Jerk-style brisket, fried chicharrones and pernil—here’s where you can get international BBQ in NYC

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Growing up in Tobago, Jase Franklyn learned the art of barbecue through his mother. While working as a track and field coach, he decided to introduce his form of cue’ with a Trini spin to one of his track meets. We (and many others) have been running after it ever since. Franklyn’s rotating Caribbean-style barbecue has involved jerk-style brisket and ribs and barbecue chicken. While Jase BBQ has yet to find a permanent home, you can find him popping up in The Rockaways or at Smorgasboard collaborating with other vendors (peep the Jamaican patty and barbecue brisket combo with Tosh’s Patties).

Barbecue is one of the finest food groups an omnivore can enjoy. Bark Barbecue has been a moveable feast in NYC since pitmaster Ruben Santana first started serving his low-and-slow, white oak-fueled recipes at outdoor markets and pop-ups citywide (and beyond!) in 2020. Now, Bark’s beautiful brisket, ribs and pulled pork by the pound are available right here, every day, at its first permanent outpost. Pile your pick alongside rib tips, sandwiches and sides like mac and cheese. 

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If you find yourself near the corner of Wales Avenue and East 152nd Street, you may hear a rhythmic “whack, whack, whack.” Locals know that’s just the sound of Angel Jimenez hacking up pork for the masses. For over 20 years, Jimenez has served up his famous lechon asado in a trailer parked in the South Bronx. While the dish is usually cooked on a spit, Jimenez slow-roasts his pigs for eight hours inside a wood-fired oven parked on the sidewalk about a block from the truck. You may just catch Jimenez carrying trays of pork straight from the oven back to his trailer before he gets to work with his handy machete. Beyond pork, mofongo, octopus salad and empanadas rotate on the regular. The restaurant has long been detailed in various media, Vice, Taste and The New York Times. That’s all to say a mix of locals, regulars and even out-of-state travelers will be a steady presence. So prepare for a wait, but know it will be worth it.

Instead of calling out just one of the city's finest DIY spots for marinated galbi, pork belly and the likes, we’ve got 16 restaurants all around the city to check out.