New York may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of barbecue, but Hudson Valley residents know a noteworthy plate of brisket doesn’t require a road trip South. Local BBQ purveyor Handsome Devil—which sticks to the basics of “low and slow,” applying modern technology to traditional recipes, such as its St. Louis Ribs—has been serving up the best of smoke and fire to Newburgh and its surrounding community since owner Ed Randolph set up shop in back in 2012.
Hence, it should come as no surprise that they’ve earned themselves a few fans at the Food Network. According to Randolph, a representative from the multimedia giant reached out a couple months ago to see if they would be interested in participating in this year’s Food Network & Cooking Channel’s NYC Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF), and they eagerly accepted.
Come Oct. 16, Handsome Devil will be packing up their pork to take part in NYCWFF’s Coca-Cola Backyard BBQ, featuring hosts/celeb chefs Bobby Flay and Michael Symon. Randolph and his crew will be cooking alongside 14 other pitmasters and creating a signature dish to share with attendees.
“[We are] extremely humbled to be included with some of the Big Apple’s BBQ elite,” Randolph says, adding he’s “also extremely proud of our team as the only non-NYC representative” and eager to show off ingredients sourced from area growers like Wright’s Farm in Gardiner.
In a few short years, Handsome Devil has taken home awards in five different states, and was even selected to be the first-ever New York-based vendor at 2014’s Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. But as he looks ahead toward NYCWFF, Randolph says simply, “This another opportunity for us to showcase what the Hudson Valley has to offer.”
