barbeque

Lawrence Barbecue is helping make downtown Cary a destination

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Name: Lawrence Barbecue
Date: 4/10/26
Address: 150 E Cedar St, Cary, NC 27511
Order: Sliced brisket, pulled pork, sweet n spicy collards, deviled egg potato salad, red slaw (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: A favorite past time of the Monk family is me forcing them to eat barbecue while on vacation. For Spring Break 2026, we started with Green Street Smoked Meats in Chicago on a Monday before checking out Lawrence Barbecue in Cary on our way to Greenville for a gymnastics meet; they were spared from B’s Barbecue the next morning.

Lawrence Barbecue opened their in Cary location in September 2025, adding to what has become quite the bustling downtown scene. On this Friday night with some beautiful spring weather, after meeting some friends at nearby Bond Brothers Brewing we walked the two blocks to Lawrence Barbecue. Lawrence itself was also quite busy but we managed to to snag a table outside on the patio. Ordering was done via QR code and before not long the food came out.

While I still would have loved to see whole hog on the menu (as was initially the plan for the first location), but Lawrence Barbecue still does a great job with their pork they smoke on the Lang offsets. The pulled pork tasted fresh and flavorful at the dinner hour. The brisket was also another winner in terms of proteins. Next time I’ll try the ribs and the turkey.

Lawrence doesn’t slack on the sides either. The sweet n spicy collards were Mrs. Monk approved and the deviled egg potato salad captured the essence of its namesake. I would take a minor nitpick of the red slaw in that I would have preferred the cabbage to be diced a little more.

On the other hand, I had no nitpicks with the banana pudding, though. It was up there with the best banana puddings I’ve had in recent memory.

Jake Wood and the Lawrence Barbecue gang have consistently knocked it out of the park each time I have checked them out: my original visit to their previous Boxyard RTP location in 2022, the beef fat caramel wings at the Jon G’s Jubilee in 2024, and now my first visit to this downtown Cary location. Highly recommended if you’re looking for legit barbecue in the Triangle.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pulled Pork – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 4.5 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

Saturdays at B’s Barbecue – A Tradition Unlike Any Other in Eastern North Carolina

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Monk: My dad spent 3 years at Eastern Carolina University in the early 1970’s before transferring back home to Raleigh to finish up his studies. His last time there was approximately 4 years before Bill McLawhorn set up a barbecue restaurant in a former grocery store on the edge of town. Nearly 52 years later on a Saturday morning in mid April, I was happy to introduce him to the majesty of B’s Barbecue.

Of course, I’m no expert when it comes to B’s, having been for the first time just four years ago. But knowing his tastes when it comes to barbecue I knew he’d be a big fan. Him and my mom were coming from an overnight stop in Wilson and we were staying a mile down the road for a gymnastics meet so I told him to meet me there at 8:30 Saturday morning to put us in good shape for the line that would eventually form. Turns out that put us first in line by a good 10-15 minutes before anyone else started showing up.

Dad put me in charge of the order for everyone (including a couple of pounds to bring back west) and we took it back to the lobby of our hotel to eat a good old fashioned eastern Carolina barbecue breakfast.

But not before I snapped a few photos in the smokehouse, which I didn’t do last time but the guys were more than happy to let me do. I get the feeling that this isn’t a unique request by visitors.

My dad was rather taken by the barbecue and ate it up, with some contented sighs along the way. It was every bit as good as I recalled and I was happy I was able to introduce it to him. I don’t know how much longer the McLawhorn daughters will keep the business running as they have since their dad retired early 2000’s but I hope to get another time or two in myself. Truly a 5 hog meal.

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

Can a barbecue joint in the middle of New York serve good barbecue?

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Name: Hill Country Barbecue Market
Date: 2/8/26
Address: 30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010
Order: “Two Meater” platter with brisket (moist), jalapeno cheddar sausage, pork collard greens, and cowboy beans (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Readers, I was caught a little off guard with my most recent trip to New York for a quick work trip. I didn’t do much research going into the short trip and found myself with an open night for dinner. Hill Country Barbecue Market was a somewhat known quantity by me in name only, having opened in 2007 on the leading edge of the New York barbecue boom, and I had not yet visited yet, instead opting for places like Hometown Bar-B-Que, John Brown’s Smokehouse, and the original Mighty Quinn’s when I had previously visited NYC. In a slight mist, I started my walk from my Midtown hotel down towards 26th.

Entering Hill Country, I was immediately struck by the Texas of it all. To say that it pays homage to the Republic of Texas would be understating it; it really slaps you in the face (positive). Finding a spot at the bar, I couldn’t help but notice the music, the signage, and the general vibe. They really nailed it. I ordered a Shiner and my food and we were off.

Being just me, I opted for the “Two Meater” platter with moist brisket and a jalapeno cheddar sausage. Thankfully, you get a choice of moist or lean, which is usually a good sign. Unfortunately, I may have gotten the less desirable end pieces of the moist part of the brisket with large veins of slightly congealed fat throughout the slices.

The jalapeno cheddar sausages (as well as the other sausages on the menu) are apparently shipped in from the legendary Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas. It had a nice kick and on its own was a solid link that more than made up for the “less than” brisket.

The “Two Meater” comes with two sides as well as cornbread and some pickled veggies. Both the collards and “cowboy beans” were just fine. The cornbread was brushed with honey and was very close to being the best part of the meal.

In response to the original question of this entry, the answer based on Hill Country Barbecue Market is “not really.” I can’t fault them too much for cooking with a gas-assisted smoker in the middle of Manhattan, but the end product especially in terms of the brisket was just subpar on this night. Go to Hill Country for the Texas vibes and maybe a happy hour (the bottom bar was slammed with young professionals), but not necessarily the barbecue.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 2.5 hogs
Sausage – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs