New York City?

[David Parrish]

I'm not sure real barbecue can be made in NYC, but this author thinks it's the real deal. Weigh in!

[Nate]

need to fix the link.... i had to add a colon after the http

The author says, "Someday, this city may take its place in the pantheon of barbecue greatness." I just don't see that happening. In order for that to happen they would have to come up with their own regional style or taste and I think they are going to be all over the board from bbq joint to joint since some are trying to mimic one region while others are trying to mimic another....

The only thing I could see them really creating their own region with is (shoot me... i am gagging and choking as I type this) some sort of gourmet bbq (just seems counter intuitive to me). The access to talented, educated, and trained culinary chefs and masters means that someone could come along and incorporate and infuse bbq into some sort of gourmet concept. Other than that I think it is going to be all over the place...

If there was a region that was going to take all the different BBQ regions and concepts and turn them into some sort of pantheon of bbq greatness then I would venture to say it should have been Midwest. We really don't have our own style so to speak... Everyone kind of has their own likes and blends what they feel is the best from a lot of regions... Some folks around here love the sweet thick sauce and Kansas City Style. I have other people around me that like the Vinegar sauce and NC whole hog style... My family has loved Alabama white sauce ever since I introduced it. I have other friends that like the basic salt and pepper seasons like you would get out of Central Texas. We smoke, cook, grill, and eat: pork, beef, poultry, fish, wild game, mutton, and veggies too! We are kind of a BBQ melting pot... heck if you go to some Q joints around here there will be half a dozen different kinds of sauces just to please the eclectic palate of their customer base.

[David Parrish]

OK I checked the link and it didn't work for me so thanks Nate for calling it to my attention. The weird thing is I checked the link and that colon is actually in it. I resaved the post and now the link works for me even though I made no changes to it. Weird, amIright?

[Nate]

yeah i've had similar things happen when I have tried to link stuff before.

[edible hen]

1 click on the link and I was on the right page.

[RoadRage]

There are some real good BBQ joints on LI. But I have to agree with Nate. I've had BBQ from Tx, La up to ND and each place has a different flavor. Here they advertise KC style or TX style. They still have to find a style unique to L.I. I think it will be done soon. We certainly have our share of chef's here.

[AdamJG]

Great barbecue can be made anywhere. NYC is full of transplants from not only our whole country but the entire world. I could see some real creative things being made with some interesting flavors. I don't buy into the notion that good barbecue only comes from the American south...anybody with 100 bucks can get a used Weber Kettle, pit membership and a bag of Kingsford and turn out something delicious regardless of geography!

[AdamJG]

Though it certainly originated in the south, I think all of the regional differences and opinions on who makes the best type of que is what makes our hobby so great!

[gcdmd]

AdamJG , by "the south" do you mean our southernmost state? The ancient Hawai'ians were doing pit (imu) BBQ (kalua) for centuries, probably before it started in the continental south, unless the native Americans were doing it.

[AdamJG]

I'm sure people were roasting meet on every continent in some capacity, I just said the south for the sake of making my point...good barbecue comes from many different people and places

[RonB]

I lived on Long Island in the early 70s. I remember a BBQ joint opening up. At the time I thought it was the "real deal". It had an open pit in the middle of the place and the meat was 3' or 4' off the coals. I thought it was very good, (but I didn't have any experience with real bbq at the time). It lasted about 6 months before closing - the area just wasn't ready for real Q. Anyway, I hope BBQ catches on in New York - even New Yorkers should have access to good Q...

[Potkettleblack]

The increasing quality of commercial gas smokers and the combination of transplants and Brooklynites (I grew up in Queens so have an irrational dislike for the BKLYN) doing kooky progressive things, suggests to me that they will never settle on a style the way the various regions have. But there will be great restaurants, teams and hobbyists doing new things that combine tradition from across the globe with something not in BBQ.

PS- Chicago has a regional BBQ style. Aquarium ribs and rib tips.

[Spinaker]

Great BBQ can be made anywhere. Every place has its own style and flavors. Its not like the Carolinas, Texas, Memphis, KC, Georgia etc. all got together and picked their flavors out of a hat. These flavors and styles have developed over time. And reflect local resources and traditions. Who says new flavors and styles cant be created? NYC is a melting pot of culinary art. You realize that any time you are trying to decide where to eat in the Big Apple!! You have soooo many choices, its unbelievable. New York is truly one of the great cities of the world. There is no reason why they cant develop their own style. I am not saying its gonna happen over night. But it didn't happen over night in the South either. To say that great BBQ can't be made outside of the south is crazy.

[martybartram]

The TV show BBQ Brawl is a good example what could be considered NY BBQ from a regional stand point, they always incorporate something that distinguishes it and usually it is based on family Italian food.