Fourth of July: 6 food specials you should know about in North Jersey

What would a Fourth of July party be without sizzling hamburgers and split hot dogs; meaty ribs smothered in tangy barbecue sauce; juicy slices of sweet watermelon; cool, creamy potato salad; sticky red, white and blue popsicles that turn our tongues crimson?

More than 200 years after a burgeoning America declared its independence from England, backyard barbecues have become a quintessential part of how Americans celebrate the holiday.

Of course, this Fourth will be different from previous ones due to the health crisis. But that doesn't mean we can't stuff ourselves with good ol' American favorites.

Need a little help assembling your Fourth feast this year? Here are some local restaurants and shops that can help.

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Fried chicken from Hazel’s Country Kitchen, Maplewood

Every night at 5 p.m., Sprout, a Maplewood cafe that serves greens and grains, gets taken over by a very different restaurant — Hazel’s Country Kitchen, which specializes in fried chicken, cornbread and buttered beans. Those wishing to avoid slaving over a hot grill this Fourth might consider ordering Hazel’s Country Kitchen’s Barn Box. It comes with enough food to feed two to four, depending on how hungry you are: eight pieces of crispy fried chicken, four slices of fluffy cornbread and a pint of buttery mashed potatoes. Sides such as corn, buttered bean salad and fried cauliflower can be added.

A Barn Box costs $25.99. Hazel’s is currently open for pickup and delivery only.

Go: 181A Maplewood Ave., Maplewood; 973-761-1549, hazelscountrykitchen.com.

Smoked pig from Kimchi Smoke, Westwood

Roasting a pig whole isn’t easy. It takes expensive equipment, a huge time commitment, serious butchering knowledge and, yeah, a whole hog. Fortunately, Kimchi Smoke is offering cuts of smoked pig, cooked whole, for $14 a half-pound. The hog is roasted for 10 hours, making it crunchy on the outside, succulent on the inside and full of smoky flavor. It is served with a tangy sesame vinaigrette.

Kimchi Smoke is open for curbside pickup. Customers are encouraged to pre-order. Pickup will take place from noon to 7:30 p.m. on July 4.

Go: 301 Center Ave., Westwood; 201-497-6333, kimchismoke.com.

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Cheese box from Garden State Kitchen, Orange

In New Jersey, it’s illegal for home bakers without commercial kitchens to sell their products, a regulation that makes it difficult for many small businesses to get up and running. Garden State Kitchen was founded to help home bakers by providing them with a commercial kitchen space they can rent to get their business started.

GSK has put together a special Fourth of July “Maker & Cheese Box” for the holiday. The box includes three artisanal American cheeses from Maplewood Wheelhouse, as well as gourmet crackers from one of the “makers” of GSK. The box also includes a strawberry dessert jar from A’Jar Sweet Cream Factory, one of the businesses that uses GSK.

The cheeses in the box are LaClare Chandoka, a mix of goat and cow block cheddar, Sid Cook Blue Jay, a creamy, soft blue cheese, and Jeffs' Select Gouda, a sweet and earthy cheese from Wisconsin with a natural rind.

The Maker & Cheese Box costs $30 and is available for contactless curbside pick-up or delivery to the Oranges, Maplewood or Springfield on July 3.

Go: 406 Tompkins St., City of Orange; 201-850-3690, gardenstatekitchen.com.

Fully prepared meal by Turtle + the Wolf, Montclair

Turtle + the Wolf's chef/owner Lauren Hirschberg will do all the shopping, prepping and cooking for you this Fourth. All you've got to do is pick up the eats. The Fourth of July menu is a la carte -- and on the restaurant's website. 

"There's no fuss of going to the grocery store or spending hours upon hours smoking ribs," he said. Get the ribs ($30 for a full rack), the pulled pork shoulder ($32 per pound) or summer sausage ($8 per link). among several other choices. Plus, whatever sides your heart desires: mac n' cheese ($18 for two pounds); buttermilk biscuits ($8 for six); barbecue baked beans ($16 for two pounds) and more.

The meal comes with detailed instructions on how to heat it up. Pick up is on July 2 or 3 from noon to 6 p.m.

Go: 622 Valley Road, Upper Montclair; 973-783-9800, turtleandthewolf.com.

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Fossil Farms Market, Boonton

Chefs know about the exotic meats that Fossil Farms offers -- antelope, elk, alligator. Food lovers know that its prepared food is terrific, too (after all, the meat is super fresh and the chefs are all professionally trained). For the holiday, you can pick up a whole smoked suckling pick with all the fixins.

What's for dinner? A 10 to 15 pound smoked suckling pig with burnt-end collard greens, smoked baked beans, jalapeno cheddar cornbread, coleslaw, homemade barbecue sauce and toffee brownies. No one is leaving the table hungry. The price is $300.

Go: 81 Fulton St., Boonton; 973-917-3155, fossilfarms.com.

Rebecca King is a food writer for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.

Email: [email protected] Twitter: @rebeccakingnj  Instagram: @northjerseyeats

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 4th of July 2020: Food specials you should know about in NJ