Summer is almost upon us, and real hardwood barbecue beckons. A luxuriantly hefty pork rib or pink-ringed slice of fatty brisket is equally delicious sitting in a historic barbecue storefront with the smell of smoke in your nostrils, or sprawled on a blanket in a park with friends at a picnic — remember, barbecue should be served at ambient temperature, so you can carry it anywhere without loss of flavor.
New York City has come a long way from the days when sauce-slathered pork ribs baked in the oven were considered barbecue. The city’s pitmasters have turned to other parts of the country for inspiration — to Texas, the Carolinas, Memphis, Kansas City, and now, Alabama. This list even boasts a Dominican-Texan mash-up that already has become one of the best barbecues in town.
Pitmasters began upping their game in the late ’90s and have only gotten better with time. This revised guide has many points in heretofore unexpected places. And it brings good news: Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue has reopened after a devastating fire, Jersey City has a new barbecue that makes Hoboken and JC collectively a very serious barbecue destination, and the Queens Pig Beach is every bit as good as the Brooklyn one was.
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