NYCWFF Barbecue and the Blues Tasting

By Julianne Clancy

Photos and Video by Katherine Jacobson

I may have been raised in the North, but after spending several years in North Carolina, there is one thing I know to be unquestionably true: Nothing beats some good barbecue. Thrillist, the geniuses behind the Sixth Annual NYCWFF Barbecue and the Blues tasting, have created an event that proves this in abundance. It was a night of smooth tunes, spicy sauces, tender meat, and down-home fun. As our evening’s MC, Adam Richman, host of the Travel Channel’s Man Finds Food, told me, whether you’re from the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Birmingham, the flavors of barbecue translate. According to him, it’s all about the universal appeal—every culture has a touchstone to barbecue, and everyone is welcome to just come as they are.

And come they did. Good Units, a funky underground space with high ceilings, black walls, and a secluded balcony (invitingly decorated with hay bales and corn hole boards to feel like a backyard party), was packed with foodies hoping relax with some sweet songs by the Slick Skillet Serenaders and sample some of New York City’s best barbecue. The chefs represented ranged from competitive pit masters to food truck stars to established restaurateurs, all seeking to cement their prowess in the field.

Barbecue might be most known for ribs, but I’ve never tasted ribs quite like these. Vermilion’s Chef Anup Patwal, whose restaurant has been treating New Yorkers to Indian Latin fusion for over twelve years, served up a huge serving of tamarind ribs with mango rice, garnished with two types of chimichurri. The sauce on the ribs had very little heat, but the tamarind gave it an incredible tang and light fruity sweetness. The herbaciousness of the chimichurris cut through the sugariness beautifully, while the cumin in the rice added a subtle floral note to the dish.

Korilla Barbecue, the famed tiger-striped food truck, just celebrated their one year anniversary at their brick and mortar on St. Mark’s. Their Killa Ribs with Murder Rice was hot, hot, HOT. The peppery rib sauce set my mouth ablaze with spice and flavor, while the kimchi-laced fried rice extended the burn down through my chest. Feeling warm all the way through, I suddenly discovered pieces of smoky, thick cut bacon studding the rice, bursts of salt, umami, and fat that cooled my mouth down enough to enjoy the next irresistible bite. It’s rare that spice can be that strong and yet not overwhelming, but Chef Ester Choi has figured out the secret to making it work.

I believe it’s against the law in Texas to have a cookout without some beef, so several chefs did their best to represent with out-of-this-world brisket. Brooklyn’s Sweet Chick, known for Chef Rand Reppel’s fried chicken and waffles, offered up a surprise with their meaty serving of brisket and fall-inspired pumpkin potato salad. The brisket had a pleasantly chewy bite to it while the creamy potato salad was vinegar-forward and bursting with flavors of basil and dill—a modest yet elegantly creative dish.

Chef Robert Cho of Kimchi Smoke, a new pop-up showing up around the boroughs and in New Jersey, is adamant that his food is not fusion—it’s just what a Korean guy from New Jersey grew up eating. His brisket dish was the most creative of the night, served alongside a kimchi bacon donut slider (the “Chonut”). The brisket was straight-up Texas style, coated with coarsely ground black pepper and chipotle based sauce and smoked for over twelve hours, while the slider was a gloriously puzzling blend of smoky bacon, vinegary and spicy kimchi, and almost cloyingly sugary glazed donut. I don’t know if it’s a dish I’d order time and again, but it was definitely unforgettable.

Bucking custom by serving old-fashioned cookout food, Mile End Deli, known for curing and smoking all of their own meats, went for a classic all-beef hot dog—homemade and in natural casing, of course. The dog, bursting with traditional ballpark flavors, was accompanied by a relish so fresh that the crisp lightness of the cucumber shined through to cut the saltiness of the dog. Simple has never been done quite so well.

As a North Carolina girl, when I think of ‘cue, I think of pulled pork. Union Bar and Kitchen, a new Soho eatery from Chef Jonathan Renert, an investment banker who realized food marketing beat playing the stock market, served up a classic yet refined pulled pork slider with slaw and a jalapeño cheddar biscuit. The tomato-forward sauce contrasted beautifully with the tangy slaw, both of which were soaked up by the airy brioche bun. The texture of the biscuit was a bit more like a muffin than I expected, but the flavor gave a nice kick to an otherwise sweet serving.

Pig Beach, an award-winning pit-crew from a cast of all-star chefs (they came second in whole hog this year in the Memphis barbecue competition) that has been serving their unique meats in a pop-up in Gowanus, offered their take on pork with a Mini Barbecue Baked Potato. The potato wedges, topped with meltingly tender meat, soaked in a succulently sweet sauce that held just a hint of rich spice, and smothered in a creamy mac and cheese sauce, was the crowd’s favorite of the night and won Thrillist’s coveted Barbecue and the Blues trophy. Personally, I just hope that Pig Beach starts bottling their mac and cheese sauce because I want that salty, creamy goodness on everything.

Being somewhat of a traditionalist, I was wary of the more Mexican-inspired offerings of the night. However, both entries into that category were my favorite bites of the evening. Bar Bacon, the two-year-old Hell’s Kitchen joint dedicated to making bacon the showcase of every dish, delighted my senses with Chef Shawn Hewitt’s smoky, sweet, spicy, fresh pulled pork tacos. The pork itself was very lightly sauced, which was not only a refreshing variation but allowed the rich saltiness of the bacon, spice of the fresh jalapeño, citrus tang of the salsa, and tropical sweetness of the pineapple to sing. These one-bite-wonders were a true flavor bomb, lighting up every one of my tastebuds with glorious finesse.

My personal winners of the night, though, were Chefs Thomas Kelly and David Schillace, from Mexicue, and their Alabama Smoked Chicken Tostadita. The restaurant, which opened as a food truck in 2010 before bringing their eclectic mix of flavors to restaurants in NoMad and Times Square, has perfected multi-cultural comfort food. The chicken was tender and tasted, in the best way, of campfire smoke and warm, subtle heat. The slaw and pico were dazzlingly vibrant, full of cooling herbs and summery freshness. The tostada chip base was salty with a hint of surprising sweetness, fried to crispy perfection with just enough residual oil to make it irresistibly rich. But it was the crema that truly stole my heart—a velvety blanket of sauce that had a buttery smoothness, a sour tang reminiscent of buttermilk, and a slow burn of chipotle, which I swear spread all the way to my toes. I finished much too quickly and found myself longing for more, even though I was almost too full to move.

After a perfect night of decadence and indulgence, it was all the more rewarding to discover that the proceeds of the night would be benefiting the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign—and that the New York City Wine and Food Festival has raised over 8.5 million dollars for those groups since they started their partnership. If Thrillist’s goal was to celebrate barbecue’s ability to reach stomachs and hearts, they succeeded in spectacular fashion, leaving me sated, wowed, and thoroughly convinced of barbecue’s place in all societies and cultures.

Check out a few highlights of the night, including some tunes from Slick Skillet Serenaders!

THRILLIST’S BBQ & THE BLUES from Katherine Jacobson on Vimeo.

Want more NYCWFF action? Check out our review of their outrageous Bloody Mary Brunch!