Thank you to everyone who made Pig Island a success – all of our loyal guests, the incredible chefs who each brought their A-game, our generous sponsors, our enthusiastic judges, and our new partners at Snug Harbor Cultural Center.
Read All About It:
In The Smoke Sheet: Frankly, it was the first time in a long time where I felt like I was living back in the reality I’d known prior to a pandemic that still looks far from over…As for the food, there were a ton of delicious bites to be had….Some of the best dishes included the tender whole hog from Holy City Hogs of South Carolina; Laphroaig-glazed pork belly burnt ends from pitmaster Matt Fisher of New York; spare ribs and mac and cheese from Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue of New York; and the Puerto Rican slow-roasted marinated pork (pernil) from Que Chevere of New York. It was a relief that so many of the food and drink options were available just like there would be any other year.
In NYC BBQ Weekly: Thankfully, great food, big pitmaster personalities, and tasty drinks were all present, which made everything feel more enjoyable…It was a joy to stuff my face with creative dishes from multiple pitmasters and chefs in one outing…. and frankly, there wasn’t a bad bite I had all day.”
In SILive: “To caramelize his signature burnt pork ends, Matt Fisher sprays the meat with apple cider and whiskey before it hits the grill. And to complete the carnival of flavors, the Great Kills native and owner of “Atom’s Ribs” supplies a little taste of summer corn pudding.This dish and other porcine perfection came from the pit masters of “Pig Island,” a barbecue showcase at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens, Livingston, that treated guests to a smoky, sprawling, very sunny picnic on Saturday.”
In New York Events: “We have been attending for years and look forward to it every year. The event has historically taken place in Red Hook Brooklyn where we would also ferry over. However, this year the venue was in the borough of Staten Island. We were hesitant about the change at first but fell in love with the space upon arrival….The garden is gorgeous, serene and the perfect place for a BBQ!”
And the Award Goes To….
Best Bite: Matt Fisher, Pitmaster formerly with Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue
Matt made Laphroaig glazed pork belly burnt ends with summer corn pudding.
Best Pulled Pork: Mike Petrovitch, Que Chevere
Mike made pernil y arroz con gandules (roast pork with rice and pigeon peas) – a traditional Puerto Rican rice dish! Their pork shoulders marinate for eight hours and then are slow roasted for 48 hours resulting in fall-off-the bone meat.
Hidden Gem: Jase Franklyn, Jase BBQ
Jase will be cooked jerk pork and his signature BBQ pigtails.
Sexiest Dish: Jesse Jones, Pow: My Life in 40 Feasts
Chef Jesse is preparing dirty corn muffins topped with North Carolina-style pulled whole hog, pickled slaw, and his sweet heat barbecue sauce.
“The Other Side:” Mike Lapi, SUNY Cobleskill and Chefs’ Consortium
Mike used his expert butchery skills to create custom sausages. He won for his charred slaw with house made fish sauce and pickled chanterelles.
Carl Ruiz Humanitarian Award: Jimmy Carbone
Shoutout to Our Judges
Jaymee Sire, TV Host and Food + Travel Blogger
Matt Bruck, Eaters Drinkers
Eric Eisenbud, The Grateful Chef
Ethan Fedida, Campfire Group
Steph Perez, Yeah Food Beer
Valley Lomas, Foodie In New York
Adam Poch, Big Brothers
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Pig Island Is Back as a Socially Distant Picnic
Pig Island NYC is returning for the 11th year on September 12, 2020 – with all the great food and beverage we always have, but with some important new safety guidelines. We’re excited to host Pig Island at a new and extremely spacious location: Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, an historic 83-acre campus with dynamic programming in the arts, agriculture, horticulture, and education – plus plenty of parking. Get your tickets now.
The festival will be a low-risk outdoor recreational activity. It’s an all-inclusive picnic featuring barbecue all-stars like Tank Jackson of Charleston’s Holy City Hogs, Trevor Kunk of The Little Beet, Mario Chape of Big Papa Smokem, Jase Franklyn of Jase BBQ, and Mike Lapi, a chef, farmer, and butchering instructor at SUNY Cobleskill. We’ll also have beer from Staten Island’s Flagship Brewery, cider, spirits and delicious side dishes like Geechie Boy grits with shrimp.
