Pitmaster Line-Up For Big Apple Barbecue Block Party 2014

Karen Lo|April 10, 2014 9:46 am EST

The 12^th annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party will return to New York on June 7^th and 8^th in Madison Square Park, and this year's event is expected to draw more than140,000 New Yorkers and tourists alike.

Barbecue pitmasters from a dozen states will be on hand to prepare "whole hogs in smokers, thousands of sausage links, and pounds of pulled pork."

This year, 16 of the country's best barbecue masters will be in charge of the BABBQBP, including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Jean Paul Bourgeois of Blue Smoke, Joe Duncan of Baker's Ribs, Mike Emerson of Pappy's Smokehouse, Daniel Delaney of Delaney Barbecue, and more.

Admission to the weekend-long barbecue fest is free, and individual plates will be available for $9 a plate, with proceeds benefitting the Madison Square Park Conservancy. FastPasses are available for $125 and guarantees access to express lines for the ticket holder and a guest for a specific day.

This year, BABBQBP has also introduced the BigPiggin' Pass for $265, which includes a VIP area with complimentary barbecue, sides, and sweets, and an open bar.

The full list of pitmasters is as follows:

Ed Mitchell: Pitmaster Ed Mitchell (Durham, N.C.)

Mike Mills: 17th Street Bar & Grill (Murphysboro, ll.)

Chris Lilly: Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, Ala.)

Jean-Paul Bourgeois: Blue Smoke (New York City)

Charles Grund, Jr: Hill Country (New York City)

Joe Duncan: Baker's Ribs (Dallas)

Mike Emerson: Pappy's Smokehouse (St. Louis, Mo.)

Jimmy Hagood: BlackJack Barbecue (Charleston, S.C.)

Patrick Martin: Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (Nashville, Tenn.)

Garry Roark: Ubon's Barbeque of Yazoo (Yazoo City, Miss.)

Scott Roberts: The Salt Lick Bar-B-Q ue (Driftwood, Texas)

John Stage: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (New York City)

John Wheeler: Memphis Barbecue Co. (Horn Lake, Miss.)

Rodney Scott: Scott's Bar-B-Que (Hemingway, S.C.)

Sam Jones: Skylight Inn (Ayden, N.C.)

Daniel Delaney: Delaney Barbecue (Brooklyn)

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.