brisket

The 11 Best Barbecue Bites I ate in 2024

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Monk: The back half of the year saw a little less barbecue than normal for me, but nonetheless I still had some great bites in 2024. In no particular order, here are the 11 best things I ate this year:

Beef Cheek from Palmira Barbecue in Charleston (review)

I’m not the only fan of Palmira Barbecue, as Daniel Vaughn named them the best Texas barbecue outside of Texas. But I got to check them out a few weeks after opening their West Ashley restaurant in January of this year, and left impressed.

Sweet and savory kolaches at Jon G’s Barbecue in Peachland

My love for Jon G’s is well documented, but I really love the kolaches they now serve for breakfast at their restaurant in Peachland while you wait.

Barbecue Hash over Carolina Gold Rice from City Limits BBQ at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

I have been meaning to get to City Limits Q for years, and in 2025 I will remedy that at the earliest. I did at least get a taste at this past spring’s Carolina BBQ Festival.

Smoked Burger from Southern Smoke at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

A smoked burger served by Matthew Register and the rest of the Register family? Well you can hardly beat that.

Beef tenderloin over campfire in Deep Gap, NC

More of the “live fire cooking” variety versus traditional barbecue, but the beef tenderloin cooked over a campfire while camping with the youngest Monkette and a bunch of neighborhood dads was definitely one of the highlights of my year.

Beef Fat Caramel Wings from Lawrence Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

These wings were the best things I ate this year, hands down.

Whole Hog from Elliott Moss at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

The brewery and smokehouse is still under construction in Florence, SC, but I got to have Elliott Moss’ whole hog not once but twice this year. This was a pleasant surprise.

Carnitas from Union Barbecue (review)

Union Barbecue is my new favorite Charlotte barbecue joint, and I will be their biggest cheerleader in 2025. HEY EVERYBODY, COME WITH ME TO UNION BARBECUE’S NEXT POP-UP, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE.

Texas Trinity at Matt’s BBQ in Portland, OR (review)

Really enjoyed the Texas Trinity from Matt’s BBQ in Portland after a morning hike at Wahkeena Falls. Matt’s BBQ was also named to Daniel Vaughn’s top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of Texas list.

Frito Pie from Fumar (review)

I look forward to checking out more from Fumar in the new year. This Frito pie will be a must order just about every time from now on, though.

Whole hog from Live Fire Feasts

For our neighborhood pool here in Charlotte, I hosted a whole hog party in October catered by Craig Morrow and the fantastic crew at Live Fire Feasts out of Rock Hill, SC. Highly recommend checking them out if you like delicious food cooked over live fire in the Charlotte metro area.

Honorable mention: Whole hog from Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s, Beef Rib Croissant from Jon G’s Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee

What was your favorite barbecue bites this year?

The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Charlotte (November 2024)

/ Barbecue Bros / 4 Comments

Monk: For this year’s edition of the Charlotte top 5, the biggest change was probably the closing of Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly in August. In its closing, not only did Charlotte lose another brewery but also a rarity in a wood-fired barbecue joint. I can’t help but wonder if the business model of a brand new brewery plus the labor needed for a wood-fired barbecue place was a bit more than the ownership could handle. I love the idea, and hate that it couldn’t happen.

I was also set to include Resident Culture on the list after finally checking them out this summer, but they abruptly ended their barbecue program just a few months after bringing Edmar Simoes on to lead it. He now continues to work with live fire, albeit in a different fashion, at Flour Shop in Charlotte.

In terms of additions to the list, the trend would be a more pronounced Tex-Mex or Mexican influence in both Fumar and Union Barbecue. Also – these days Midwood Smokehouse’s menu is reflecting more of a Tex-Mex influence as well.

Before we dive into this year’s edition, here’s the list from a year ago for reference.

The 5 Best Barbecue Joints in Charlotte – December 2023

Now, onto this year’s list…

5. Fumar

Fumar arose from Brandon Belfer’s previous barbecue pop-up Smoke Show but showcases the Tex-Mex flavors that Belfer grew up around in San Antonio. That means barbacoa, tacos, and tortas (for which he will soon be baking his own rolls). Definitely don’t sleep on the Frito Pie though. Food truck instagram.com/fumar_clt

4. Midwood Smokehouse

Midwood Smokehouse years ago become the ever-reliable above-average chain barbecue in Charlotte, and has continued to evolve the menu towards Tex-Mex after Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex-Mex Barbecue in Austin consulted with them back in 2020; he even has his own queso on the menu named simply enough “Miguel’s Queso.” But the proteins are still there. Multiple locations midwoodsmokehouse.com

3. Sweet Lew’s BBQ

In addition to continuing to evolve Sweet Lew’s BBQ with specials like turkey legs, creative house made sausages, wings in addition to the staple menu, Lewis Donald is also leading the Carolina BBQ Festival, which is quickly becoming a can’t miss festival each spring in Charlotte. 923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 sweetlewsbbq.com

2. Union Barbecue

Since last year, Union Barbecue has become the clear #2 for me, and between it and Jon G’s there is a clear tier between them and the rest. This is yet another example of Mexican-inspired barbecue with a rotating menu that tends to include barbacoa, al pastor sausage, carnitas, and brisket but also some of the best and most creative barbecue sides I’ve had in a long time; I tried the smoky sweet potato with fixins and a golden beet salad on my visit. Food truck instagram.com/union.barbecue

1. Jon G’s Barbecue

Jon G’s Barbecue remains top of the list, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. In addition to their must-experience Barbecue Saturdays, I would urge folks to consider going to the next edition of the Jon G’s Jubilee where I had some of the best bites all year from them but also friends of Jon G’s like Elliott Moss, Lawrence Barbecue, and N. Sea Oyster Co. For more, check out the post below. 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133 jongsbarbecue.com

A Thousand Words: The Second Annual Jon G’s Jubilee

Can a Nashville honky-tonk have true ‘cue?

