I'll be "Cooking" at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party!

Cool! It'll be alot of work, I'm sure, but should also be an incredible learning experience and alot of fun....

Good Luck...hopefully you'll learn a few tips, meet some great people and have a fantastic time.

I was initially excited of the idea of havving this major BBQ event just a short ride away from Long Island. I decided to pass as a spectator as I can't stand the idea of waiting on long lines just for some BBQ. I may be way off and stereotyping, but I am envisioning several thousand of NYC's finest yuppies all lined up with nothing else to do on a Sat. or Sunday afternoon in midtown.

congrats sounds like a fun time will be had. Hope you get some time off to enjoy the festivities.

Congrats Rockaway. You should have a great time and meet some great folks. Be prepared with a lot of sun block and comfortable shoes. The lines are outrageous!

MilitantSquatter said:

Good Luck...hopefully you'll learn a few tips, meet some great people and have a fantastic time.

I was initially excited of the idea of havving this major BBQ event just a short ride away from Long Island. I decided to pass as a spectator as I can't stand the idea of waiting on long lines just for some BBQ. I may be way off and stereotyping, but I am envisioning several thousand of NYC's finest yuppies all lined up with nothing else to do on a Sat. or Sunday afternoon in midtown.

Click to expand...

I'm sure as you were thinking why not to go, there was someone in Manhattan saying "I was thinking of going to the BBQ Block Party, but who wants to spend all that time in line with people from the burbs, maybe SoHo will be safe..." Yep, stereotyping is awful.

You should go with a group of people and employ one of the various strategies on line management.

Richard if it's anything like past years, I'll be skipping it too.

The lines are outrageously long and totally mismanaged. You can be standing on line for 45 minutes to an hour to get some brisket from Big Bob Gibson only to find out that he ran out two hours ago or worse that you're on the wrong line all together.

As I wrote on my blog:
"I really have mixed feelings about this event. Don't get me wrong, it's a great event and a fantastic opportunity for the average New Yorker (including the bridge and tunnels) to sample some of the best barbeque around. It is a lot of fun.

But to me, it's a lot like New Year's Eve. Just as New Year's Eve is amateur night for drinkers, the Big Apple BBQ Block Party is amateur night for barbecuer's. I've never been a big party type of guy. I'd rather be spending time talking with Paul Kirk or Chris Lilly or Mike Mills at a competition or in their restaurants than spending time on the streets of Manhattan waiting in line for their food.

If you've never been to the Big Apple BBQ Block Party, you need to go. Just like Time's Square on New Year's Eve - it's something you need to experience once."

I've gone the last few years and met some great people, talked with alot of pitmasters and ate some good (and some great) food. That being said, all in all, its really just not a "must-do" event for me-- some of the food makes it worth it, but the poorly managed (looooong) lines, the crowds, lack of coordination and adequate information as well as the fairly high prices for not much food really take the steam out of it...Like BQ said, it is something to see and do, and it is great to see something like this take hold in NYC.....Most likely I'll be putting my feet up, smoking a cigar w/ a cold brew in hand throwing sticks on my own fire w/ no waiting.....

Robert - I'd like to think that every year line-management and information sharing regarding food availability has gotten better. Maybe with this being the 3rd year they will have it figured-out. An alternative is of course the Bubba's Fast Pass which makes things better. And as you said, you should try it at least once.

Where else are you going to get the All-Stars of Q in the same place at the same time serving food.

I for the most part was trying to continue to fan the flames of the urban/suburban rivalry...

The Bubba Fast Pass starts @ $125 or $200....that's alot of scratch.

And last year, me and about 125 other people stood online for the Salt Lick for nearly 40 minutes in the rain before we overheard someone mention that they were sold out-- no one from the Block Party made that announcement-- though they were walking around handing out Salt Lick literature. So, I'm not sure they've learned much from previous years, or maybe they don't really care. Doesn't seem like they have trouble attracting a crowd.

Good Suggestion in today's Daily Candy (my wife still gets it) http://www.dailycandy.com/article.jsp?ArticleId=26123&city=1 about how to meet the pit masters and beat the crowds.