New York City’s barbecue scene is undergoing a noticeable transformation as pitmasters blend traditional techniques with diverse cultural influences, resulting in a growing variety of distinctive offerings across boroughs such as Brooklyn and Queens.

Since 2018, when the city’s barbecue was criticized for its lackluster presentation, the local landscape has evolved to reflect a broader array of global flavors and approaches. Instead of a single style dominating, New York’s latest pitmasters are integrating culinary traditions from the Caribbean and Latin America, creating menus that rethink classic barbecue through international lenses.

One notable figure is Ruben Santana, a Queens native who began experimenting with smoking meats during the COVID-19 pandemic despite no formal culinary training. Drawing inspiration from YouTube tutorials and the slow-smoking techniques of Texas barbecue, Santana applies these methods to Dominican dishes influenced by his parents’ heritage. His establishment, Bark Barbecue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, features an expansive 300-seat space that includes a bar serving frozen cocktails and a coffee counter. The menu showcases innovative items such as shredded brisket carnitas, arroz congrí, and occasionally pit-roasted hog, although some patrons have found certain sides, like maduro and barbecued beans, overly sweet. Bark Barbecue also offers rarer options like longaniza sausage and tres golpes sandwiches that layer pulled pork with fried cheese and plantains.

Another emerging talent is Jase Franklyn, who balances coaching women’s soccer and track in Tobago with running Jase’s BBQ on weekends. At the 2023 Smorgasbourg food festival and later from a stall within the Time Out Market food hall near Union Square, Franklyn has drawn attention for his Caribbean-style barbecue. His signature dishes include jerk-seasoned pork ribs and pig tails brushed with passion-fruit barbecue sauce, which have been praised for their tender, flavorful qualities. Operating primarily on weekends and in outdoor settings, Franklyn’s offerings highlight the challenge of weather-dependence, a problem partially mitigated by his indoor market presence.

New York has also attracted pitmasters from traditional barbecue strongholds such as Texas. Jonny White, formerly with Goode’s in Fort Worth, and Chuck Charnichart of Barbs B Q in Lockhart have partnered to open Kirbee’s in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The restaurant utilizes smoker ovens rather than traditional offset smokers and operates on a fixed-meal model, with prices around $45 per person. While some Texas barbecue purists may question these methods, Kirbee’s has garnered acclaim for its brisket, sausages, smoked turkey, and inventive dishes such as a green spaghetti side and serrano chile-glazed Molotov pork ribs accented with lime zest. Although premium items like a $90 dinosaur rib are available, the more moderately priced ribs have emerged as customer favorites.

This growing diversity in styles and flavors illustrates New York City’s barbecue scene as a dynamic and evolving culinary frontier. By embracing cross-cultural influences and experimenting with traditional frameworks, local pitmasters continue to redefine what barbecue means in an urban context.