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Name: Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s
Date:10/12/24
Address: 200 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201
Order: Pork belly skewer, smoked wings, Whole hog Combo with whole hog, ribs, brisket, turkey plus fries, hush puppies, collards, and mac and cheese; Lil Piggie Combo with whole hog and ribs plus fries and baked beans (link)
Pricing: $$

Speedy: Seven years into my life as a Nashvillian, I’ve learned a few things: 

  1. The hottest level in a hot chicken joint isn’t worth it 
  2. Stay far away from Broadway during CMA Fest
  3. Don’t expect much from the Titans
  4. You’re in for a rough next day if you find yourself on Printer’s Alley late at night
  5. The barbecue is (sadly) better in Memphis, and finally…
  6. Don’t trust the food at the honky-tonks 

Finding out that the whole hog king Rodney Scott was teaming with Eric Church (a North Carolina boy originally from Granite Falls) to open a barbecue joint on top of a honky-tonk right smack in the middle of Broadway gave me hope that the last two might change.

Monk: The Rodney Scott/Eric Church joint venture (backed by the Pihakis Restaurant group on the food side) was originally announced in January 2022. It would open in a location that formerly housed another honky-tonk Cotton Eye Joe, which was owned by John Rich of Big & Rich fame. It was expected to open sometime in 2023 but didn’t actually open until April of this year. While the top two floors are the actual restaurant, they do have a walk-up window on the street level that serves food to hungry patrons on Broadway from breakfast through dinner. 

Speedy: Our group of six got to Rodney Scott’s ahead of the dinner rush and were seated pretty quickly on the 5th floor of Chief’s (the lower of the two floors devoted to Rodney Scott’s). The dining area is fairly small but there are seats at the bar too as well as a smoker room right off to the side. Definitely not your typical barbecue joint. In true Barbecue Bros fashion, Monk and I ordered a bit of everything on behalf of the group, which they happily obliged. Food was delivered quickly, so we dug in.

No surprises here, but the whole hog took the proverbial cake and was the crowd favorite. Peppery and tender, every bite had a bit of smoke and was as good as I’d had from Rodney Scott in Charleston (alas, I have not been to Hemingway). The whole hog alone is reason to visit Rodney Scott’s. It is a must order item and I am ready to declare it the best smoked pork in Nashville.

Monk: Best in Nashville? That’s high praise! The ribs were the consensus second favorite meat of the meal, or perhaps even 1a to the whole hog depending on who you asked. The man just knows his way around a rack of ribs. What was less successful, and perhaps expectedly so, was the brisket. Compared with the rest of the meats, it simply failed to measure up.

Turkey may not have been the crowd favorite but it was a very solid meat that gave us a respite from the other, richer meats. Another mark in the “pro” column for ordering turkey at barbecue joints.

Speedy: The wings were another standout meat, with solid seasoning and good smoke. I preferred this as an appetizer to the pork belly skewer. While I do love a good meat on a stick, I thought the pork belly was a little overcooked, and slightly tough.

Monk: As for sides, we got a few different options: collards, baked beans, mac and cheese, fries, hush puppies, and cornbread. All were above average and our group more or less finished what was there between the two platters. 

Next time I’m honky-tonkin’ on Lower Broadway, I’m going to steer the group towards both Chief’s for the drinks and music as well as Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ for food. Not to mention the rooftop bar for drinks if the weather’s nice. I mean, at what other bar can you get food from a James Beard Award-winning pitmaster?

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Whole hog – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Turkey – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Fumar brings more Tex-Mex flavors to Charlotte barbecue

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Name: Fumar
Date: 9/22/24
Address: Pop up at Divine Barrel Brewing
Order: Smoked brisket torta, Texas-sized Frito pie (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Fumar is the retooled barbecue pop-up concept from Brandon Belfer after the more traditional Texas barbecue of his previous concept, Smoke Show Barbecue. I tried Smoke Show in 2021 and thought it showed promise and hoped to check them out again. That unfortunately never happened and a little over a year later, Fumar was born out of a desire to bring the flavors of South Texas that Belfer grew up around outside of San Antonio into his brand of Texas barbecue.

That manifests in menu items like brisket torta sandwiches, Frito pies made with smoked chorizo, and taco packs with beef cheek barbacoa in addition to the more traditional Texas-style brisket and ribs. On this day at Divine Barrel Brewing mere steps from the old Monk condo, I tried the brisket torta and Frito pie while listening to a pretty solid Grateful Dead cover band, Grateful Dudes. Here’s a photo of them jamming out with a groovy fan.

As for the torta and specifically the smoked brisket inside the torta, I found it to be well a fairly well-smoked slice of fatty that perhaps gets lost in all the bread, pickled red onions, and guac. Admittedly, I am a newbie when it comes to tortas and with this being my second sandwich ever my feedback would be the same for both: too much bread. The bread-to-meat ratio in this sandwich was a little off for me and perhaps its a super gringo thing for me to say, but maybe if there was more of a “thinwich” style of the torta bread I would enjoy the experience more. Apologies for any blasphemy.

I loved the “Texas-sized” Frito topped with smoked chorizo, queso, pickled onions, and avocado crema. The cardboard boat that it came in was truly “Texas-sized” and is very much a shareable item. They do have a kid’s version that comes in a smaller boat and is just chorizo and queso. Either way, I think this is a must order item when checking out Fumar.

I can tell that the Tex-Mex concept of Fumar has a more focused menu that is near and dear to Belfer’s heart, and the execution shows. I look forward to trying again soon (for real, this time) and continuing to track its progress.

Ratings:
Brisket Torta – 3.5 hogs
Frito Pie – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs