Well, following up on the last post, I thought I’d take a moment to share my opinions on the food at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. Unfortunately I was only able to handle five different plates, both because I had not done any stomach-stretching exercises and because even with the Bubba Pass you had to stand in line.

There were certainly no losers here, but I have my opinions. On to the barbecue:

Blue Smoke: Good but not great. The ribs were smoky and flavorful, but a little tough to get off the bone with your teeth, and not as juicy as I would have liked. Plus, Blue Smoke is located only a few blocks from Madison Square Park, so what’s the point? Good, but not the best of the best, certainly.

Here’s the Blue Smoke site.

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que: Some very good pulled pork. Smoky and juicy. This ‘cue could easily have been the best I had, but something even better was yet to come on Sunday.

Here’s Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que’s site (you can skip the Flash movie at the start).

Southside Market and BBQ: This was my most adventurous plate. You see, being from Tennessee, which is in the South, I do not regard anything made from a cow as barbecue. On the plate for these guys was brisket and sausage. I am happy to report that my prejudices in this matter remain unchallenged: the brisket was a bit tougher and drier than I would have liked. I don’t really know what to compare it to anyway. But the sausage was absolutely delicious. I guess Texas people can cook, as long as they don’t call the result “barbecue.”

Here’s the Southside Market site

17th Street Bar and Grill: I was skeptical, because these people are from Illinois, which is not even in the South, but then again they won Memphis in May three times, so they definitely went on my dance card. Excellent Memphis-style ribs, wonderfully smoky, with a sauce that really complemented the ribs’ juiciness while not obscuring the natural flavor. Just great. I bought the sauce too.

Here’s the 17th Street site.

Ubon’s: This was truly transcendent pulled pork. Wow. The key to pulled pork is getting the flavor of the smoke throughout the meat, while at the same time making sure it remains juicy, with the fat of the pork shoulder melting into the meat and distributing even more flavor. Garry Roark, the pitmaster, is a genius and I got to see him work.

Here’s Ubon’s site.

And here’s a picture of my favorite: