STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Between the sultry weather and fire pits at Pig Island, the heat was on at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens. The third annual regional barbecue contest and tasting event drew over 1,500 guests to the Livingston campus on Saturday afternoon.
Based on conversations at Pig Island, three bits of barbecue philosophy stood out.
Bob Delphin of Fire & Smoke BBQ (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
“This is not an old man’s game,” declared Bob Delphin, the pit master of Fire & Smoke BBQ. His pork bellies, waffles and pork “bon bon” samples drew the longest lines of the afternoon.
“If it ain’t cooked overnight, it ain’t right,” maintained Phil Wingo of The Pork Mafia Co.
Rodrigo Duarte’s whole hot on a spit (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
As chicharrón (pork rinds) crinkled in a vat of oil near a carved whole pig, he added, “Low and slow makes a tender, juicy pig.”
Stapleton-based food truck fleet owner Vinny Mangual told his steady stream of tasters, “Even if it’s not a winner today know it’s good.”
Cornbread and candide pork belly from Jase’s BBQ of Brooklyn (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
His company, Empire Barbecue, turned out thousands of a signature dish to delighted crowds: Tostones Rellenos. The tidy bites of Creekstone Farm pork steak sat atop crisped green plantain slices further dressed with citrus slaw, pickled onions, avocado cream and Staten Island-made pique.
Pig Island at Snug Harbor for the fall installment of NYC BBQ. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
A good swath of the Pig Island crowd travelled from outside of the borough to experience the barbecue love, said Jimmy “Pots and Pans” Carbone, an event organizer.
Pig Island at Snug Harbor for the fall installment of NYC BBQ. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Indeed, a casual poll of attendees turned up visitors from Queens, Long Island and New Jersey with food celeb “The Hogfather” Tank Jackson in the…
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