Aaron Franklin’s latest venture isn’t about barbecue
"I think of gumbo as like my liquid brisket." Aaron Franklin discusses his & his partners' upcoming venture, a reboot of the iconic Uptown Sports Club https://t.co/SyQ2HkILXApic.twitter.com/tnoym9A0bz
Grape jelly in barbecue sauce? Apparently so in some regions of Georgia
There’s always something new to learn about #BBQ. Many places in the Savannah/Statesboro/Brunswick area serve a mustard sauce rather unique to the region. My pal Emily has found an example in Millen GA and the main ingredient is… grape jelly! pic.twitter.com/mh7mXOg0xe
Sunday BBQ used to be illegal, so let's thank Al Hall for fighting the man in two 1891 court cases in Denison, TX for the right to sell BBQ on Sundays. https://t.co/QEVXXUMeiv
Name: Kerley’s Barbecue Date: 1/21/20 Address: 5114 Old U.S. Hwy 52, Lexington, NC 27295 Order: Chopped barbecue tray with hush puppies, red slaw (link to menu) Pricing: $
Monk: Down the road from Rick’s Smokehouse is another barbecue joint, Kerley’s Barbecue. Kerley’s opened in 1978 and certainly looks the part of a classic NC barbecue joint. Unfortunately, looks are deceiving in the case of Kerley’s as the brick pits in the back corner of the large brick building sit dormant, having long cooled.
And unfortunately, you can taste it in the barbecue that Kerley’s serves. Whatever gasser they use doesn’t impart a lot of smoke onto the chopped pork that came with my tray. As a side note, shouts to the the waitress who allowed me to order a smaller-sized kid’s tray even though she wouldn’t have realized I was on lunch #2. And this way, I didn’t have to feel nearly as bad if I were to not finish anything.
The red slaw was minced finer than I’d prefer and was on the sweeter side. A large tray of their small orb-shaped hush puppies was filled to the brim and those pups were the best ones I had that day. And the ramekin of sauce that came with the tray had a pronounced vinegar kick, even more so than a typical dip.
I’m not sure when Kerley’s Barbecue made the switch over to gas (or for what reasons), but as a North Carolina barbecue purist I certainly wish they hadn’t. When in Welcome, I’d recommend you head to Rick’s Smokehouse instead.
Monk: Author Jim Auchmutey stops by the Kevin’s BBQ Joints podcast to discuss his excellent book, “Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America.” I got it for Christmas and highly recommend it. It’s a quick read with lots of beautiful archive photographs.
Description: In this episode of ’10 Minutes With’ I chat with writer and historian Jim Auchmutey about his recent book Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America. It is a must have book for ANYONE interested in barbecue and how barbecue has evolved over the years to become what it is today across the United States. Along with over 50,000 words of text, the book contains 208 Illustrations and 26 recipes. I’ve read it once through and I’m now going back again.
Name: Rick’s Smokehouse Date: 1/21/20 Address: 6043 Old U.S. Hwy 52, Lexington, NC 27295 Order: Chopped barbecue tray with hush puppies, red slaw, and Cheerwine (link to menu) Pricing: $
Monk: In a continued effort to get to know Lexington Barbecue joints better, I recently made another Lexington run to try three new-to-me barbecue joints. These three are ones that you really don’t hear about, so I was a bit apprehensive as to what I might find on this trip. I’m beginning to think about the Lexington-area barbecue restaurants in terms of tiers so the looming question was: in which tier(s) would these restaurants land?
My first stop was Rick’s Smokehouse which has a Lexington address but is in the small community (or “census designated place” if we’re being technical) of Welcome which is north of Lexington proper. Welcome is home to Richard Childress Racing and North Davidson High School, who I played soccer against 20 or so years ago. And yes, it does have a sign that reads “Welcome to Welcome” as you enter on Old Highway 52.
Rick’s is located off that same Old Highway 52 and actually burned down approximately 10 years ago as a result of a fire in the smokehouse that damaged the kitchen and dining room. Thankfully, they rebuilt their brick pits and reopened a year later and have continued to smoke over wood these days. Despite being a newer barbecue restaurant relatively-speaking (it was opened in 2009), Rick’s has also continued the old Lexington tradition of curb-side service for folks who want to stay in their car and have their cue brought out to them.
I’m happy to report that Rick’s serves a tray of wonderfully smokey and fresh barbecue, which was a bit of a revelation for me. Thinking about those Lexington tiers, this one could definitely challenge for the top tier. The red slaw and hush puppies matched the quality of the pork, so it all added up to a very good meal.
Perhaps I was overly skeptical, but I hadn’t expected such a wonderful and tasty experience, particularly when the restaurant was basically empty when I arrived a little after 11am (to be fair, I was on the early side of any potential lunch rush).
I wouldn’t be so lucky with the other two restaurant visits I made on this Lexington run, but thankfully I did get a very good meal at Rick’s Smokehouse to start off the day. It truly is a hidden gem in the Lexington barbecue landscape.
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