Recently, friend of the blog John Tanner (of John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog) ate his way across the piedmont of North Carolina while making stops on the NC Historic Barbecue Trail in honor of the late Jim Early. Early was the founder of the North Carolina Barbecue Society and driving force behind the NC Historic Barbecue Trail.
Notably, he makes a stop at our friends at Bar-B-Q King in Lincolnton where he delights in the “hollerin’ orders” system and has a great meal. Follow John’s journey below.
After checking out 411 joints for our upcoming Top 50 BBQ List, @BBQsnob can confidently report that our favorite smoked meat is so reliably excellent in all parts of Texas that it no longer feels like an achievement. Texas brisket has peaked. https://t.co/rAIcRCYnv3+
Husk Barbeque in Greenville, SC closed earlier this week
Is the Pivot to BBQ running out of gas (and hickory logs)? Husk Barbeque in Greenville SC, which converted from fine dining to a BBQ format in 2020, has permanently closed.https://t.co/elOWFcqBVD
Monk: In an era where North Carolina barbecue fans are more worried about classic barbecue joints closing, it’s quite heartening to see when one is instead celebrating a landmark in it’s longevity. On September 1, Lincolnton’s Bar-B-Q King (not to be confused with the BBQ King drive-thru in Charlotte) celebrates their 50th anniversary. Fifty!
In September 1971, Steve and Becky Abernethy opened a barbecue restaurant to fill a need in the local Lincolnton food landscape, serving Lexington-style barbecue and fresh hand-pattied burgers. In the early 2000s, they brought on long-time employee Keith Smith on as partner. The operation has continued to be a family deal as Steve and Becky’s daughter Stephanie as well as Keith’s sons Jordan and Jared all work there today. Stephanie and Jordan are even engaged to be married next year. It’s all quite lovely.
In celebration of their 50th anniversary on September 1st they’re throwing back the price of their regular bbq sandwich to $1.99. Any customers who visit them on September 1st will also receive a free 50th anniversary cup and sticker.
They’ll also have sweet new 50th anniversary shirts for purchase as well. I’m digging them and hope to be able to snag one myself.
I’ve visited Bar-B-Q King a coupleof times over the past few years and am a huge fan. They are of course a family-owned business that serves the Lincolnton community and they’ve got this unique “hollerin’ orders” system where once orders are placed at the register they are literally yelled to the kitchen staff in the back. It’s quite the sight to behold, and they celebrate it on their cups and t-shirts – “50 years of hollerin’ orders.”
I also profiled Jordan Smith early last year if you want to get his perspective on the family business.
In a period where classic NC barbecue joints are more often than not closing, let’s take the opportunity to celebrate Bar-B-Q King. Congrats on 50 years, and here’s to another 50!
Bar-B-Q King is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm. They celebrate their 50th anniversary on September 1st.
Last week, an article that former Charlotte Observer food writer Kathleen Purvis did for Charlotte Magazine appeared online. It digs into Chef Jim Noble and his complicated stature in Charlotte’s restaurant landscape. On one hand, he is a well-respected and successful chef and restaurateur whose philanthropic pursuits include his King’s Kitchen restaurant that employs people who are under normal circumstances considered unemployable due to poverty, homelessness, or addiction. He is also a reverend who leads bible study at that same restaurant. On the other hand, he has a religiously conservative view on gay rights and was one of only two restaurateurs who officially supported House Bill 2 (or HB2) passed by the NC Legislature in 2015 that required transgender people to use the bathroom that conformed with the gender on their birth certificates, essentially wiping out a nondiscrimination ordinance enacted shortly before by the Charlotte City Council.
From there, Purvis zooms out to explore some of the history of discrimination in the south in both the past and the present. I won’t recap it here, but it’s definitely worth a read.
It should be noted that while Noble declined to be interviewed for Purvis’s story there is no record of Noble’s restaurants discriminating against anyone in the LGBTQ+ community. But that doesn’t mean that potential patrons of his restaurants (which, in addition to Noble Smoke includes two Rooster’s Kitchen locations and Bossy Beulah’s) won’t take his views into account in deciding whether or not to spend money there, regardless of whether they are part of the LGBTQ+ community or not.
I haven’t made a decision either way, but it certainly has been and will continue to be on my mind going forward.
Chef Jim Noble and an Ever-Changing Charlotte: He's one of this city’s most successful, innovative, and philanthropic restaurant owners—and a lot of people won’t set foot in his eateries. Via @kathleenpurvis: https://t.co/Gb2KyO6WdN
As NC moved to phase 2 of its restrictions last Friday at 5pm, BBQ King was among the barbecue restaurants that reopened with reduced capacity
We are excited to announce at 5pm our dining room will be open with certain restrictions🎉. Remember we will still offer call ahead curb service👍. (704-735-1112) pic.twitter.com/DrHbKZeDai
J.C. Reid wonders if online orders are here to stay (in Texas)
One positive thing to come out of the pandemic for BBQ is the shift to online pre-orders, which saves customers time and still allows joints to maintain quality, writes @jcreidtxhttps://t.co/Hb8UCT1cBZ
Midwood Smokehouse pitmasters Matthew Berry and Michael Wagner list out where they dine out in Charlotte (presumably this was produced with Charlotte Agenda before the pandemic)
Robert Moss does some test kitchen-ing on no brine vs dry brine vs wet brine in the following thread and (spoiler alert) comes out on the side of dry brine
The Texas Monthly BBQ Special Edition is on sale now
Our BBQ special edition is out now and available on newsstands and via our General Store.
Your ultimate guide to Texas barbecue, the special edition features 200+ BBQ joints and pro tips for smoking meat at home. Sure to make you drool. https://t.co/P3t4Ru15G9
The Tales from the Pits Podcast celebrates their third birthday; congrats to them!
We launched this show three years ago. It’s been a heck of a ride so far, we can’t wait to see what’s next! Can’t say it enough, thank you to everyone who has been a guest on the show and to all who have listened.
We also celebrated a birthday/anniversary/blog-a-versary recently, our 8th. Thank you for your support and let us know if you have any suggestions for the site!
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