16 Of The Country's Top Barbecue Masters Are Visiting NYC In June

New York City will play host to some of the nation's best barbecue at the annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party the weekend of June 7-8. Taking place in Madison Square Park and neighboring streets, the two-day festival will feature 16 of the country's top pitmasters from a a dozen states.

More than 140,000 locals and tourists are expected to come out for tastes of whole hog, sausage links, pulled pork and other favorites. The admission-free event – a plate of food will run you $9 – will also include live music, cooking demonstrations and more. Proceeds will benefit the Madison Square Park Conservancy. The hungry and impatient may also purchase a FastPass –guaranteeing access to express lines for the holder and a guest and a $100 redeemable food and beverage value – for $125.

Here are this year's participants:

Ed Mitchell: Pitmaster Ed Mitchell (Durham, NC)

Mike Mills: 17th Street Bar & Grill (Murphysboro, IL)

Chris Lilly: Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, AL)

Jean-Paul Bourgeois: Blue Smoke (New York, NY)



Charles Grund, Jr: Hill Country (New York, NY)


Joe Duncan: Baker's Ribs (Dallax, TX)


Mike Emerson: Pappy's Smokehouse (St. Louis, MO)



Jimmy Hagood: BlackJack Barbecue (Charleston, SC)



Patrick Martin: Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (Nashville, TN)



Garry Roark: Ubon's Barbeque of Yazoo (Yazoo City, MS)



Scott Roberts: The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que (Driftwood, TX)



John Stage: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (New York, NY)



John Wheeler: Memphis Barbecue Co. (Horn Lake, MS)



Rodney Scott: Scott's Bar-B-Que (Hemingway, SC)


Sam Jones: Skylight Inn (Ayden, NC)



Daniel Delaney: Delaney Barbecue (Brooklyn, NY)

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