Talk about pigging out.
Thousands of pork lovers were in hog heaven at the Pig Island swine fest, which had its Red Hook debut on Saturday. Chefs and pit-masters served up an array pork dishes to hungry crowds all afternoon at the massive pig-out that organizers say went off swimmingly.
“Pig Island was a success!” said festival founder Jimmy Carbone of Food Karma Projects.
For $75, attendees of the swine-centric party got the chance to eat as much pig-inspired grub and drink as much booze as they could keep down, taking reassurance from the fact that the meat was all local. New York and New Jersey pig farmers offered up a total of 80 hogs for the sacrificial feast, which is in its fourth year, having spent the past three on Governors Island.
Carbone said that he moved the finger-licking event to Red Hook to help the neighborhood which is still recovering nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy ripped through the area. A portion of the proceeds from the massive festival was donated to Red Hook’s Added Value organization, which has a community farm next to Ikea on Beard Street, near where the pork party took place.
More than two dozen chefs, including Bill Fletcher of Gowanus’ Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue, Jacques Gautier of Park Slope’s Palo Santo, and Will Horowitz of Manhattan’s Ducks Eatery, served up porcine grub such as pig ears, pulled pork sliders, grilled meatballs, spicy sausage, and even bacon-covered cinnamon rolls.
Attendees said that the event transformed a grassy field near the waterfront into a greasy piece of paradise.
“The food was amazing,” said pork lover Farideh Sadeghin of Greenpoint. “All of the vendors and chefs were super friendly.”Sadeghin favored a brownie topped with caramelized bacon.“You can’t go wrong with that,” she said.
