It’s a BBQ meat-centric feast, but attendees will also rave about the sauces, bourbon, whiskey, and beer.
Brisket King® NYC returns to Pig Beach Queens in Astoria for its 12th lip-smacking year on Wednesday, April 17, from 5 pm to 9 pm.
This walk-around, sampling event features more than two dozen chefs from around the country showing off their smokehouse talents and sharing the flavors of Mexico, Texas, Jamaica, Thailand, Korea, and the Dominican Republic.
General admission is $65, while VIP admission is $85 (early entry, all-access to brisket and drinks), and VIP Tables cost $750 (10 discounted VIP tickets with reserved seating, early access, swag, and t-shirts).
A partial list of the restaurants and chefs follows. (It will be updated as necessary.)
- BBQ Bear’s Smokehouse: 2023 Rib King NYC Winner, Cheryl Antoncic, Hartford, CT
- Big Bob Gibson: Samuel Alleyne, Decatur, AL
- Big Guns BBQ: Sean Keever, Poughkeepsie, NY
- Blue Smoke: 2023 Brisket King Runner Up, Christine Espinal Rosa, NYC
- Crossroads Que: Jesse Corsini and Kevin Cole, Bay Shore, Long Island
- Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Garth Caruso, Brooklyn
- Eazy’s Craft Barbecue Co.: Eric Vitale, NJ
- Empire BBQ: 2023 Brisket King Best in Show, Vincent Mangual, NYC
- Friends of Firefighters: Firefighter Chef Team, Brooklyn
- Hind Sight BBQ: 2022 Brisket King Runner-Up, Jeff Schmidt and Mark Fuller, Waterbury, CT
- Kam Rai Thai: Dhanapol Marprasert and Jina Tisopa, Astoria
- Kimchi Smoke: Robert Austin Cho, Ridgewood, NJ
- La Estación: Kevin Roth, Fajardo, Puerto Rico
- Morgan’s Brooklyn BBQ: Cenobio Canalizo, Brooklyn
- Sands Jerk Hut: Darlene Lawrence, Brooklyn
- Smoke Sweats: Anthony Scerri, Brooklyn
- The Meat Truck and Archie Moore’s: Jose Perez, New Haven, CT
- Tio Rozay’s BBQ: Hery Acosta, North Bergen, NJ
The judges who will choose this year’s winner include Food Network Obsessed Podcast Host Jaymee Sire; Andrew Rigie from NYC Hospitality Alliance; Misty Banchero, @seattlebutcherswife; Andrea Strong, author of The Strong Buzz; meat expert Nick Solares; and influencer Steph Perez from @yeahfoodbeer.
Of course, humans cannot live by BBQ alone, so a list of expected booze purveyors follows.
Beer: Ramstein
Hard Cider: Romilly Cidre
Spirits: Bubba’s Whiskey by Michter’s; Fort Hamilton Distillery; New York Distilling Company
The Pig Beach brand began with a restaurant in Brooklyn’s Gowanus in 2015. The Astoria branch has operated at 35-37 36th St. for about two-and-a-half years. The 28,000-square-foot venue features 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.
Brisket King® NYC is rain or shine. For updates, follow Brisket King® NYC on Instagram @brisketkingnyc.
Images: Food Karma Projects