Due to the dense packing of people in NYC, there are very few places that allow you to have any kind of open flame, including in a barbecue or grill. I think the requirement is that your grill has to be at least 10 feet from any flammable material, including building walls, other furniture, and pretty much anything not made of concrete or metal. You can't do it on a terrace or a balcony either. Almost nowhere in NYC do you have a 10 foot radius with nothing flammable in it.

This is inaccurate-

- charcoal - no roofs or balconies, but terraces and backyards are okay. You do need 10 feet of clearance from walls and fences, but this is less rare than you might think. I’ve lived in two places that met this criteria and have a few friends that did as well

- propane - illegal in most circumstances except with a very small propane tank

- natural gas - legal in all circumstances as long as installed by a city licensed installer.

It’s true that it’s not as common as it is in the suburbs, but essentially every building built in the last 20 years or major renovations ends up including one or more grills.

Completely incorrect. I've lived on the UWS at 72nd st and ran a smoker and charcoal grill AND a outdoors fireplace in our backyard.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

I wasn't trying to hide it either, I ran some (3x) 18 hour brisket smokes with hickory in 2018.

There's a good chance your smoker was technically illegal, if you didn't have 10 foot clearance around it with no "flammable objects" in it.

The NYPD doesn't generally enforce that law so much except in poor neighborhoods or if your landlord reports you.