Pig Island 2020 Recap

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 in Show: Mario Chape, Big Papa Smoke’mMario will be cooked with the crew from La Cubana to honor Carl Ruiz. Mario took home the award for his team’s the CuBOMBo sandwich and ribs.

Best Whole Hong: Tank Jackson, Holy City HogsTank made overnight slow smoked whole-hog barbecue with collard greens.

Prime 6 Charcoal Award: Rodrigo Duarte, Caseiro E BomRodrigo served his famous iberio presunto – he’s the only farmer in the U.S. certified to raise pure ibérico pig from Portugal.

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.