Month: May 2015

Swig & Swine – Charleston, SC

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Name: Swig & Swine
Date: 4/19/14
Address: 1217 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407
Order: 3 meat combo (pulled pork, homemade sausage, smoked pork belly), vinegar slaw, hash & rice, smoked wings appetizer (link to menu)
Price: $20 for the combo, $12 for a dozen wings

Speedy: On the second day of my college friend bro weekend, I had to lay the smack down. “Dudes,” I said, “I’m a Barbecue Bro. My readers expect – nay! – my readers deserve a second review from my time in Charleston. So what if we had ‘cue yesterday? We’re running it back!” And so we found ourselves at Swig & Swine, which I had driven by a couple of times on Savannah Highway.

Monk: I applaud your dedication to the cause, comrade Speedski!

Speedy: From an atmosphere perspective, this restaurant has everything you want from a new school ‘cue joint – a nice rustic feel, a great bar, and large beer selection. We took a seat in the bar section and our waitress quickly approached. We immediately ordered some smoked wings for appies. I added on to that by ordering the three meat combo (because I was having a hard time making decisions).

Monk:This wouldn’t have anything to do with your previous night’s activities impairing your thinking ability would it?

Speedy: I would prefer to not answer that question, Monk. Anywho, due to the events at Home Team BBQ, I have extended my brisket ban to South Carolina (with one notable exception), so I ordered the pulled pork, homemade sausage, and tacked on the pork belly, which I was excited to see. Traditional NC side vinegar slaw and traditional SC side hash and rice rounded out my order.

Monk: Ohhh, hash and rice. Really curious how you found this? I thought it was a bit weird myself.

Speedy: Patience, young grasshopper…

The wings came out first and they were divine. Smoked perfectly and tossed in a red ‘cue sauce, these wings were meaty, tender, and full of smoke flavor. They were nearly perfect. This got me super excited for the rest of the meal.

Monk: So far, so good. Now let’s just see if the rest of the meal holds up…

Speedy: Sadly, I was let down.

Monk: Well, never mind…

Speedy: The pork was decent, but lacked smoke and was a little dry. The table was stacked with several sauces (red, vinegar, mustard, white), so I added some vinegar sauce and it did help. Overall, the pork is passable, but not great. Which is more than I can say for the pork belly. Pork belly should be crisp on the outside and melt in the mouth on the inside, which this was not. Instead, it was tough and lacking of flavor. I’m certainly no expert in smoking pork belly, but I expected more.

The sausage was actually good – the best meat of my entree. It was definitely homemade and had a nice snap and really good flavor. I would’ve preferred it to be a little spicier, but that’s just me. Overall, I’d get this again.

Monk: Could you tell what smoking method Swig & Swine used? Sounds like a gasser to me.

Speedy: I’m not sure – that would be my guess as well, but I didn’t go check it out. The slaw was forgettable and the hash was decent, and something I’d order again, though I’m not familiar enough to know how it stacks up.

Overall, I was really hoping for a special meal, especially after tasting the wings. Unfortunately, I ended up with an average experience.

Monk: So far, between this place and the two Home Team BBQ’s you’ve been to it doesn’t seem like there is much to Charleston barbecue. I expect this to change when John Lewis opens his place later this year.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4.5 hogs
Smoked Wings – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Pork Belly – 1.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
Swig & Swine on Urbanspoon

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Friday Find: Thursdays in Hell’s Half Acre

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Another well-made short film created by the Southern Foodways Alliance.

Ricky Scott is, among many things, a seasoned pit master in Hell’s Half Acre, South Carolina.

The SFA thanks Jim ’N Nick’s for celebrating and supporting the rich barbecue traditions of the American South.

Produced by 1504. Music by Bell Plaines.

(h/t TMBBQ)

–Monk

Linkdown: 5/6/15

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– Charlotte Agenda’s 12 things they learned from a short conversation with pitmaster Matt Barry and owner Frank Scibelli

(1) Midwood Smokehouse will open more restaurants. Frank is about to ton it with the sale of Bad Daddy’s. $21 million. He struck me as incredibly smart and he’ll use some of this cash to open more locations. Sounds like Columbia, SC is in the cards for 2016 and a Southpark location could happen soon(ish). I tried to grill him about the Bad Daddy’s sale and Southpark location, but as charming as I am, he didn’t give me anything juicy.

– Marie, Let’s Eat! visits Golden Rule Bar-B-Que, one of the oldest restaurants in the southeast, dating back to 1891

– The Smoking Ho reviews Aaron Franklin’s new book Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto

– Q 4 Fun reviews The Ultimate Book of BBQ by NC pitmaster Christopher Prieto

– Daniel Vaughn helped Sam Jones smoke a whole hog at BBQ on the Neuse this past weekend

– Robert Moss’s list of underrated SC barbecue for First We Feast

– Speaking of Robert Moss, his new book Barbecue Lover’s the Carolinas is out tomorrow

The Q Shack – Charlotte, NC

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Name: The Q Shack
Date: 4/24/15
Address: 10822 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28277
Order: Two meat combo plate with pulled pork and brisket, slaw, hush puppies, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $18

Monk: Seeing as how Speedy’s had subpar experiences at the The Q Shack in Raleigh (actually, “subpar” would be putting it lightly) as well as the sort-of-affiliated The Original Q Shack in Durham, I figured if the Barbecue Bros were going to review The Q Shack location in south Charlotte then I would be the one checking it out. So, being the team player that I am I did exactly that.

The Q Shack is a fast casual chain tucked into an upscale strip mall. You wait in line, order at the slicer, and then pay for your food and drink before seating yourself. And the smoker is presumably a gasser, due to the supposed county fire codes and whatnot. So I pretty much knew not to expect an old-timey joint

I checked Speedy’s review of the Raleigh location before ordering and based on it was set to order the beef sausage along with the pork, but when I stepped up to the counter I saw a surprisingly decent looking cut of brisket and audibled to that. It had a nice looking bark and appeared to be pretty moist. And the pork, despite being taken from a steam tray, looked decent too. Unless something went drastically wrong between the cashier and taking my seat, this looked to be more promising than Speedy’s experiences.

And I can report that what I did have was indeed pretty decent. The brisket’s bark was nice and peppery and there was a mixture of lean and fatty in each quarter-inch slice. Gotta say, not bad brisket for a gasser. The moist pork had decent bark mixed into its coarse chop. I added a little NC vinegar sauce just to check it out, and it added a nice tang. All in all, I’d have to rate both meats as above average.

Speedy: I’m flabbergasted by this. I just can’t imagine that this is true. We all know my feelings on NC brisket, much less The Q Shack. This could put a serious rift in our relationship, Monk.

Monk: Hey, good decent barbecue is decent barbecue. As for sides I had white slaw and double hushpuppies, and both were just fine. I don’t know if it will be enough to convince Speedy to try this location…

Speedy: It isn’t.

Monk: …but all in all my lunch was pretty good. With the above average meat and NC beers from NoDa and Highland among others available for $4, I could see The Q Shack definitely working in a pinch.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
The Q Shack on Urbanspoon

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