We’ll be announcing more chefs soon and hope to see you there!
Pig Island is on September 12, 2020. We are offering three ticket tiers. A VIP Pitmasters Breakfast will kick off at 11am. General admission doors open at 11:30am-4pm. Arrive before 2pm or food may run out.
General Admission Ticket: $60 + fee for all-inclusive food and drink
VIP Pitmasters Breakfast: $150 to arrive early at 11am and enter before general admission for a preview of the best bits from some of Pig Island’s top pitmasters.
VIP Private Table and Tent: $2,500 for 8 seats and a private table and tent. Have an area just for your family and friends that is socially distant from the rest of the picnic and arrive early at 11am. Enjoy an assortment of drinks available in your tent and interact personally with one of the BBQ chefs to go behind the scenes and taste their best bites right off the smoker.
Safety Guidelines
In addition to having more space, we’re also going to limit the number of guests at the event. Once inside, there will be three separate areas to enjoy food and drink, allowing for greater social distancing. Hand sanitizing and hand washing stations will be accessible throughout the event. Guests will be required to wear masks when they are walking around and getting food, but can take off their masks when they sit down to eat with their group of friends and family members.
Food stations will be spaced out and if there are lines people will stay 6 feet apart. When you’ve gotten your food and are ready to eat – everyone can bring their own blankets to spread out and enjoy a beautiful day outside. Plus, wristbands will allow guests to wander Snug Harbor’s grounds and re-enter when they want to.
Guests should bring their own
- Masks
- Blankets
- Hand Sanitizer
- Anything you need to feel safe, like a personal bottle of water or anything else
Chefs, Dishes, Beverages and More!
Chef Lineup
Tank Jackson, Holy City Hogs
Tank and his friends like pitmaster Rob Nelson from Arkansas and Trevor Kunk of NYC’s The Little Beet will have three delicious stations featuring overnight slow smoked whole-hog barbecue; brats, sausages, and hot dogs; and Mrs. Paul’s Shrimp with Geechie Boy Mill grits.
Rodrigo Duarte, Caseiro E Bom
Rodrigo will be serving his famous iberio presunto – he’s the only farmer in the U.S. certified to raise pure ibérico pig from Portugal.
Mario Chape, Big Papa Smokem
Mario will also be cooking with Phil Wingo of Pork Mafia and the crew from La Cubana to honor Carl Ruiz who Mario partnered up with last year to take home an award. They’ll be serving a barbecue smorgasbord featuring Puerco a lo Cubano
Matt Fisher, Pitmaster formerly with Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue
Matt will be making Laphroaig glazed pork burnt ends with summer corn pudding.
Cenobio Canalizo, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue
Cenobio is preparing ribs and candied bacon mac & cheese.
Mike Lapi, SUNY Cobleskill and Chefs’ Consortium
Mike will be using his expert butchery skills to create custom sausages.
Jesse Jones, Pow: My Life in 40 Feasts
Chef Jesse is preparing dirty corn muffins topped with North Carolina-style pulled whole hog, pickled slaw, and his sweet heat barbecue sauce
Jase Franklyn, Jase BBQ
Jase will be cooking ribs and his signature BBQ pigtails.
Mike Petrovitch, Que Chevere
Mike is making pernil y arroz con gandules (roast pork with rice and pigeon peas) – a traditional Puerto Rican rice dish! Their pork shoulders marinate for eight hours and then are slow roasted for 48 hours resulting in fall-off-the bone meat.
Luis Rivera JR., Fathers and Sons Kitchen
Luis is planning smoked pork ‘pernil’ featuring the restaurant’s award-winning line of barbecue and hot sauces.
Joe Tacoronte, Bearded BBQ NYC and Harbor Eats
Joe is preparing a delicious pork shoulder.
John Fuchs and Vinny Ferrante, Red Hook Raiders, FDNY
You can expect John and Vinny’s famous ribs that took home a prize at Pig Island 2019.
Pete Calascione, Friends of Firefighters
Pete is making brisket sliders in partnership with our community partner, Friends of Firefighters
Matthew Worgul, Gentle Giant Barbecue
Leland Avellino, Avellino Family Barbecue
Other Food
Coney Island Saucery
Jammy!
