Let's go wayyy back, back to the Big Apple BBQ event on June 13-14, 2009.
We were prepared with our umbrellas. We thought there would be less people because of the rain but we were WRONG. It was so crowded and lines were sooo long! The average waiting time was around ~20min on the lines. I guess it would've been worst if it was sunny.
Us sad in the raining waiting to buy food....
there was an entertainment stage...
demonstration tents, this one was about wine tasting....
selling many different kinds of bbq sauce....
Everyone was eating in the rain, some even without umbrella. This group of people (picture below) were very innovated and took a garbage bag/plastic bag to over them while they were eating at the bench. 
We arrived at this event towards the late afternoon (~3 or 4pm). We knew we won't have time to go to each vendor but I doubt we would've been able to because we might just explode. We looked at the map and it took us awhile to decide which few vendors we wanted visit. My goal was to find the pit-master for each of the vendors we tried and to take a pictures of them or with them, let see if I accomplished that....
The first stop: Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, AL
Homemade Smoked Sausage with Pimento Cheese & Saltines: I love the sauce they used on the sausage, it was very flavorful! It was sweet but it also had a nice kick to it. It was definitely a nice surprise being the first dish we tasted. The pimento cheese was creamy but a little too filling, I wished they served something light, like some veggies with the sausage.
Homemade Smoked Sausage with Pimento Cheese & Saltines: I love the sauce they used on the sausage, it was very flavorful! It was sweet but it also had a nice kick to it. It was definitely a nice surprise being the first dish we tasted. The pimento cheese was creamy but a little too filling, I wished they served something light, like some veggies with the sausage.
Look who I found, the pitmaster for Jim and Nick's, Drew Robinson. He was quite surprised when I asked if I could take a picture of him but he was very nice about it.
2nd Stop: 17th Street Bar & Grill, Murphysboro, IL/Las Vegas, NV 
Baby Back Ribs & Beans: great taste but quite dry, it wasn't fall off the bone quality. I was a little disappointed. The beans wasn't that special either...
Andy eating in the rain and is very happy with his ribs...
3rd Stop: The Pit, Raleigh, NC
Ed Mitchell-pitmaster of The Pit
We had to sneak all the way into the restricted area to take picture with him!
Andy: "Mr. Mitchell I saw you on Throwdown with Bobby Flay! I couldn't wait to try your ribs today"Me: "Can we take a picture with you?"
Ed Mitchell: "of course!"
Whole hog and Coleslaw: This is like pulled pork but not as saucy. I topped it with the coleslaw which went really well with it. The taste of the hog was very interesting, lots of vinegar taste, which sort of over powered the meat taste a bit. At first, I really liked it but then 1/2 way into eating it I thought it was just way too vinegary and the bread became too soggy. But overall I thought it was great!
yummi....roasting the piggy!Last Stop: We were really full but when Andy pass by Blue Smoke (from New York, NY), he couldn't resist so we got on the line and I'm so glad we did!
Andy posing with the ribs...
Kansas City Ribs & Pickles: it was finally falling off the bone quality, the way ribs should be! The sauce was sweet and delicious! so far this was my favorite of the day!
Last picture with executive chef from one of my favorite bbq joint, Dinosaur BarB-Que, New York, NY. We were just too full so we didn't get anything from them and plus they were all out of food. They were serving: Pulled Pork Shoulder and Beans. I didn't have to try to know that it was probably awesome!
Convo with me and cheif:Me: asking a staff in the area "where is the pitmaster?" the guy points to a guy sitting on the side of the truck smoking. I went over and asked him if I could take a picture with him. He looked exhausted and shake his head no but the staff yelled out, "just take a picture with her!" so he slowly gets up and stood right next to me.
*takes picture*
Me: Oh, I love the food at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Everything is great there! (which is very true...)
Cheif: Here's my business card, maybe you could use it one of these days....
Me: *very happy* thank you! It was a pleasure meeting you! (I'm not sure what he meant but I'm hoping it means I can get a discount when I eat there!hehe...)
Us leaving the bbq festival happy and full!
I <3>Sushi in Bay Ridge: Fontana Sushi
