Every Brisket King since the first one at Santos Party House in 2012, plus whoever finished behind them and whatever else the judges handed out that night. The year before, A Brisket-A Brasket at Jimmy’s No. 43 was the trial run, and nobody wrote down who won. Where a row is missing further down, nobody wrote that down either. If you were there and know better, email foodkarma@gmail.com.
2026
Four former champions in one field, a first. The judges called it the closest competition they had seen.
- Brisket King
- Brothers Barbecue
- Pitmasters
- Chris, Gavin and Jamie Farella
- Winning dish
- Brisket slider with pimento cheese and bacon jam
- Runner-up
- OK Charley’s, Nick Hancock
- Friends of Firefighters People’s Choice
- Wildwoods BBQ
- Best Dish of the Night
- Crossroads Que, Texas Twinkie rangoon
- Best Dish runner-up
- Kam Rai Thai, khao mok brisket on golden rice
- Exciting Newbie
- Gigi Curry and Noodle Bar, brisket khao soi
- Party Like a Wokstar
- Kimchi Smoke
- Made Tony Proud
- Smoke Sweats BBQ, Wagyu brisket bourguignon
- Holy Ravioli Batman
- Fire and Smoke BBQ, brisket-stuffed fried ravioli
- Where
- Pig Beach BBQ, Astoria
- When
- Wednesday, April 29, 2026
2025
Scerri had been runner-up here in 2024 and at Rib King in 2023 and 2024.
- Brisket King
- Smoke Sweats BBQ
- Pitmaster
- Anthony Scerri
- Winning dish
- Central-Brooklyn Wagyu brisket and BBQ cereal: cheesy cornbread cream, chili crisp, brisket, scallions and corn
- Runner-up
- Avellino Family Barbecue, Leland Avellino
- Friends of Firefighters People’s Choice
- Empire BBQ, Vincent Mangual
- Soup-er Comfort Food
- Empire BBQ, brisket grilled cheese with smoked tomato basil soup
- PYT (Pretty Yum Thing)
- Kam Rai Thai
- Bao Down
- Fire and Smoke BBQ
- La Mama de la Mama
- Tio Rozay’s BBQ
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Brisket
- Crossroads Que
- Where
- Pig Beach BBQ, Astoria
- When
- Wednesday, April 23, 2025
2024
- Brisket King
- Avellino Family Barbecue
- Pitmaster
- Leland Avellino
- Winning dish
- Brisket sandwich on brioche, cooked with beef fat
- Runner-up
- Smoke Sweats BBQ, Anthony Scerri
- People’s Choice
- La Estación, Kevin Roth
- Brisket Beach
- Hindsight BBQ
- Congestion Tax
- Eazy’s Craft Barbecue Co.
- 5-Star
- Kam Rai Thai
- Let’s Taquito About It
- Empire BBQ
- Boricua Barbecue
- La Estación
- Where
- Pig Beach BBQ, Astoria
- When
- Wednesday, April 17, 2024
2023
First year in Queens, outdoors, and the biggest field to that point.
- Brisket King
- Wildwoods BBQ
- Pitmasters
- David Gill and Joel Romano
- Runner-up
- Blue Smoke, Bret Lunsford
- Friends of Firefighters People’s Choice
- Wildwoods BBQ
- Best Pastrami
- Kimchi Smoke, Robert Austin Cho
- The King of Queens
- SmoKing of Meats, Joe Musngi
- Best Dish
- Zaab Zaab, Aniwat Khotsopa
- 4/20 Award
- Big Guns BBQ, Sean Keever
- All Bark, One Bite
- Juicy Lucy BBQ, Richie Holmes
- Don’t Mess With Texas
- Texas Original Charcoal Co., Joey Machado
- Where
- Pig Beach BBQ, Astoria
- When
- Wednesday, April 26, 2023
2022
The People’s Choice award started this year. Richie Holmes handed over the crown.
- Brisket King
- SmoKing of Meats
- Pitmaster
- Joe Musngi
- Winning dish
- Central Texas-style brisket
- Runner-up
- Hindsight BBQ, Jeff Schmidt
- Friends of Firefighters People’s Choice
- All Hands BBQ, Nicholas Bavaro
- Best Traditional Brisket
- Blue Smoke
- Best Bite
- Bark Barbecue, Ruben Santana
- Best Bark
- Allman’s Bar-B-Q
- Best Dish
- Tong, massaman brisket curry
- Brought the Sauce
- Sands Jerk Hut, jerk brisket over mac and cheese
- Where
- Pig Beach, Gowanus
- When
- Wednesday, April 20, 2022
2021
The first edition after the pandemic, outdoors in the rain and wind. Second crown in a row for Juicy Lucy.
- Brisket King
- Juicy Lucy BBQ
- Pitmaster
- Richie Holmes
- Winning dish
- Central Texas-style brisket
- Runner-up
- Central City BBQ, James Cruse
- People’s Choice
- Juicy Lucy BBQ
- Most Creative Combo
- Kimchi Smoke, the Chonut brisket doughnut sandwich
- Unsung Hero
- Chef Jesse Jones, brisket with his mother’s biscuits
- Texas-style Brisket
- Avellino Family Barbecue, Leland Avellino
- Where
- Pig Beach, Gowanus, outdoors
- When
- Wednesday, April 21, 2021
2020
- Event
- Cancelled for COVID
- Where
- Planned for Williamsburg
- When
- Planned for Wednesday, April 22, 2020
2019
Juicy Lucy had not opened yet. The restaurant followed in Staten Island.