Beverages
Flagship Brewery
Original Sin Cider
Kills Boro Brewing Company
Knob Creek
Laphroaig Whiskey
Romilly Cider
Specials thanks to Juicy Lucy BBQ and The Hop Shoppe who will be helping make this event possible!
Transportation
Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
Public Transportation:
Take the Staten Island Ferry and once you arrive, take the S40 bus at Gate D to travel along Richmond Terrace, less than a 10-minute ride. Let the bus driver know that you want to get off at Snug Harbor. There are also local taxis available at the Ferry terminal when you arrive.
By Car from Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island:
Take the lower level of Verrazano Narrows Bridge; stay on the right, and exit at Bay Street. Take the Bay Street exit service road to Bay Street. Make a left and follow Bay Street past the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, where Bay Street becomes Richmond Terrace. Follow Richmond Terrace about one mile to Tysen Street. Make a left on Tysen Street, and then the next right on Fillmore Street, and enter the parking lot immediately to the left of the gated entrance. Parking will be right after the gate on the left-hand side.
Brooklyn Battery Tunnel: To BQE West. Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to SI Expwy (I-278). Get off at Clove/Richmond Road exit (#13). At third intersection, bear right onto Clove Road. Continue to Bement Ave. (will see a cemetery), turn right onto Bement. Continue to Richmond Terrace. Make a right onto Richmond Terrace to Snug Harbor. Make a quick right at the Snug Harbor sign and then a quick left through the brick gatehouse.
By Car From New Jersey:
From the Goethals Bridge: Take 278 East or take the Outerbridge Crossing to 440 North, following signs to the Verrazano Bridge/278 East. Get off 278 East at the exit marked Richmond Road/Clove Road. (Do not take the Richmond Avenue exit). Take the service road to the first light, make a left, and follow Clove Road to Richmond Terrace. Make a right on Richmond Terrace and follow it until you come to Snug Harbor, which is on the right and marked by a black cast iron fence and magnificent pillared buildings at Snug Harbor Road. Turn right and you will see the entrance gate on your left-hand side. Follow the signs for parking.
From the Bayonne Bridge: Take the first exit (Richmond Terrace). Make a right at the top of the exit ramp onto Richmond Terrace. The Terrace snakes around a bit, following the shore of the Kill Van Kull river. Go about 3 – 4 miles, you will see Snug Harbor on the Right. It is just past the Getty gas station and a little restaurant on the left called Blue.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Support Food Karma with a Gift Certificate
Support Food Karma’s continued efforts to plan spectacular events that bring together farmers, chefs, bakers, brewers, distillers, and community members. Gift certificates are now available and can be used to purchase purchase tickets to any future Food Karma event: Brisket King, Bowl Of ‘Zole, Brewers Choice, CiderFeast, Pig island and more – at your convenience.
Get your gift certificate today.
More About Pig Island NYC
How did it all start?
Pig Island was conceived after Jimmy Carbone and Josh Ozersky teamed up to produce Meatopia 2010. While Meatopia has since developed into an international food festival, Food Karma sought to embrace the burgeoning farm-to-table movement and support sustainable practices. This is how Pig IslandNYC was born.
By providing NYC Chefs with pigs purchased directly from small farms, PigIsland aims to educate consumers and serve delicious food! This year PigIsland is proud to source from Flying Pigs Farm in Washington County, NY.
In the 10 years since Pig Island was founded, Jimmy has worked to uphold the original vision for Pig Island, expanding the event’s reach, growing relationships with more farms and chefs, working with community partners like Friends of Firefighters, and creating the I Like Pig cookbook. For the 10th anniversary of Pig Island, we would like to honor Josh Ozersky, whose passion and creativity continue to inspire this event.
I Like Pig Cookbook
Jimmy Carbone, the producer of PigIsland, NYC teamed up with James Beard Award winning cookbook author Rachel Wharton to create a cookbook full of porcine goodness. Every year dozens of chefs come together and celebrate the agricultural bounty of the tri-state area at Pig Island. I Like Pig serves up some of the most popular recipes from the first four years of PigIsland.
Download the eBook here!