STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Nearly two decades after launching Pig Island, Jimmy Carbone says the festival’s success comes down to talented chefs and well-crafted food.
“It’s about them and really good food,” Carbone said.
That may sound simple, but Pig Island is anything but. Long before the first bite is served, organizers are juggling chefs, equipment, fire pits, permits and logistics to create what amounts to a temporary outdoor food village. The festival helped pioneer the large-scale barbecue experience in New York City and has endured for nearly two decades because of the chefs and their ability to keep guests coming back hungry for more, Carbone said.
How do you tackle a whole lotta whole-hog barbecue? Some Pig Island veterans make their rounds first, collecting samples from chefs before settling down with friends to compare notes and savor the feast.(Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)
The snout-to-tail pork celebration has spent about the last seven years at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, where the sprawling grounds provide a camp-like backdrop for a day devoted to smoke, fire and culinary creativity.
“Every year there are new chefs as well as core participants,” Carbone said. “It’s also a labor of love. Seeing Rodrigo Duarte, a master charcutier, raise his own line of Portuguese Iberico pigs on New Jersey farms is a personal triumph.”
This year’s lineup reflects the broad reach of modern barbecue, with chefs drawing inspiration from Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, North Carolina, South Carolina, Thai and New York traditions. Participating chefs include Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ, Tank Jackson of Holy City Hogs, Oak Marprasert of Kam Rai Thai, Rodrigo Duarte of Don Rodrigo, Cenobio Canalizo of Morgan’s Brooklyn BBQ and Phil Wingo of Pork Mafia, among others.
The festival is not for the faint of heart. A glazed hog’s head signals the start of Pig Island’s annual battle for barbecue supremacy, where chefs showcase whole-animal cooking at its most creative and delicious.(Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)
“Chef Oak of Kam Rai Thai combines Thai and American barbecue and has won our Best in Show the past two years,” Carbone said. “He is back with his Thai barbecue ceramic cooker, featuring marinated pork bellies and pork chops on a stick. This winter he will open a new Thai-American restaurant.”
Asked which chef he’s most excited to see this year, Carbone pointed to a guest from North Carolina.
Carbone said. “The city of Charlotte is sending up a chef ambassador, the team from Sweet Lew’s BBQ. He will cook classic North Carolina whole hog. He starts by cooking down wood to charcoal.”
Pig Island NYC returns Saturday, Sept. 12, for its 17th annual all-inclusive food and beverage tasting event at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace. Chefs and restaurants will compete for top honors while serving everything from whole-hog barbecue and pork belly specialties to aged country ham.
Jimmy “Pots and Pans” Carbone has spent nearly two decades building Pig Island into one of New York City’s premier barbecue festivals.Pamela Silvestri
Organized by Food Karma Projects, the festival pairs unlimited food tastings with craft beer, hard cider and spirits. A hallmark of the event is its commitment to sourcing pigs directly from small community farms, while Snug Harbor’s 2-acre heritage farm supplies vegetables for participating chefs.
Ticket options range from $55 general admission to $85 VIP entry. VIP ticket holders, who receive early access at 11 a.m., also get unlimited food and beverages, opportunities to mingle with participating chefs and a commemorative Pig Island NYC T-shirt. Last year’s VIP guests enjoyed a front-row experience, seated at tables on the stage with chairs provided by Pig Island organizers. General admission begins at noon and includes all food and drinks.
Tickets and event updates are available at PigIsland.com. For more information, contact foodkarma@gmail.com.
Held rain or shine amid Snug Harbor’s botanical gardens, Pig Island encourages guests to come hungry and arrive early. Veteran attendees know that some of the most sought-after dishes can disappear well before the final servings are announced.
Dining and Cooking