Robert Rodriguez organized a family reunion for 30 family members. (Astrid Stawiarz/NY Post)
Kevin Bass is manning the giant grill his pal Kimberly Jones brought to Jefferson Park. And he can’t wait to try Jones’ beef ribs and her mom’s yellow rice. (Astrid Stawiarz/NY Post)
Kimberly Jones (left), with her mom, Helen Mohammed, got a permit to hold a second-grade graduation party for her son at the park. (Astrid Stawiarz/NY Post)
Alberto Grazi takes advantage of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s new grills. (Brian Zak)
The sounds of summer first draw you into East Harlem’s Thomas Jefferson Park — live rumba music, laughter, soccer matches and splashing water from the public pool that fits 1,000-plus sweltering New Yorkers. But it’s the seductive seasonal smells — the burgers and kebabs and other foodstuffs on the grill — that lure visitors farther into this neighborhood park between First Avenue and the FDR Drive from 111th to 114th streets.
Down shady paths barefoot kids half-wrapped in towels weave in and out, while others in uniforms play baseball nearby. Beyond the large sculptures, wafts of smoke rise from scattered grills. Is that a breeze from the East River?
Nothing says the height of summer like food roasting on grills and picnic tables filled with people enjoying the great outdoors. For years New Yorkers have been clamoring to stake their claim on the nine grills and 16 tables in the 15 ½-acre park in what was once Manhattan’s original Little Italy but now is a more of a Latino neighborhood.
On a recent sunny Saturday, neighborhood picnickers and grillers arrived as early as 8 a.m. to secure their spot and start grilling.
Robert Rodriguez, 32, stands by a picnic table manning one of three grills. Armed with folding tables and chairs, watermelon, coolers full of marinating meat, drinks and ice, as well as a grill, he took a cab from his Upper East Side apartment to arrive early to set up his space. (Parties of 20 or more need a permit; see sidebar).
“It’s family-friendly, and you have this beautiful view of the trees and the water,” says Rodriguez, noting the park’s amenities — playgrounds, ballfields, a rec center and spray showers.
He’s here for the family reunion he’s organized for 30 of his kin, taking time off from his MBA studies to make shrimp and pepper skewers.
Rodriguez’s sister, Marlene Soto, 43, and her family haul in other grills and more food — hot dogs, burgers, 120 various skewers, Spanish rice with peas, and tuna bowtie-pasta salad — down from their home in The Bronx. Later, others bring fried whiting, macaroni and cheese and green salad with avocado and tomato along with lots of fruit.
Soto, who enlisted her 14-year-old daughter, Tyler, to build the skewers, says she lets the guys work the grills, but keeps an eye on the temperature of the meats. “They’d just give it to us raw,” she jokes.
“They brought the food, we brought the everything extra,” says Essey Walker, 26, the girlfriend of Rodriguez’s twin brother John. She means the coal, tablecloths, tape (to secure), balloons, umbrella, aluminum foil, napkins, plates and cups.
On summer’s hottest days, Rodriguez advises to get here “really early, like 6 a.m.” to grab a prime location. His family’s recipes, including this one below, are the result of lots of reading, research and practice.
ROBERT RODRIGUEZ’S FAMILY REUNION RECIPES
Shrimp & Pepper Skewers
Ingredients:Shrimp, small and cleaned; baby tricolor sweet peppers, halved or quartered; lemon juice; garlic; sea salt; oregano
Recipe: Combine lemon juice and garlic in a mini chopper until it’s a liquidy paste. Add sea salt and oregano. Coat shrimp and peppers with the mixture, storing in Tupperware. Refrigerate overnight. Alternate shrimp and peppers on skewers, about three of each to a stick. Grill on aluminum foil over mediumhigh heat until shrimp is completely cooked. “You want the shrimp to be pink and white,” says Rodriguez, “or you’re risking eating sushi, and shellfish is not good to eat like sushi.”
Chicken & Pineapple Kabobs
Ingredients: Chicken, cut into 1 1/2 -inch cubes; pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes; crushed garlic, oregano, basil, adobo seasoning, vinegar, oil; combine garlic, spices, vinegar and oil in a jar. Shake well. Pour over meat and fruit (in separate containers with lids). Refrigerate overnight.
