Who Will Be Next King Of BBQ?

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Tonight, a new Brisket King will be crowned.
The 6th-annual Brisket King of NYC event will be held from 6–9:30 p.m. at the Food Sciences Academy of Long Island University Brooklyn in Downtown Brooklyn, and tickets are still available.
Last year, the Wandering Que’s Ari White won the top prize with a kosher lamb brisket. Izzy’s Barbecue Addiction, which is competing again this year, was a runner-up.
This year’s winner will not only receive the coveted crown, but also a biblically (and post-Passover approved) golden calf trophy. Jake Dell of Katz’s Deli will be on the judges panel, joined by John Tesar, who, as a Top Chef contestant was the sworn enemy of Katsuji Tanabe, the chef behind Mexikosher. Other judges include Daniel Vaughn, who has the enviable position of being barbecue editor at Texas Monthly, and Aaron Franklin, one of the hottest pitmasters on the barbecue scene.
There are still tickets available, so if unlimited brisket samples, craft beer and artisan cocktails sound good, it might be time to make a last-minute plan.
Michelle Honig is the food intern of the Forward. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chief