- Brisket King
- Juicy Lucy BBQ
- Winning dish
- Sliced and chopped brisket and burnt ends with espresso barbecue sauce
- Runner-up
- Kimchi Smoke, Rob Cho
- People’s Choice
- Kimchi Smoke
- Hometown Hero
- Pig Beach, Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride, the #ForChefJeff brisket sandwich
- Best Creative Taco
- Izzy’s Taqueria, Sruli Eidelman
- Best Classic Texas BBQ
- Hill Country Barbecue Market, Ash Fulk
- Best BBQ Innovation
- Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, John Stage and Leland Avellino, brisket tostada
- If They Had Only Won the Revolutionary War
- Quiet Waters Farm, John Gower and John Patterson, brisket with Yorkshire pudding
- Where
- Biba, Williamsburg
- When
- Wednesday, April 10, 2019
2018
The crown left the country. First and second place both cooked out of borrowed Brooklyn pits.
- Brisket King
- Cherry St. Bar-B-Que
- Pitmasters
- Lawrence La Pianta, Toronto
- Winning dish
- Smoked brisket and red sausage links, cooked out of Hometown Bar-B-Que
- Runner-up
- Quiet Waters Farm, John Gower with John Patterson, England
- Third place
- Nobo Wine and Grill, Josh Massin, brisket ramen
- Where
- 110 Kent Ave, Williamsburg
- When
- Wednesday, April 25, 2018
2017
First year with the Golden Calf trophy and a sequestered judging before doors. Aaron Franklin and Daniel Vaughn judged.
- Brisket King
- Izzy’s BBQ Addiction
- Pitmaster
- Sruli Eidelman
- Winning dish
- Traditional kosher brisket
- Runner-up
- Mighty Quinn’s
- Third place
- Blue Smoke
- Where
- Old Paramount Theater, LIU Brooklyn
- When
- Wednesday, April 19, 2017
2016
The year the butchers came: Marlow and Daughters, Dickson’s, Hudson and Charles. Jay Fox broke down a whole beef shoulder on the floor.
- Brisket King
- The Wandering Que
- Pitmaster
- Ari White
- Winning dish
- Lamb brisket
- Runner-up
- Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse, Izzy Eidelman
- Smoked
- Blue Smoke
- Brisket Innovation
- The Cannibal, brisket on rye crackers with grapes
- Cured
- The Wandering Que, nine-month lambcetta
- Where
- Sanders Studios, 525 Waverly Ave, Brooklyn
- When
- Wednesday, March 16, 2016
2015
First year in Brooklyn, and a Monday.
- Brisket King
- Hometown BBQ
- Pitmaster
- Billy Durney
- Winning dish
- Traditional smoked brisket
- Runner-up
- Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue, Matt Fisher, second in Smoked with brisket bulgogi
- Innovation
- The Wandering Que, Ari White, sous vide brisket nigiri with lamb bacon
- Cured
- Bacsynski’s East Village Meat Market
- Honorable mention
- Morgan’s BBQ
- Where
- Irondale Center, 85 South Oxford St, Fort Greene
- When
- Monday, March 16, 2015
2014
Awards ran by category that year, so there was no overall runner-up. Several hundred people ate brisket the night before a snowstorm.
- Brisket King
- Ducks Eatery
- Pitmaster
- Will Horowitz
- Winning dish
- Six-month-aged smoked brisket
- Best Traditional Smoked
- Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue, smoked meat with pickled chilies
- Best Non-traditional
- Ducks Eatery
- Most Innovative
- Mokbar, nori taco with pulled brisket
- Where
- The Firehouse, 87 Lafayette St
- When
- Wednesday, February 12, 2014
2013
Sold out. The judges called the runner-up almost too close to call.
- Brisket King
- BrisketTown
- Pitmaster
- Daniel Delaney
- Winning dish
- Salt and pepper rub, no sauce, LaFrieda beef
- Runner-up
- Mighty Quinn’s
- People’s Choice
- Mighty Quinn’s
- Most Innovative
- Butcher Bar
- Best Reincarnation of Pastrami
- Ducks Eatery
- Best Exotic Brisket
- Taboonette
- Best Non-Brisket Brisket
- Tchoup Shop
- Where
- Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette St
- When
- Wednesday, February 20, 2013
2012
The first Brisket King of NYC, with a dozen cooks. The year before, A Brisket-A Brasket at Jimmy’s No. 43 was the trial run.
- Brisket King
- John Brown Smokehouse
- Winning dish
- Burnt ends with foie gras
- Runner-up
- Ducks Eatery, Will Horowitz
- People’s Choice
- Andrew Gottlieb, red mole brisket with avocado crema
- Third place
- Robbie Richter, brisket shabu shabu
- Where
- Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette St
- When
- Monday, February 27, 2012