True ‘Que in NY



New York is undergoing a veritable barbecue renaissance, with new barbecue joints proliferating like proverbial mushrooms after a rainstorm. Newcomers include Rib, Daisy May’s, and Dinosaur Barbecue in Harlem. Steven recently checked out RUB (short for Righteous Urban Barbecue) in Chelsea and found exemplary ribs ((robustly spiced and redolent with wood smoke); burnt edges that really were burnt edges (crusty bits of brisket trimmings), and an Asian style barbecued duck that was hard not to devour bones and all. That’s not to mention a dessert that requires a double dose of Liptor: fried Oreo cookies. Here’s Steven with RUB founder Andrew Fischel.


If RUB’s smoky meats may remind you of certain barbecue from Kansas City, it’s no accident: RUB’s consulting pit master is Barbecue Baron, Paul Kirk. Here pork shoulders are slow smoking in RUB’s Texas made J & R Pit. They’ll be perfect in a few hours. RUB BBQ is located at 208 W 23rd St., in NY (tel. 212-524-4300). The dining room is pretty spartan in the finest BBQ joint tradition. Definitely worth a detour.