Monk: While I wasn’t able to attend the full Carolina Barbecue Festival this year due to parental duties on Saturday, I wanted to be sure to check out the kickoff on a beautiful Friday night at Victoria Yards in uptown Charlotte. In-between bites I was able catch up with Garren and Kelly from Jon G’s, Chigger from the Low and Slow Barbecue Show, and Rodolfo and Craic representing Southern Smoke Barbecue. Hopefully next year’s timing works out for me to go to to the main event on Saturday.
That said, here are the best bites from the Friday kickoff:
Brisket and Sausage link from Union Barbecue – perhaps not the prettiest plating but excellence as usual from Union Barbecue.
Brisket Bun from Improper Pig – this was the biggest surprise for me from a barbecue place who’s most recent restaurant opening was in the former Pizza Peel location in the heart of Plaza Midwood. Maybe I should give them and their asian-influenced barbecue another chance in their new digs.
Double Smoked Burnt End Street Taco from Midwood Smokehouse – it was close between this and the bun from Improper Pig bun this still had great flavors in an easy to eat package.
Chopped Pork Tray from BBQ King – the lone pork offering from the kickoff, this was a typical tray of barbecue from the ever-dependable long-time Lincolnton restaurant.
Brisket, queso fresco, and street corn salad (no tostada) from Mac’s Speed Shop – the tostadas were gone by the time I had my sample and I would’ve loved the crunch from the crispy tortilla. Great flavor from what was served, though.
Bonus bite: banana pudding ice cream from Golden Cow Creamery. I love banana pudding and this ice cream version of it from Golden Cow Creamery was so, so good with large chunks of vanilla wafers and bold banana flavor. Also, a special shout out to the youngest Monkette for being my hand model for the night.
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.
Name: Slow Bone BBQ Date: 9/9/25 Address: 2234 Irving Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207 Order: Quarter pound brisket, quarter pound sausage (jalapeno cheddar and black pepper), 1 bone smoked pork chop with collards and beans (link to menu) Pricing: $$
The latest version of Texas Monthly Top 50, the list released every four years for joints within the state, was released earlier this year. I don’t make it to Texas a ton but a work trip brought me to the Dallas area and after a quick scan of places that were open on a Sunday and made the top 50, I headed off to Slow Bone.
The smoked Berkshire pork chop headlines the proteins I tried that day
The Sunday/Monday special is a smoked Berkshire pork chop that takes 3 weeks to prep, from the initial seasoning to sitting uncovered in the walk-in cooler where it cures for two weeks before a light smoking and vacuum sealing for another week.
Then, on the day its being served it is crisped in the oven and then cooked on a flat top once its ordered. That might seem unnecessary to us lay folks, but the results seem to bear out the complex process. It was by far my favorite protein that day, juicy and full of flavor with a kick on the back end. It made me happy that circumstances put me there on a Sunday. Just look at this beauty:
Being solo, I opted to just try a quarter pound of the brisket and sausage in addition to the pork chop. I got each of the two varieties of sausage with the jalapeno cheddar and the black pepper. Both packed a nice kick, and made me wish I had gone ahead and ordered another Lone Star with my meal.
I don’t normally mention brisket last, especially at a Texas joint, but that’s not a knock on the brisket itself and more just a reflection on the quality and depth of the meats I tried at Slow Bone. This was a good, solid Texas brisket.
As for sides and accoutrement, each tray came with a savory hush puppy and a piece of honey cornbread. A nice combo of salty and sweet between the two. I have been on record for the 13+ years of this blog of loving a sweeter cornbread and this was S-tier. The collards and beans were solid but unspectacular compared with the rest of the platter.
Conclusion
Chef Jeffrey Hobbs and his team are doing great things at Slow Bone and based off my one visit their status on the Texas Monthly Top 50 is well deserved. The smoke Berkshire pork chop is in contention for my favorite barbecue bite of the year. Texas certainly does not lack for quality barbecue joints, but you can certainly do worse in the DFW.
Name: City Limits Barbeque Date: 6/14/25 Address: 1119 Methodist Park Rd, West Columbia, SC 29170 Order: Quarter pound brisket, half pound chopped pork, chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins,1 mild sausage link, hash and rice, sweet beans, collards, shells and cheese, jalappeno pimento cheese (link to menu) Pricing: $$
Monk: Have you been to a James Beard-nominated barbecue joint? There are only but a few of those around, so chances are you might not have. How about one that’s been nominated as a semifinalist twice in two years, believed to be the only joint to have that distinction? Well if you’ve been to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC, you can say that you have. It may also hold the distinction to be perhaps the only James Beard nominee to display their nomination next to a loaf of Wonder Bread:
My visit to City Limits had been years in planning before I finally made the trip. I had previously met owner and pitmaster Robbie Robinson through Garren Kirkman of Jon G’s but had only tried his food once before: his barbecue hash over Carolina Gold rice at last year’s Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte. It was one of my favorite bites of the festival and on this day was a close second to my favorite bite of the day and possibly the year.
Speaking of which, the chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins mixed in holds that particular distinction. Robinson smokes pork shoulders as well as pork bellies over direct heat with just a salt rub and chops them together. You can choose whether to have the skins mixed in or not, but I beg you to please get the crispy skins mixed in. It’s then placed upon a nice hefty bun that can withstand the generous portion and you won’t be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t.
In addition to being a James Beard nominee, City Limits also has the distinction of being one of the top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of the state of Texas according to Texas Monthly. I tried a slice of the fatty brisket and while Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the look of the slice I got when I spoke with him at the register, it was more than solid. Being a Texas-style joint, there were a couple of house made sausages on the menu, and I went with the mild hot link which was above average like the brisket. A few days later, I put these two leftovers together into a fold over on a piece of white bread with a dill pickle and had a great snack.
All of the sides at City Limits are scratch made, and there wasn’t a miss in any of the ones I selected: sweet (pinto) beans, shells and cheese, and collards which were Mrs. Monk-approved. I can’t forget to mention the jalapeno pimento cheese, which we saved to eat a few days later during our week at the beach.
Robinson likes to say that it’s better than the pimento cheese at the Masters, and after visiting myself earlier in the year for the first time I can’t disagree. My only complaint was that I didn’t buy a bigger tub of it; it’s a must get.
Unfortunately, Robbie and team (all of which were able to attend the awards ceremony in Chicago with him in person) did not take home the award for Best Chef: Southeast last Monday; instead it went to Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville. However in this case it’s not cliche to say that it’s an honor just to be nominated; particularly when its twice in two years.
If you get there during or just prior to the lunch rush at City Limits Barbeque, be prepared for roughly a two hour wait; that was our experience getting there at 10:30am Saturday before an 11am open. Another potential approach would be to wait until 2 or 3pm once the rush has died down. You may risk some items being sold out, but this past weekend I saw someone was still able to nab a beef rib so you never know.
In any case, don’t be a dummy like me and delay your visit to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia.
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