4 hogs

Is Bringle’s Pastrami the Best Smoked Meat in Nashville?

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Name: Bringle’s Smoking Oasis
Date: 5/3/26
Address: 4901 Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
Order: Pastrami, brisket, ribs, Kool-Aid pickles, turnip greens, Mexican street corn (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Since Speedy moved to Nashville nearly a decade (!!) ago, we’ve tried our fair share of barbecue joints around the city. Most recently, we shared a pretty decent meal at Shotgun Willie’s in January 2025 but Speedy’s favorite has always been Cary Bringle’s second restaurant after Peg Leg Porker (which we’ve visited a few times), Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, which he first visited in 2022. On my most recent trip to Nashville, I finally checked it out with Speedy to see what all the fuss is about.

Bringle’s calls itself a “West Texas Style BBQ Joint” and it is situated in the middle of the growing Nations neighborhood. In addition to the barbecue, they are going for a bit of a neighborhood hangout/outdoor sports bar vibe with a big, enclosed outdoor beer garden with large TVs and outdoor games. Good for families with small kids during the day but I imagine also good for catching a NBA playoff game or World Cup match at night. 

Speedy: And don’t forget dog friendly! In addition to its big outdoor spot, Bringles has some indoor dining, and a cafeteria style line as you walk in, where you order desserts first, then cold sides, hot sides, and finally the meat. Always available are pastrami, brisket, ribs and pulled pork (we ordered all three) as well as turkey and sausage (which we skipped).

I told Monk going in – and also re-confirmed on this visit – the pastrami is my favorite smoked meat in Nashville. Smoked to perfection with great salty flavor, it always delivers. It’s one that I frequently order extra for leftover sammies the next day. On this day, Monk and I cleaned our plates.

Monk: Pastrami is not always a protein you see at a barbecue joint, but Speedy wasn’t lying about it. Great meat executed super well. I was flying out the next day but would have gladly eaten a leftover sammie had we not eaten it all.

The brisket was sliced from whatever was the current brisket on the cutting board, and while we weren’t given the choice of fatty or lean we also didn’t ask. What we got was a good-sized slice of lean that was well-smoked with the nice, peppery rub that you expect from a Texas-style joint.

Speedy: The ribs are done Texas style, with (I believe) just salt and pepper as seasoning. That gives them a widely different flavor than those you get at Peg Leg Porker which I also quite like but are dusted with rub Memphis-style. One day I will do a side by side, but both are great, and no sauce is needed for these dry seasoned ribs.

Monk: The one weak spot at Bringle’s on this visit was the pulled pork, which had dried out considerably sitting under a heat lamp on the cutting board. In addition to the dry texture it lacked a lot of flavor and needed several hits of the mild vinegar barbecue sauce.

The sides of kool-aid pickles, Mexican street corn, and turnip greens were above average across the board. 

Speedy: As usual, Bringles delivered a solid barbecue experience with a great atmosphere. As of this writing, I would still consider this my favorite barbecue spot in Nashville (apologies to Rodney Scott (editor’s note: all Rodney Scott’s locations are closed until further notice as of this post with no reopening announced) – largely on the back of the great atmosphere and the pastrami. However, with Terry Black’s slated to open in Germantown this summer, challengers are a-comin’.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Pastrami – 4.5 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Green Street Smoked Meats is Thriving in Chicago’s West Loop Neighborhood

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Name: Green Street Smoked Meats
Date: 4/5/26
Address: 112 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607
Order: Pulled pork, sliced brisket, hot link, broccoli salad (link)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: On a Sunday night in Chicago during our spring break trip to the Windy City, after a weekend of Hamilton, museums, and riverboat tours I convinced the family to take an Uber to the West Loop neighborhood to Green Street Smoked Meats. GSSM is a joint I actually went with Mrs. Monk way back in 2016 where we had a decent meal on a cold, rainy day in late April.

This time around with the Monkettes in tow, we ordered just a little more food than we did back in 2016 but stuck to brisket, sausage, and pulled pork. Similar to last time, the brisket and hot link outshone the pulled pork, however just slightly this time around. If I ever make it back I’m going to try and remember to order the pastrami.

The broccoli salad was once again ordered and a hit with the missus and I loved the slightly sweet cornbread.

