"bbq" news and stories

Just in time for football season, Slashfood has decided to start reviewing the best potato chips. Several years ago, we held a potato chip taste test, but with all the new brands of chips that have hit the shelves since then, we felt it was necessary to revisit the supermarkets and try them all again (tough job, we know).

First up in our new taste test series: BBQ. It's the most sought after flavor at the grocery store, but there are so man varieties available, where do you begin?

With over 25 different bags, we separated this taste test into five different categories to make it a little easier: plain BBQ, Mesquite, Hickory, Baked and Alternative (non-potato chip). There were also some stragglers, flavors that didn't fit into any category, but still needed to be tested. We gave this flavor the Editor's Choice award (we still can't get enough of them). We tested each chip on the following categories: chip thickness, coating of spices (intensity of BBQ flavor) and saltiness.

In the end, we chose an overall winner and loser for each category.

In considering a flagship event for what's now the second year of New York City's "July Good Beer Month," -- designing something called "Meatopia" isn't a bad choice to highlight your budding program. Such is the case organizers Jimmy Carbone of New York's Jimmy's No. 43, Time food writer, Josh Ozersky and master pit master Robbie Richter of Brooklyn's Fatty 'Cue who organized and hosted the inaugural Meatopia on Governor's Island (on the southern tip of Manhattan) this past Sunday, July 11. Thousands of meat and beer fans ferried over to the historic island, where they sampled over 30 chef's dishes and indeed drank good beers -- local brewery Six Points Craft Ales even brewed up a special smoked pale ale called "Signal," in addition to having their signature beers "Sweet Action" and "Righteous Rye" on tap.

Although Meatopia was billed as a BBQ festival -- one that in years to come could rival June's Big Apple BBQ Festival -- there were plenty chefs on hand experimenting with items outside the pulled-meat-in-sauce standards. For example, the folks from Bobo were serving up a grilled bacon sandwich topped with pickled green tomatoes, Napa cabbage, and fat baby mayo.

More after the jump...

Hello, sweltering heat and sunburns! How nice to be reunited with you again. Let's celebrate with some brew and 'cue, because this month has a plenty of it.

Ribfest, July 1-4, Naperville, Ill.: Gluttonous munching on barbecue ribs is as American as it gets, especially when it coincides with Independence Day. This Chicago suburb festival was named one of four "Ultimate Festivals" in the May 2008 issue of Details magazine. Best ribs and sauces will be judged according to Kansas City BBQ Society standards. Other than the animals as vehicles for BBQ, fried foods and refreshing beverages like lemonade and root beer will be showcased. British Invasion bad boys the Animals will be performing July 3rd. (Yeah, we don't know how that makes any sense, either.) Naturally, because of the event's dates, the celebration will culminate with patriotic fireworks.

Pineapple Festival, July 3, Lanai, Hawaii: The hospitality of America's 50th state is legendary and the islands are damn near the epitome of paradise. The one-day, 17th annual festival features the prickly tropical fruit that plays well in salsas and on the grill. The free event will highlight the local cuisine, crafts and entertainment.

K-Town BBQ Cook-Off & Texas Music Concert, July 9-10, Kosciusko, Texas: Lone Star State residents will tell you the best BBQ is made in Texas, and they're probably right. While there will be tunes aplenty, the events to draw the largest crowds will be the contests for best pork ribs, sausage and beef brisket. The judges will have a difficult time keeping the score cards free of sauce stains.

New York City may be known for a plethora of culinary delights -- pizza, bagels, knishes and more -- but authentic regional BBQ has seldomly been counted in its repertoire. However, as the 8th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party took over Manhattan this past weekend, 17 famous pitmasters flooded in from BBQ capitals around the country to share their meaty goods with an estimated 100,000 New Yorkers.

Organized by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, Jazz Standard and Blue Smoke, the event featured BBQ meats galore, live music by acts like Bob Schneider, Carolyn Wonderland and Nick Curran & The Lowlifes, plus a slew of free cooking demos and culinary discussions in the Every Day with Rachael Ray seminar tents.

The event skewed toward beef and pork, as ribs and whole hog dominated the menu, most notably by the Texas Salt & Pepper Beef Ribs of New York's Blue Smoke pitmaster Ken Callaghan, the succulent, fall-off-the-bone sweet St. Louis-style ribs from Dallas's Baker's Ribs, and whole hog from both Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville and The Pit in Raleigh, N.C.

Eaters who associate barbecue with cold beers and warm summer evenings are often surprised by the rigors of the competitive 'cue scene, which kicks into high gear this month. Fortunately, there's nothing stressful about attending one of the nation's many cook-offs.

After the jump, your guide to barbecue festivals from New York to California and everywhere in between for 2010.