Pig Island

Okay, another break from my Alaska posts. Yesterday the Mysterious Chinese woman and I headed out to Governor's Island which had been renamed Pig Island for the day for a beer and barbecue festival. One of the great things about where I live is that we were able to just walk a short distance to catch the free ferry. The first ferry departed at 11:00 AM and then they run about every twenty minutes or so. We got there about 10:30 AM and the lines were already starting to form. And then people just kept coming.

Waiting For The Ferry




And Here Is The Ferry


Amazingly, there was room for everyone. But it was pretty packed.

Top Deck


The bottom deck was packed too with everyone who brought their bicycles and strollers for the little kids. But we got our seats and just chilled out for the short ride.

Just Chillin'




I don't know why, but I didn't get any pictures of the beer tents. Only Six Points beer was being served but they had several types and there was no problem getting as much as you wanted. Although the event was sold out I think they reduced the number of tickets this year because it wasn't as crowded as last year and the lines weren't nearly as long. Much more pleasant. But that isn't to say that there weren't a lot of people.

Having A Wonderful Time


Last year there were several smaller bands playing around the festival. This year they just had one band but it  had more of a stage and was at one end where people could gather and not get in the way of the food vendors and the lines.

The Band


Joe Doe was my first food stop, probably because it was right next to one of the beer tents. They, like most of the vendors, were here last year.

Joe Doe's Big Sandwich


And Joe Doe's Sandwich Maker


They also had some pate and a big jar of pickled stuff that included sausage, okra (too tough) corn, radishes and who knows what else.

Mysterious Stuff


One of the things they had this year that was new was a pig butchering demonstration put on by Wusthof Knives. And it was quite interesting.

How You Butcher A Pig




And, of course, a few of the many vendors that participated.







Now this is a neat little smoker that would be fun to have. Perfect for pedaling to a park for a picnic.

The Ultimate Portable Smoker


I was happy to see that my hometown of Minneapolis was represented as well.

Made Me Kind Of Homesick




And my friend Sam and his Fuhggeddaboutit barbecue team representing Pete's Waterfront Ale House was there.

You Can't Fuhggeddaboutit


His smoker isn't as portable as the little one, but it does the job.

The Big Smoker


And Smilin' Sam Himself


I had the pulled pork, delicious as usual, and his really delicious homemade headcheese. Sam was nice enough to cut off a big hunk for me to take home. And it didn't take me long to dig into it once I got back to my place.

There Is Always Room For Headcheese


Speaking of Pete's Waterfront Ale House, don't forget that September 30th is the Atlantic Antic, far and away the best street fair in New York, in my humble opinion. He will have that smoker out in front of his place and be serving up more pulled pork sandwiches. The line is always long and hopefully the Black Coffee Blues band will be playing as well.

And that was my day on Pig Island.

Here's Looking At You


More on Alaska next time, I promise.