Monk: Garren’s turning 40 in late June and throwing a heckuva party at Jon G’s! The Jon G’s Jubilee will bring in town Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue in Durham as well as the N. Sea Oyster Co from the Topsail Beach area. Charlotte’s Divine Barrel Brewing will provide the beer with ice cream from Wadesboro’s Brown Creek Creamery, who Jon G’s uses for cheeses in their sausages. Tickets will surely go fast for this so if interested, I’d recommend you act quickly.
Monk: In “news you absolutely love to see,” Speedy’s Barbecue has reopened in Lexington. Undaunted by the NC DOT’s widening of Highway 8 that killed off Smiley’s Barbecue, Speedy’s has moved about a half mile down the road from their longtime location of 60 years into what formerly housed Tricia’s Catering.
In an interview earlier this year owner Roy Dunn stressed that only the location is changing. Speedy’s will have the same menu, same staff, same prices and same motto — “ Quality, Quantity and Quick service.”
Curb service, a staple of classic Lexington barbecue joints, is open with 13 spots available
Merch is available
Speedy’s Barbecue is now open 11am to 8pm Monday through Saturday at 408 Piedmont Dr Lexington, NC 27295
Native News
Congrats to Little Pigs BBQ of Asheville, who celebrated 60 years open last month
Jon G’s Barbecue makes Eater Carolinas’ list of Essential Restaurants in Charlotte
Congrats to Concord-based SnS Grills for being named “The Best Kettle Style Grill” by Food and Wine in a recent rundown of charcoal grills
WRAL’s best barbecue in Raleigh contains one old but mostly newer places
Non-Native News
Congrats to City Limits Q on the announcement of their upcoming brick and mortar in West Columbia
Aaron Franklin’s latest restaurant Uptown Sports Club is more sports bar than barbecue joint, but it does have some chopped brisket and sausage on the menu in various forms
A look at Uptown Sports Club shows gumbo stocked with Franklin Barbecue sausage, a raw bar, and four different po’ boys. https://t.co/OZ0mNUoKWm
Amy Mills of 17th Street Barbecue was recently honored back in March
2023 Landmarks Illinois Influencer Amy Mills & owner of @17thstreetbbq is preserving and celebrating Southern Illinois’ food culture while also reusing historic places. We honored Amy at our Preservation Forward event in March. Learn why: https://t.co/gTSgvdhItd
Congrats to Wildwoods BBQ on winning last week’s Brisket King NYC
Congrats Wildwoods BBQ from NJ on winning Brisket King NYC w/ their excellent brisket. Young restaurant with serious pitmaster talent! pic.twitter.com/OP9uFeJxZO
Monk: Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue is launching what he hopes will be a new annual event, called Frankie Lemmon’s Gettin’ Piggy With It in support of the Frankie Lemmon School. By way of background, “Frankie Lemmon School is a NAEYC accredited, 5-star child development center that welcomes children ages 2-6 with and without disabilities.”
For the event, he’s partnering with Trophy Brewing in Raleigh and utilizing their new event venue Maywood Hall & Garden. And he’s bringing with him some heavy hitters in the world of barbecue, not only in North and South Carolina but also one from California. The full list of pitmasters and chefs:
Dampf Good BBQ – Cary, NC
Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland, NC
King BBQ – Charleston, SC
Lawrence Barbecue – Durham, NC
Lewis Barbecue – Charleston, SC
Locals Seafood – Raleigh, NC
Longleaf Swine – Raleigh, NC
N. Sea Oyster Co. – Hampstead, NC
Shepard Barbecue – Emerald Isle, NC
Southern Smoke Barbecue – Garland, NC
Wye Hill – Raleigh, NC
ZEF BBQ – Los Angeles, CA
Tickets are on sale as of of today for the May 21 event. Tickets and event information available here
Native News
AVL Today profiles two Asheville-area joints on the Historic NC Barbecue Trail: Switzerland Cafe in Little Switzerland and Hubba Hubba Smokehouse in Flat Rock
The Bone Suckin’ Sauce Peak City Pig Fest, a KCBS event, took place this past weekend in Apex
NoDa Brewing and Jon G’s Barbecue have teamed up for a fun event at their OG Taproom on April 27th…but tickets have already sold out
We only have a few tickets left…
We've teamed up with @JonGsBBQ to bring you Beer & BBQ, an exclusive event at our OG Taproom 🙌
Gear Patrols dives into the best charcoal grills on the market
In the same way many driving enthusiasts prefer manuals to automatics, there is carnal satisfaction in direct control, higher failure rates and sky-high potential. https://t.co/pFCxckZVLA
John Tanner checks out Rodney Scott’s Barbecue to compare it to the original; his findings may surprise you
Speaking of Rodney Scott, he’s teamed up with The Spice House to create a line of spice blends available to purchase now
We are so excited to share 4 NEW spice blends in collaboration with legendary @PitmasterRS! Each balanced blend adds a touch of barbecue brilliance to anything you cook.
