jeff Michner Foundation, which provides scholarships to culinary students and supports families managing grief.
The pitmasters will ply their craft at 25 indoor and outdoor food stations. Here’s a list of the meat-smoking talent.
Amy Mills, 17th Street BBQ (Murphysboro, Illinois)
Billy Durney, Hometown Bar-B-Que (NYC)
Brad Orrison, The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint (Ocean Springs, Mississippi)
Bret Lunsford, Blue Smoke (Manhattan)
Carey Bringle, Peg Leg Porker (Nashville, Tennessee)
Chris Lilly, Big Bob Gibson (Decatur, Alabama)
Cody Sperry, Hoodoo Brown BBQ (Ridgefield, Connecticut)
Craig Verhage and Leslie Roark, Ubons BBQ (Yazoo City, Mississippi)
Damon Wise and Lauren Hirshberg, Pineapple Express (Montclair, New Jersey)
Danny Beck, Pearl’s Southern Comfort (Chicago, Illinois)
Ed Randolph, Handsome Devil BBQ (New York)
George Morasci and Andy Nguyen, Five Monkeys BBQ (California)
Grant Pinkerton, Pinkerton’s Barbeque (Houston, Texas)
Harrison Sapp, Southern Soul Barebeque (Sea Isle, Georgia)
Jessica Taccone, The Complete Burger (NYC)
John Wheeler, Memphis BBQ Co. (Horn Lake, Mississippi)
Kelly Dallas, Hogapalooza (Arkansas)
Kerry Fitzmaurice and Daniel Jacobellis, Pure Grit and Top Gun BBQ (NYC)
Mario Chape, Big Papa Smoke’m (NYC)
Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride, Pig Beach
Mike Johnson, Sugarfire Smokehouse (Missouri)
Mike Puma, Gotham Burger Social Club (Manhattan)
Phil Wingo, Pork Mafia (Illinois)
Ralph Perrazzo, Snap-O-Razzo Hot Dogs (NYC)
Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott BBQ (Alabama)
Sean Keever, Big Guns BBQ (Fishkill, New York)
Skip Steele & Dana Lamel, Que49 Smokehouse (Arkansas)
Tank Jackson, Holy City Hogs (South Carolina)
Tuffy Stone, Cool Smoke BBQ (Virginia)
Beyond feeding the crowd, the pitmasters will vie for People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice awards as hosted by Food Network’s Michael Symon. Attendees will also be able to compete in an onstage rib-eating contest.
The Pig Beach concept – mixing classic and modern BBQ techniques and serving beverages from local breweries and distillers — began in Brooklyn’s Gowanus in 2015. The 28,000-square-foot Queens restaurant opened at 35-37 36th St. last fall. The venue houses NYC’s largest indoor smokers among dozens of wide-screen televisions, three premium bars, and a backyard beer garden outfitted with a 28-foot jumbotron, live music stage, and picnic table seating for hundreds.
Editor’s note: Please understand that the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit on April 29 is distinct from Brisket King NYC 2023, which will take place at the Astoria Pig Beach on April 26. Click here for more info on Brisket King.