Recipe: Alternate chicken and pineapple on skewers, about four of each to a stick. Grill on aluminum foil over medium-high heat until chicken is completely cooked through.
Tuna Bowtie Pasta Salad
Ingredients: Solid white tuna; bowtie pasta; red and green bell pepper, diced; yellow onion, diced; Mrs. Dash seasoning; mayonnaise.
Recipe: Boil bowtie pasta to al dente, drain, chill. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, adding mayo last, to taste.
WE’VE GOT GRILL POWER!
Kimberly Jones, 42, applied for her permit 30 days in advance of her son’s second-grade graduation party. (Just about anything is a good reason to get people together in a park, but birthdays, graduations and holidays rule.)
The NYPD crossing guard, who lives 10 blocks south of the park, stores a multi-burner gas grill with a lid at a friend’s in The Bronx. This is the sort of thing you expect to see in the suburbs. Across the way, there’s a smoker, a pit barbecue and other grills of unusual size for the city. Some people bring them because they didn’t reserve a stationary grill in the park. Others, like Jones, bring them because what they own is superior (a bigger rig!) to what’s available. She’s throwing a party for 50 and includes beef ribs, baked tilapia stuffed with bell peppers, franks, burgers, macaroni and cheese, macaroni salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cupcakes and more — most set up in large foil tins over Sternos.
Jones’ grilling and chilling advice: Be safe. Be careful of fire. Watch out for kids. And bring a blanket or whatever you want to lie on.
Technically boom boxes are not permitted here, but you just may find one or two folks breaking that rule. (Cops here, people in the park say, are more concerned about alcohol, which is also against the rules.)
But who needs cocktails when you’ve got family members who can cook?
Jones’ friends at the park say she’s basically a caterer, but she insists she just knows how to bring people together. Still, her recipes are always a hit. Today, she’s here with her mom, Helen Mohammed, 66, who’s made 3 pounds of macaroni and cheese and the crowd-pleasing yellow rice with sausage, which can be eaten hot or cold. “No one likes to cook,” says Mohammed, a cook at a day-care center, “but they all like to eat.”
KIMBERLY JONES’ GRADUATION RECIPES
Beef Ribs
Ingredients: Beef ribs, portioned; Old Bay seasoning; lemon pepper; black pepper; onion pepper.
Recipe: Soak ribs in vinegar and cold water for 10 minutes to clean. Rinse in cold water, then salt and season with spices. Wrap in foil. Let sit for about 45 minutes, then grill over medium-low heat, 30 minutes on each side, until tender.
Yellow Rice with Sausage
Ingredients: Rice, parboiled until done; diced onions and bell peppers; Polish beef sausage, cubed; Bijol seasoning.
Recipe: Stir fry the peppers, onions and sausage. Add rice and seasoning, which turns the rice yellow.
Rib recipe from Kimberly Jones; rice recipe from Helen Mohammed
THE 411 ON BBQ IN NYC
If you want to reserve a specific area in a city park — with a park grill and picnic table — or have any activity (such as a family reunion or party) with more than 20 people, you need a $25 special event permit from the Parks Department, which takes four weeks to process. For safety, the city does not allow barbecuing under trees. For details, online permit applications and a full roster of grilling parks, go to nycgovparks.org. Here are some of the city parks where you can really get cookin’!
Prospect Park: Bring your picnic to one of the more than 10 designated barbecue spots, with stationary grills near the 15th Street entrance, and more around Prospect Park Lake.
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5: The sleek new charcoal grills (at Joralemon Street) are the coolest cookers in town. And the unbeatable views of Manhattan add to the allure. No grilling after 10 p.m.
East River Park: The views from the six grills here offer a panorama of Brooklyn, the East River and the Williamsburg Bridge. Enter on FDR Drive and 10th Street.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park: With 24 grills, you won’t have to fight as many barbecuers to fire up at this big Queens park. Enter at Van Wyck Expressway and Jewel Avenue.
Forest Park, Woodhaven: Five grills are available in the Queens park with the largest oak forest in the borough — near the entrance at Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive.