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Watch Blue Smoke’s Jean-Paul Bourgeois Talk Burgers and the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

Photo: Sierra Tishgart/Instagram

Over the weekend, Sierra Tishgart interviewed Jean-Paul Bourgeois — the chef at Blue Smoke and Porchlight — for CBS This Morning. They talked all things barbecue: Bourgeois is an annual pit-master (though he says he self-identifies as a mere “pit boss”) at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, which will take place in New York on June 13 and 14. This year, he’ll cook pork spare ribs and pickled peppers.

Bourgeois, a Louisiana native, is also familiar with the challenges of bringing a regional specialty to New York — so he had some thoughts on the influx of troubled Tex-Mex restaurants in New York. “I think you can look back at Blue Smoke 13 years ago, and there were some challenges,” he says. “New Yorkers hadn’t seen real pit barbecue. But as you can see, 13 years later, the scene has definitely changed. Although they may be hitting some rough spots in the Tex-Mex world right now, they’re going to make a comeback.” Watch it all:

Watch Blue Smoke’s Jean-Paul Bourgeois Talk Burgers and the Big Apple