Pig Beach’s All-Star BBQ Benefit Returns on April 29
Pig Beach partners Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride pose in front of a photo of Jeff Michner at the last Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit in 2022.
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While only its third time being hosted, the annual Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit is shaping up to be one of the biggest BBQ events of the year in NYC. More than 30 pitmasters and chefs will be cooking up a feast on April 29, 2023, at Pig Beach BBQ in Queens — all to raise money for charity in the name of the late Jeff Michner.
The first iteration of the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit took place at Pig Beach in Brooklyn in April 2019. After pandemic-related delays, the second edition of the event took place in April 2022. Both of the parties attracted top-tier pitmaster talent and more-than-you-could-eat delicious barbecue bites.
Be prepared for some amazing barbecue bites from the country’s top pitmasters at the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Jeff Michner, who the event is named after, was the founding pitmaster and executive chef at Pig Beach in Brooklyn. He unexpectedly passed away following a sudden brain bleed in May 2018. At the age of 36, his death was tragic, and he left behind his wife Sara and 16-month-old daughter Hayes. He also left behind his Pig Beach family, where he was instrumental in putting the joint's barbecue on the map.
The Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit was created with a primary goal in mind — to raise money for the Jeff Michner Foundation, which supports families managing loss and grief and creates scholarships for "graduating high school students with a love for cooking and golf." To help raise money for the cause, all-star pitmasters from all over the U.S. show up in support, cooking up brisket, ribs, whole hog, pastrami, pulled pork, and so much more.
This year's pitmaster and restaurant list is as follows:
Matt Abdoo & Shane McBride, Pig Beach BBQ (NYC)
Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott BBQ (Charleston, South Carolina)
Chris Lilly, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que (Decatur, Alabama)
Tuffy Stone, Cool Smoke BBQ (Richmond, Virginia)
Billy Durney, Hometown Bar-B-Que (NYC)
Amy Mills, 17th Street BBQ (Murphysboro, Illinois)
Carey Bringle, Peg Leg Porker (Nashville, Tennessee)
Craig Verhage and Leslie Roark, Ubons BBQ (Yazoo City, Mississippi)
Ed Randolph, Handsome Devil BBQ (Newburgh, New York)
Cody Sperry, Hoodoo Brown BBQ (Ridgefield, Connecticut)
Brad Orrison, The Shed (Ocean Springs, Mississippi)
Harrison Sapp, Southern Soul BBQ (Saint Simons Island, Georgia)
Sean Keever, Big Guns BBQ (Fishkill, New York)
Mike Johnson, Sugarfire Smokehouse (St. Louis, Missouri)
Damon Wise & Lauren Hircshberg, Pineapple Express (Montclair, New Jersey)
John Wheeler, Memphis BBQ Co. (Horn Lake, Mississippi)
Danny Beck, Pearl’s Southern Comfort (Chicago, Illinois)
Tank Jackson, Holy City Hogs (South Carolina)
Bret Lunsford, Blue Smoke (NYC)
Mike Puma, Gotham Burger Social Club (NYC)
Phil Wingo, Pork Mafia (Chicago, Illinois)
Kelly Dallas, Hogapalooza (Wynn, Arkansas)
Skip Steele & Dana Lamel, Que49 Smokehouse (Jonesboro, Arkansas)
Kerry Fitzmaurice & Daniel Jacobellis, Pure Grit & Top Gun BBQ (NYC)
George Morasci & Andy Nguyen, Five Monkeys BBQ (California)
Mario Chape, Big Papa Smoke ‘Em (NYC)
Grant Pinkerton, Pinkerton’s BBQ (Houston, Texas)
Jessica Taccone, Complete Burger (NYC)
Ralph Perrazzo, Snap-O-Razzo Hot Dogs (NYC)
Many pitmasters from around the country show up to raise money and have a good time at the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit. (Photo by Eric Vitale)
This year's edition of the Benefit will be even more exciting than years past with the event being hosted by celebrity chef and pitmaster Michael Symon. He will be filming some of the day’s festivities for an episode of his great Food Network show BBQ USA.
To go along with the filming of the show, the Benefit will also include a friendly competition element, where pitmasters will compete for awards including People’s Choice and Judges’ Best Bite of the Day. No doubt that pitmasters will be bringing their A-game.
Amy Mills (right) of 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro, Illinois (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
In many ways, the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit is a successor of sorts to the huge Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, which held its final edition in 2018. No other event brings this much out-of-town and local talent all in one place, with pitmasters from North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, New York, and New Jersey all showing up to support a good cause.
Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ, one of NYC's best pitmasters, will be back at the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
The Benefit will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets start at $125 for general admission (or $135 at the door if tickets are left) and $225 for VIP tickets. VIP tickets get you early entrance at 11 a.m., plus a few extras like getting to meet pitmasters and special appetizers.
