EVENT: Meat Sweats, Achieved: An Overview of Brisket King NYC 2017

[All photos by Conor Rose]

As we pushed open the doors of LIU's Food Science Academy, wondering if we were in the right spot, the cloud of heavily perfumed brisket air blasted us so hard, we knew we couldn't possibly be anywhere else but Brisket King NYC.

Stomachs empty and eager for meat, we stuffed ourselves in a greedy rampage so fast that we had sampled practically everything in under an hour. The smoked meat in all of its glorious forms was presented by an array of NYC's (and beyond!) best BBQ spots, offered in sandwiches, as slices, as "brisket bombs," and the list goes on.

Out-of-the-box brisket dishes put a creative spin on the meat, standing out from amongst the typical presentations. Hudson and Charles (one of our favorites from last year) killed it with a Brisket Tagine, dressed with beef fat za'atar croutons, preserved lemon and almond tapenade, and a minted yogurt sauce. LOOK by Plant Love House put their standout mark on their super spicy Brisket Laab, a Thai brisket salad. Toronto favorite Cherry Street Bar-Be-Que made an appearance too, with a salt and pepper brisket topped with an innovative combination of fennel, chimichurri sauce, and prosciutto.

Most impressive, however, were the straight, no-nonsense brisket samples that showed off the craftsmanship of its preparation. Willie B's, Dinosaur BBQ, and Mighty Quinn's stood out with the kind of meat that's solely there to just fall apart and practically melt in your mouth, and we happily gobbled up as much as we could.

As if we weren't already drunk off meat, whiskey and beer (and other drinks, but mostly whiskey and beer) flowed freely, with sips from Boondocks, High West Whiskey, Guinness, Sixpoint, and more.

Literal meat sweats later (that we're still suffering from) Izzy's in Brooklyn took home their well-earned Brisket King crown, taking on the competition with both brisket and pastrami.