Monk: This year marked the 89th year that Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church in University City has had its annual barbecue held the fourth Thursday of October, which is part community barbecue and part political meet and greet.

While this year’s was a bit cold and grey and overcast, the sun peeked out enough so that the guests weren’t left feeling too cold eating their barbecue sandwiches ($4) or plates ($10). Plates come with pulled pork, a bowl of Brunswick stew, slaw, and apple sauce. Each table has a loaf of Merita white bread, so you can make a taco of sorts with the barbecue and slaw. Be warned that the hot vinegar sauce on the table is quite good but also quite spicy.

A reader comment on a Linkdown from a few weeks back complained about the use of rice in the Brunswick stew, which I didn’t realize was a bit controversial. Critics will say that it is used as a cheat to make more of the stew without meat. I’ll say that I have never felt very strongly about Brunswick stew, so it works for me. Perusing the event website, this question must come up a lot since there is a FAQ dedicated to answering it.

Mallard Creek’s Brunswick Stew Recipe?

We are proud of the heritage and quality of our stew, in fact we got loads of compliments every year.  It’s always an early sellout, we just can’t make enough – it’s a multiday process and involves over 100 folks to cook and package the stew.  Occasionally we get questions and comments about the inclusion of rice in the stew.  Our Brunswick Stew recipe has been passed down for many generations in our Church – and it is a stew – not a soup.  Like barbecue, stews are very personal and regional in taste and recipe. We are very proud of our stew, and let us assure you that the inclusion of rice is original to the recipe – and has not been added to stretch the recipe.  On the practical side, some stews have potatoes – but don’t store/freeze/reheat well, your Mallard Creek Stew will not break down as much, since the rice holds better.  While we don’t share specific recipes, we cook our own mix of chicken, beef and pork for the stew – and there is approximately 6 times as much meat vs rice (by weight) in each serving of stew.  The meat is finely ground after cooking, so sometimes folks don’t realize it.  By the way, we use a gluten free rice too! Remember that stews were intended to be a cost-effective source of nutrition, in their origin. We appreciate your own personal taste, feel free to come enjoy our stew, barbecue, slaw and fellowship.  We would love to have you!

I was glad to make it back this year after taking last year off due to having strep throat. If you ever do make it out, be sure to steer clear of going during normal lunch hours unless you are in a position to wait for an hour or more in your car. Going closer to 2pm still left me a 25 minute or so wait in the car. I’ve also had success going after 5pm but then you run the risk of popular items like Brunswick stew running out. No matter when you are able to make it out to the Mallard Creek Barbecue, you will enjoy some of the better barbecue in Charlotte, albeit cue that’s only available one day a year.