Subtle smokiness & a sweet-savory flavor make this coffee cocoa rub a favorite all-purpose seasoning. Rub it on a whole pork shoulder, sprinkle it over a ribeye for a cowboy steak, or add a spoonful to beans & chili.
Goldee’s Barbecue will soon be selling their own smokers, made in partnership with M&M BBQ Company
The caption says it all
Here is an AI generated photo of a "Classic Central Texas-style barbecue brisket". It is clearly taking its cues from John Cornyn. pic.twitter.com/ZMUo8sQ8An
Congrats to Daniel Vaughn on 10 years as barbecue editor for Texas Monthly
I took this photo ten years ago on my first day at @TexasMonthly. Hard to believe that writing about barbecue has been my full time job for a decade. pic.twitter.com/40tLyllmbl
Name: Buxton Hall Barbecue Date: 12/22/22 Address: 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 Order: Combo platter with whole hog barbecue, sliced brisket, and ribs with chicken bog and collards (link to menu) Pricing: $$
Monk: Since the last time either Speedy or I visited Buxton Hall Barbecue, there’s been quite a bit of change. This past summer Elliot Moss, the face and pitmaster behind the launch of Buxton Hall, announced that he had parted ways with the Chai Pani Restaurant group which owns both Buxton Hall Barbecue as well as the Buxton Chicken Palace that Moss also helped start. Moss is staying in Asheville and opening a concept of his own (a “comfort classics restaurant” called Regina’s Westside) but it should not be overstated how much he helped put whole hog on the map in western NC as the brains behind Buxton Hall.
On a day trip to Asheville, Speedy and I wanted to check out the restaurant to see if anything had drastically changed in the past 5+ months to our beloved Buxton Hall. While we’ve each visited the restaurant plenty on our own, this was our first time visiting as a duo. Plus, it was Speedy’s birthday and we had Papa Speedy and Cousins Daniel and Matt in tow!
Speedy: And what better to do on your birthday than have barbecue! One thing I noticed first off is that brisket (which I believe was a 2019 or 2020 menu addition add) was off the regular menu but available as a special (though only sliced was offered, instead of sliced and chopped). Obviously, you can’t go to Buxton and not get chopped pork, so when we were offered a special plate with pork, brisket, and ribs, Monk and I jumped on it. And add two sides to boot!
Monk: Apologies in advance for the subpar food photography – we visited for dinner and the lighting was quite low. Great ambiance, poor lighting conditions. Back to the food – the whole hog portion was a bit on the small side but tasted just as good as I remembered.
Speedy: And that is a good thing. I agree – top notch pork. The ribs, which I had not had at Buxton previously, were also really, really good. They were cooked perfectly – tender but not falling off the bone, and well seasoned without being either too sweet or too salty. The pork at Buxton is always the star (and was again today), but the ribs made sure they were heard.
Monk: The ribs were definitely a revelation for me, as I also had not tried them previously. Unfortunately its hard to say if any effects were felt here, but at least what we had was really freaking good. The brisket slices were all lean (we weren’t asked our preference) and while they were fine, by no means were they the standout of the meal.
Speedy: I had previously really enjoyed chopped brisket at Buxton, so I’m curious as to whether this is where the change in the pitmaster was truly felt, since it’s not a meat cooked every day and mastered. As for the sides, I didn’t notice any difference in the collard greens, which are some of my favorite anywhere and a must-order.
Monk: While the collards had a nice kick and plenty of vinegary tang, I felt the chicken bog was perhaps a little on the dry side and at least on this night was not quite up to par with previous offerings. We should mention the smoked wings we got as an appetizer, which were very solid as well.
Going in, I wanted to order the hash and rice but it wasn’t a side option (and I didn’t think to ask to sub it in). I’d be really curious to see how that in particular holds up since that is a Pee Dee Region staple that was near and dear to Moss’s heart. Oh well – next time.
Speedy: The last time I was at Buxton, I texted Monk to ask whether it’s the best barbecue joint in NC. We decided that while we weren’t sure we were ready to go that far, it has to be in the conversation. At least so far, the loss of Elliott Moss doesn’t change that.
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