I can't wait for this event at the end of April, and I hope to see you all there. Be sure to grab tickets before they sell out!
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT (NEWS)
Barbecue is heading back to Madison Square Park with the Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event on Tuesday, June 13.
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
For years, the largest BBQ event in New York was the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. That event ended in 2018 and sadly never came back. This summer, Madison Square Park will see the return of BBQ, but in a much smaller form, with the Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event on Tuesday, June 13. The park will host 20+ great BBQ joints from around the NYC metro area, including Bark Barbecue, Blue Smoke, Boots & Bones, Handsome Devil, Hill Country, Hometown BBQ, Izzy’s BBQ, Kimchi Smoke, Morgan’s Brooklyn BBQ, Pig Beach BBQ, Pure Grit BBQ, Red White and Que Smokehouse, and more. To get a ticket, you’ll have to make a $300 tax-deductible donation to the park, which I think is a tad steep for most folks. I’ll be writing a full preview and getting more details in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. READ HERE.
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque recently closed its original East Village location. “We all knew the adventure was going to be a wild ride, and we feel blessed to have been able to serve so many from this restaurant,” the team posted on social media. “It is with a heavy heart that we have decided not to renew our lease at this location. While we wish to have been able to just keep our first restaurant in the system forever, many realities have made that path impractical. We hope that all our local guests will make the short trip over to our West Village location.” READ HERE.
Cenobio Canalizo, chef and pitmaster at Morgan’s Brooklyn BBQ, will be hosting a BBQ cooking class on April 19 at De Gustibus Cooking School by Miele in Manhattan. READ HERE.
The popular Smoke Point video series visited Rolo’s in Ridgewood, Queens, which it claims serves one of the best burgers in all of NYC. (All the other items look amazing too.) WATCH HERE.
Hotshot Philly BBQ joint Zig Zag BBQ is also gaining a reputation for sourcing unique tea, with a tea-focused pop-up. Void, a pop-up teahouse, takes over the East Kensington BBQ joint two days a week between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. READ HERE.
The Hoboken Girl recently compiled a list of great Southern comfort food options, including BBQ joints in Hoboken and Jersey City. The list will likely soon need to add Boots & Bones, which is getting a lot of buzz in JC. READ HERE.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
You don't want to miss out on all the delicious brisket at Brisket King NYC on April 26. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Here are the top BBQ and related food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
Wednesday, April 26, 2023: The 12th Edition of Brisket King NYC will be held outdoors at the huge Pig Beach BBQ location in Queens this April. The event will feature brisket dishes from upcoming barbecue pitmasters and chefs. Historically, Brisket King has featured pitmasters before they were household names, so you’re also getting a look at the future of the barbecue scene. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Saturday, April 29, 2023: Jeff Michner was the Executive Chef of Pig Beach BBQ in Brooklyn. He tragically and suddenly passed away in the spring of 2018 at the age of 36. The annual Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit will celebrate Chef Jeff with an epic barbecue at the Pig Beach NYC location in Queens with some of the country’s greatest pitmasters. This year's edition will be hosted by celebrity chef and pitmaster Michael Symon. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Saturday, May 13, 2023: The Texas Exes (the University of Texas alumni) is bringing back its famous Texas Exes Chili Cookoff to New York City soon. The group had a stellar turnout in 2022, after a two-year-long hiatus. But for 2023, the group is going to be BIGGER, LOUDER, and TASTIER than last year. The big Chili Cookoff will be taking place at Pig Beach in Queens. Sean Ludwig of NYC BBQ will be one of the judges, so competitors better bring their most creative chili! BUY TICKETS HERE.
Saturday, May 27, 2023: The Rib King NYC 2023 event, which will be held for the first time at Industry City in Brooklyn, will be the ultimate Memorial Day barbecue. Not only will attendees get to go hog wild for ribs, but it will also feature awesome live music from Little Feat guitarist Scott Sharrard’s El Dorado Slim playing two sets of jammed-out funk and blues mash-ups. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023: BBQ will soon return to Madison Square Park in the form of a fundraiser. The upcoming Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue event on June 13 will host 20+ great BBQ joints from around the NYC metro area. To get a ticket, you have to make a $300 tax-deductible donation to Madison Square Park Conservancy. MORE INFO HERE.
Saturday, September 29, 2023: Back for its 14th year, Pig Island NYC is returning to Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens on Staten Island for its third year in a row. More than 20 chefs will come together for this pork-laden festival and compete for the most delicious porcine dishes. There will also be craft beer, hard cider, spirits, and other food offerings – all included with a GA ticket! BUY TICKETS HERE.
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