Name: Phar Mill BBQ & Brewing
Address: 363 Church St N, Concord, NC 28025
Order: Chopped brisket sandwich, 1/2 lb pulled pork, smoked wings and pork belly burnt ends
Pricing: $$

Monk: Last fall, I gave Phar Mill Brewing & BBQ a shot at the original Harrisburg location and thought it showed a decent amount of promise. After that visit, I was assured that the larger downtown Concord location which opened in fall 2022 was now the primary focus of the combination brewery and barbecue restaurant. My understanding is this is where they now do the primary smoking for both locations so I marked it on my list to visit next chance I got.

That chance ended up being a recent visit with the rest of the Monk family and the Monk-in-Laws in tow. All of which are used to visiting barbecue restaurants with me and could confirm whether or not my assessment from the Harrisburg location was spot on or perhaps a little off.

We started off with an order of 6 smoked wings that were tossed in a buffalo sauce. They were nicely smokey with a good crispy skin from the fryer. The buffalo flavor the wings were tossed in was a touch on the hot side but overall these were successful wings.

Having arrived for dinner on a Saturday night, lots of things were already marked off the board: sliced brisket, beef ribs, and pork belly chief among them. I did manage to get the last chopped brisket sandwich for the day, which came topped with slaw and sauce. The hefty sandwich was solid even though it was literally the last scraps of chopped brisket on the day. I would have liked to taste the sliced brisket to compare to the slices from Harrisburg, which were not my favorite part of the meal.

The pulled pork was on a bit on the dry side and crying out for sauce. I did detect the taste of smoke in the outside brown but on its own, the pulled pork did not stand out.

In terms of sides, the collards were a bit on the bland side while the beans and slaw were average. While Mrs. Monk shared my platter with me, in terms of other orders the Monkettes were satisfied with their flatbread pizzas and the Monk-in-Laws also seemed satisfied with their respective sandwiches – chopped brisket and pulled pork.

Overall, I would say that the Concord location of Phar Mill Brewing & BBQ was a slight bit better than Harrisburg, and mostly a hit the Monks and Monk-in-Laws. As for me, next time I come through, I’ll be sure to come earlier in the day.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Smoked Wings – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs