8th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party

For more information, visit http://www.bigapplebbq.org.

The Eighth Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party takes place in Madison Square Park June 12-13, 2010, from 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM. The weekend-long event takes place every June and brings together the country’s top pitmasters who cook up their award-winning food for over a hundred thousand barbecue enthusiasts. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Madison Square Park, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party attracts people from near and far to sustain and celebrate America’s authentic culinary and musical traditions.

Admission to the event is free. Take in the sights, sounds and smells of the event – from great live music to engaging seminars and cooking demonstrations – without ever dropping a dollar. The country’s best barbecue is available from top pitmasters for only $8 per plate.

Proceeds from the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party support the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the organization responsible for the beauty, ongoing maintenance, and programming of this historic park.

The Novice Smoker will be in attendance – taking pictures and testing all the food – for quality control reasons, of course 🙂 If you’re in the area, come on down for some good music and great food. And, the best part is that it all goes towards a great cause.

We Have Takeoff!

Ever since I bought my smoker – and, truth be told, for a long time before that – I’ve wanted to make restaurant quality brisket. Brisket, to me, epitomizes what true BBQ food is all about. It’s just a tasty, hearty, succulent meat that, when prepared correctly, just makes your mouth water. So, I decided to jump in the deep end and see if I can swim. With my first run on my new smoker, I decided to give a 4.5-lbs piece of brisket a shot. Results after the jump.

Brisket Prep

I’m going to prep my first brisket tonight.  I’ve got a 4.5lbs slab o’ meet and I can’t wait to get this train moving.  I’m still up in the air over dry rub vs. marinade.  Any suggestion?

Garlic & Peppercorn Marinated Chicken

It’s kind of ironic that my first post on here is about grilling and not smoking, but I’m sure you’ll deal with it.  I am aiming to get in the habit of recording most, if not all, grill and smoke sessions here, so bear with me while I get things going.

We were looking to do something pretty easy this evening.  In an effort to help facilitate lunch for the week, we figured we’d grill up a bunch of boneless chicken breasts and then use them for salad and what not during the week.  Anyway, read about what we did after the jump.