Did You Miss Out on the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party?

The Big Apple Barbecue Block Party was founded by Danny Meyer, Kenny Callaghan and Mark Maynard-Parisi in 2002, the event (which takes place in early June) quickly became a magnet for barbecue lovers who gathered to sample the work of great practitioners of the art from around the country, says John T. Edge, the author of Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South. Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois of Meyer's restaurant Blue Smoke offered brisket burnt ends with chipotle BBQ sauce and summer corn salad, while Brooklyn pitmaster Bill Durney prepared smoked beef short ribs with pickles and onions.

This year, there were 13 other chefs at the event. Edge is particularly enthused about Samuel Jones of Ayden, N.C., who offered up a whole hog sandwich with sweet slaw, and Charleston's Rodney Scott, who prepared St. Louis ribs with cole slaw. Both men have opened new restaurants recently, Edge says, showing how vital the barbecue tradition remains in the South.

Big Apple BBQ site: http://bigapplebbq.org/

Potlikker Papers: http://johntedge.com/ potlikker-papers/

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