Linkdown: 4/14/21

Featured

Tomorrow night, UNC Press is hosting an online discussion with Adrian Miller, whose book comes out at the end of the month. Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue is my most-anticipated book of the year and I can’t wait to have it in my hands in a few weeks. The cost of the event is $15 and it benefits the Boston Book Festival.

Description: Just in time for the start of barbecue season, we’re eager to sink our teeth into award-winning food historian Adrian Miller‘s new book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. In this special pre-publication event, we’ll sit down with Miller—winner of the James Beard Book Award for Soul Food and a consultant on Netflix’s Chef’s Table BBQ—to hear the stories of how Black barbecuers, pitmasters, and restauranteurs helped develop this cornerstone of American foodways and how they’re continuing to influence American cuisine today. And, since Adrian’s book includes more than 20 authentic recipes, we might get some tips on how to make the most of our own adventures with the grill or smoker at home!

Native News

Smoke Show BBQ is a new Texas-style barbecue pop up in the Charlotte area from transplanted Texan chef Brandon Belfer who has worked at fine dining spots The Stanley, Crunkleton, The Asbury, Kindred, and Hello, Sailor

Charlotte-based Mac’s Speed Shop finds itself coming out of the pandemic in a strong position for growth

Roddey’s BBQ has changed their lunch hours in Rock Hill to Fridays only

Olde Mecklenburg Brewing’s Southern Spring Fest will feature smoked pork and brisket in addition to the oyster po boys and crawfish

Christopher Prieto of Prime BBQ in Knightdale has joined the previously announced pitmasters for the Inaugural Pinehurst Barbecue Festival

Non-Native News

Distant Relatives is a new barbecue trailer in East Austin serving “modern African American barbecue” and is already making waves

Beaumont-style links are making a comeback

Speaking of Beaumont, craft barbecue is catching on there

Bourbon + Barbecue = Crazy Delicious

Linkdown: 9/4/19

Another blow for NC barbecue: Laurinburg, NC barbecue restaurant General McArthur’s was completely destroyed in a fire on Sunday; a follower on Twitter tweeted this at us

John Tanner’s BBQ Blog has recently been posting reviews from his Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour, with entries from Abe’s in Clarksdale, Central BBQ, The Dixie Pig and The Kream Kastle in Blytheville, Chubby’s in Hayti, Helen’s in Brownsville, B.E. Scott’s in Lexington, and Ramey’s in Parsons

Bourbon + Barbecue = Crazy Delicious (applicable for any day, not just Labor Day)

Roegel’s Barbecue in Houston will be doing whole hog once a month

Jess Pryles walks Popular Mechanics through 6 smokers in this article:

Matthew Odam sees how the sausage gets made at Franklin Barbecue

Give Adrian Miller a follow on Twitter if you think you might be able to help him out with any barbecue research questions this fall

Linkdown: 5/29/19

Robert Moss with a list of iconic barbecue joints in the South

Never drink bourbon with brisket? So says John Lewis

Major FOMO from this past weekend’s Hot Luck Fest in Austin

J.C. Reid: How cities outside of Texas are building a market for barbecue

Beaufort vs Beaufort: in the battle of the two coastal Carolina towns, barbecue probably isn’t the main reason to go, but each has their own longstanding joints in Roland’s Barbecue and Duke’s Bar-B-Que

For rib season

The story behind George Leach, former Indiana University basketball star and owner of OooWee BBQ in Charlotte

The backyard grill took barbecue out of the South, according to an excerpt from Jim Auchmutey’s new barbecue book “Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America

ICMYI, a great story on the history of Carolina barbecue from Charlotte Magazine

Friday Find: The Manual’s Beards, Booze, and Bacon Podcast Discusses Barbecue

The Manual’s Beards, Booze, and Bacon podcast discusses barbecue restaurants, sauces, and whiskey and wine pairings with barbecue in a recent episode from Janary. While none of the four guys on the podcast would be considered an expert when it comes to barbecue, they do speak about it enthusiastically (even if mostly in generalities). It’s a short, easy listen at 25 minutes so worth checking out if you are looking for barbecue content in your podcast feed.

Finally, the conversation turns toward what the panel was all waiting for: booze pairings. Slaughter suggests (and the guys all agreed) the best booze pairing for barbecue is a definitely a whisk(e)y with a smokey, peaty flavor. Scotch is possibly the most appropriate since it calls back to the smokiness of the meat. The group also touches on wine pairings, emphasizing that a bolder, heavier, red wine is best, such as a Zinfandel or a Napa Cabernet.

Link