Caitlin Griffith

Many of Gotham’s barbecue sanctuaries claim legitimacy via faithfulness to one specific tradition, but meat buff Hugh Mangum takes a different tack. Drawing on the Carolinas (mustard and vinegar) and Texas (dry rub), the chef melds traditions from his father and in-laws, respectively, into a self-styled “Texalina” category. In the bright former Vandaag space—now staged with white-painted brick, Edison lightbulbs and stacks of splintered logs—’cue-hounds can dig into superlative statehopping grub that upends purist ideals with gut-busting glory. ORDER THIS: The simple chalkboard menu lists just six proteins (including brisket, sausage and spareribs) and four sides, above a cafeteria-style assembly line. Load up your tray with the behemoth Brontosaurus Rib: The crispy, blackened beef is enhanced by only a sprinkle of Maldon salt after a ten-hour session over embers. Counter workers finish the top-notch pulled pork—rubbed with paprika, cumin and sugar and cooked for 12 hours—with just a squirt of the house-made Texalina sauce, a slightly sweetened ketchup-vinegar condiment pepped up with mustard. Fill up your tray with meaty baked beans, fortified with burnt ends, and a rustic sweet-potato casserole studded with pecans, plus bright cucumber and celery pickles to cut through all the richness. GOOD FOR: Smorgasburg groupies sniffing out smoke-accented proteins. Mangum earned devotees slinging brisket at the Kings County weekends-only food bazaar. Fans can now chow down seven days