In 2024, Green Street Smoked Meats was included on Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn’s list of best Texas barbecue outside of Texas. It may have been doing well before but on this Sunday night the place was hopping (particularly the bar), perhaps in small part due to that recognition. It remains a solid destination in the Windy City for those looking for Texas barbecue.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Barbecue meets Chinatown at King BBQ in North Charleston

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Name: King BBQ
Date: 1/25/26
Address:  2029 Carver Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
Order: Pork combo with BBQ red rice with yum yum sauce and slaw (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: King BBQ is the collaboration of husband and wife team Shuai and Corrie Wang and pitmaster Brandon Olson, who worked for them at their other restaurant Jackrabbit Filly not far from the location of King in North Charleston. Even if you haven’t been there, you may still recognize Shuai from his finale run on the most recent season of Top Chef Destination Canada.

King BBQ takes inspiration from Shuai’s upbringing in Queens, NY, Corrie’s upbringing in Buffalo, and Olson’s NC Piedmont roots (he grew up outside of Charlotte). There’s not a lot of beef to be found in those places, and thus there is not at King BBQ. However, in addition to the pork, there is duck, chicken wings, and occasionally fried fish taking cues from Queens and Buffalo.

On this day, I stuck with pork – chopped pork topped with fried pork skins and pork spare ribs. The barbecue items are smoked in Lang offset smokers but while I did not detect a ton of smoke from the chopped pork, the texture and taste were nice, particular when paired with some crunch from the pork skin or the creamy chopped slaw I selected as one of my sides.

The spare ribs were slathered with a char siu barbecue sauce, which added a slight sweetness to the rib that wasn’t overpowering. The flavor was great but to a certain extent the sauce masked any smoke on the ribs. They were cooked nicely with each of my bites coming clean.

The BBQ red rice was a highlight as well, and came recommended by the server as I was ordering at the register. Paired with a homemade yum yum sauce, I would consider even going a double side of them next time.

There’s so much more to King BBQ than what I tried on that day: duck, sausage, noodle bowls, shrimp toast, a play on crab rangoon, and more. I hope to find myself back in Charleston again soon to check them out with a bigger crowd.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Ribs– 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

The Smoke Pit brings true ‘cue to South Charlotte

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Name: The Smoke Pit
Date: 1/3/26
Address: 8136 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Order: Tres Amigos platter with pork, ribs, and brisket plus hush puppies, jalapeno creamed corn, and collards (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: I have been a fan of The Smoke Pit since first visiting their original Concord location in 2015. We’ve since visited and reviewed their Salisbury and Gastonia locations as well, most recently in 2021. However, The Smoke Pit empire keeps expanding, with an established location in Monroe, a newly opened location at the Arboretum shopping center in South Charlotte, and a forthcoming store in Mooresville that will bring the total count to 6 in the Charlotte area.

The Arboretum location opened in September 2025, taking over a former longtime Chili’s location. Extensive renovations were made to both the interior and exterior of the building, including the build out of a pit room where the outdoor patio used to be. Inside it, a mini army of M&M BBQ Company wood smokers made in Tool, TX pump out their smoked items.

The menu at The Smoke Pit takes an “international house of barbecue” approach with pork, brisket, ribs, turkey, chicken, burnt ends, sausage, and smoked wings on the menu. Mrs. Monk and I split the “Tres Amigos” platter that comes with pork, brisket, and ribs along with two sides and hush puppies, corn bread, or Texas Toast. There is also a “7 Meat Fest” that comes a large sampling of their meats and sides for a hungrier group than the Monk family was on that day. Something to think about in the future, though.

All of the meats I tried that day were of above average quality. The chopped pork and brisket both had a nice bark while the ribs had a good tug to them. Of the three, I’d probably give a slight nod to the brisket but I would recommend each of them.

I found my sides to be really good as well. The jalapeno creamed corn had a nice kick to counteract the creaminess while the collards met Mrs. Monk’s high standards. I should note that I had previously ordered bulk sides of their mac and cheese, baked beans, and coleslaw for last fall’s pig roast and received a ton of compliments on them. So based on my experience you can’t really go wrong with the sides at The Smoke Pit.

A nice touch was the offer of free dessert for each person in the party. We tried both the peach and strawberry cobblers, with peach being the winner for me. I don’t know how long the offer of free dessert will continue but it was a welcome end to our meal.

In terms of wood-smoked barbecue in South Charlotte, its just The Smoke Pit and Midwood Smokehouse. The Smoke Pit’s 5th location is a welcome addition to both the Arboretum shopping center and South Charlotte, and the bar looks to be worth exploring in the future. Check them out if you haven’t tried their other locations before.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs