What a hot, hot time to be in NY. With a record breaking heat wave over this 4th of July weekend, it was a good time to seek out some quality BBQ. Below are photos from the northern tip of Manhattan to the southern coast of Brooklyn.

Big Bob Gibson's Pulled Pork

This first shot is actually from the Big Apple BBQ, but it’s so delicious that I had to post it. Big Bob Gibson came all the way from Decatur, Alabama to make their signature pulled pork. After waiting in line, this was definitely worth it.

Nathan's Hotdogs

Next up is Nathan’s of Coney Island which needs no introduction. Pictured here is one Chili Dog & one Chili Cheese Dog with Onions. Both were messy and what you would expect from loaded up hot dogs. If I had gotten it with cheese & bacon, I’m sure the deliciousness would have been off the charts.

Bacon Cheese Fries

While hot dogs are supposed to be the main draw, I found the Bacon Cheese Fries to be the undeniably best tasting thing there. Perhaps if I had put bacon on the hot dogs, the match up between the hot dogs and fries would have been fair. Is it possible to have too much bacon? To give the fries some more credit, they were a thick, hearty cut that remained crispy even after being soaked in cheese for a while.

Dinosaur BBQ Swag Sampler

The very amazing Swag Sampler plate from Dinosaur BBQ is up next. The sample consisted of deviled eggs, spicy shrimp, wings, and fried green tomatoes. How amazing was this? After eating the simply decadent deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes, and wings, I tried the shrimp – and I never eat seafood (due to mild food allergies). I was so impressed by the first three that I had to see how well they could prepare the shrimp, but the shrimp let me down as there wasn’t much flavor to it.

Dinosaur BBQ Sauces

Does every BBQ joint get into selling sauce nowadays?

Ribs with sides

Pictured here are the fall-off-the-bone ribs with their Mac & Cheese and BBQ Fried Rice. Their ribs were simply amazing, and they didn’t need any sauce as they were already wonderfully flavored. After consuming the appetizers and nearly 3/4 rack of ribs, I wasn’t very impressed with their sides. I had ordered the BBQ Fried Rice, Mac & Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Pork & Beans. The sides were all as to be expected, but only the Mac & Cheese stood out to me. Perhaps I didn’t enjoy the sides since I was stuffed from the ribs? I ordered the BBQ Fried Rice since I admit, I was curious as to what it actually was.