My sister, Heather, lives in Manhattan (or is that on Manhattan?). Anyway, she spent the weekend patiently standing in line at the 4th Annual Madison Square Park BBQ Block Party. She was kind enough to get some photos of the event as well as an eyewitness account of what she saw there.

Pitmasters included some famous barbecuers:

• Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Decatur, AL (also the hose of OLN’s All Start BBQ Challenge)
• Paul Kirk (no need for anything but the name here)
• Bryan Bracewell of Southside Market & BBQ, Elgin, TX
• And a bunch more.

Heather’s account follows…

Madison Square Park BBQ Block Party [4th Annual]
June 10th & June 11, 2006

This was my second year attending NYC’s version of the “block party”. Unfortunately, I was out of town during last year’s festivities, though I’m not sure I would have been up for it regardless as I was incredibly put off by the gargantuan lines in 2004. A friend of mine decided to invest in a new offering, the “Bubba Pass”, which was a debit-like card that allowed access to a separate, much more luxurious line that allows elitists such as myself to disassociate from the common folk [editor's note: I don't know if she's kidding about this part! ).

So, with the prospect of gilded burnt ends being served to me on crystal platters, I agreed to give it another go.

I knew my change of heart was worth it as soon as I stepped outside– the smell of smoking meats had wafted across the 4 blocks to my building. Again, the lines were ridiculous, even with the fast passes (about 45 minutes per vendor – much longer at some). However, a neighbor in line brought us back some amazingly tender brisket from Tabla, a modern Indian fusion restaurant that had set up their own stand out in front of their patio dining area to participate in the festivities. It was lightly sauced with a clovey-cinnamon flavor not unlike Skyline chili [editor's note: this is a good thing!].

Additional bbq sampled:

• Pulled pork shoulder & mustard slaw from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q; Decatur, AL: decent pork, forgettable sauce, but great slaw – so spicy, we had to send our friend for beers immediately.
• Baby back ribs & baked beans from 17th Street Bar & Grill; Murphysboro, IL: great tender ribs, but not a lot of flavor in the rub (did not try their sauce); friends raved over the beans (I’m not a baked beans girl).
• Pulled pork shoulder & slaw from Ubon’s; Yazoo, MS: amazing all-around – pork was nice & smoky, the slaw pleasingly peppery, and the sauce was outstanding.
• Sausage from either The Salk Lick BBQ of Driftwood, TX or from Southside Market & BBQ of Elgin, TX (not sure because I paid the guy sitting next to me on the sidewalk $5 for it – I was not going to stand in the lines at that point, but really wanted to try the smoked sausage!): good enough to make me regret sharing with a friend.

All in all, it was a fun time. Oh, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore & his band performed, who I love almost as much as I love bbq. And the music didn’t cost a dime or entail standing in line…

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