John Lewis gives some insight into his process for his brand that he’s brought to the lowcountry of South Carolina. From his famous hot guts smoked in a vertical smoker to his pastrami brisket, ribeyes, and oxtails smoked in his custom offset. He then uses those meats in inventive sandwiches like their version of an Arby’s beef and cheddar or a pastrami brisket reuben as well as his smoked prime rib special and a Tex-mex inspired oxtail dish. Lewis even gets into his love of hatch green chiles and how they are incorporated into a lot of his dishes as well as how makes his own tortillas because there are not tortillerias in SC that meet his standards. Recently, Lewis announced that his Juan Luis concept is taking over the entire food hall space formerly occupied by Workshop.
Description: Pitmaster John Lewis is known not only for his mouthwatering South Carolina brisket, sausages, and ribs, but also for his dedication to “perfecting” the art of barbecue by customizing his own smokers. He’s also known for getting creative with brining, rubbing, and smoking techniques.
Lewis Barbecue officially announces their second restaurant in Greenville, taking over the space previously occupied by Tommy’s Country Ham House. So for folks in the Charlotte area (i.e. me), Lewis’ central Texas-style brisket, hot guts, sausage will be about half the distance you previously had to travel to Charleston. And this is a very good thing. Lewis Barbecue Greenville will open sometime in early 2022.
In addition to the Lewis Barbecue expansion news, it was recently announced that his Juan Luis Tex-Mex concept will take over the former Workshop food hall in Charleston. It was an original food stall tenant at the food hall but recently the trailer had been parked in the courtyard at Lewis Barbecue. Based on these recent moves, Lewis is certainly building the foundation for a food empire in South Carolina.
Charleston’s ‘Border Cuisine’ Spot Juan Luis to Expand into the Workshop Space https://t.co/7Zmj7lkoWH
A sneak peak inside the recently opened Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh
More than two years in the making, Sam Jones BBQ will soon have its grand opening, kicking off the Triangle’s great barbecue bonanza. https://t.co/89IU5sLOUD
“Under this partnership structure, Mighty Quinn’s licenses Otto’s Tacos name and fulfills orders from it’s kitchen. Customers then receive their digital order from Otto’s Tacos using first- or third-party platforms.”
10 must-read cookbooks by Black authors to buy right now including upcoming barbecue books from Rodney Scott and Adrian Miller, according to the Austin American-Statesman
Texas Monthly interviews Kevin Bludso, who is ready to mentor the next generation of black pitmasters
The most recent barbecue cookbook by a Black author wasn't published this century. For pitmaster Kevin Bludso, that depressing gap is what makes this moment in barbecue so important. https://t.co/Y3FGthZKfV
Met up with Kevin Bludso for a great conversation in Corsicana, which he now calls home. We shared a BBQ meal at K&K BBQ where the chopped beef & sausage sandwich (the Pastor) and the stuffed potato were standouts. pic.twitter.com/1ilQZanbX7
Lewis Donald’s goal for Sweet Lew’s BBQ has always been more than just crafting great barbecue. He is wanting to give back to the community, whether that’s hiring workers from the Belmont neighborhood where his restaurant is located, hosting back-to-school carnivals with free haircuts at the restaurant, and now hiring a barbecue apprentice from the local culinary school at Central Piedmont Community College. Watch the video at the link below to learn more about Keywon and how he was introduced to Lewis. I’m looking forward to seeing big things from Keywon in the future.
Native News
While the Ed Mitchell’s The Preserve restaurant is still delayed, starting this Friday they will be offering a takeout/pickup service running out of the Carolina Ale House off Falls of Neuse
Steven Raichlen of Barbecue Bible links to his piece from last summer on the contributions of Black pitmasters to the world of barbecue
Today, on MKL Day, we reflect on the enormous contribution of Black pit masters to American barbecue. Pictured here: Charleston pit master, Rodney Scott.https://t.co/XhAPTpPHPRpic.twitter.com/hWAOiBBZLZ
A 'BBQ Pitmasters' binge sesh led former mechanic Randy Estrada to a new career path.
Eat the brisket and egg or an El Jefe taco from Estrada's Texas Barbeque and you'll be grateful for Randy's chance encounter with the reality TV show. https://t.co/rRUx2joDEG
In his latest issue of The Cue Sheet, Robert Moss examines the ten best college cities or towns to attend according to nearby barbecue options. While my alma mater NC State is mentioned as a future possibility once the planned restaurants like Sam Jones BBQ, Wyatt’s Barbecue, and Longleaf Swine open their doors in 2021 (not to mention Prime BBQ in Knightdale that opened this year and the upcoming Ed Mitchell’s The Preserve), several NC towns make the list. Not on the list either is Chapel Hill, primarily due to the loss of Allen & Son last year.
East Carolina University in Greenville has B’s Barbecue, Sam Jones Barbecue and the two Ayden joints nearby (Skylight and Bum’s) and comes in at #9. Surprisingly, Catawba College in Salisbury, NC makes the list just ahead of Greenville due to a couple of joints in town (College Barbecue and Richard’s) plus its proximity to Lexington and its myriad options for barbecue.
That’s it for NC on this list but both Columbia and Charleston appear further down from our neighbors to the south. I won’t spoil the rest of the list, but if you think hard enough you can probably guess which university and city takes the #1 spot on the list.
Whether you major in ribs or brisket is up to you: The Top 10 Colleges in the South, Ranked by BBQ https://t.co/RUzoistHAi
This smothered tater tots collaboration between Fox Bros Bar-B-Q and Nina and Rafi looks amazing
Announcing our collaboration w/ our friends at @ninaandrafi! “Meat Me In Detroit Tots”! Tots smothered in N&R Marinara, mozz, pepp, soppressata & capicola! At N&R try the old fashioned with our bbq sauce, mozz, pork, onions, spicy cherry peppers, finished w/ our vinegar sauce! pic.twitter.com/a8l6raflYt
An American pitmaster living in Hong Kong names the US barbecue restaurantshe dreams of going back to some day, including Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Cozy Corner, Franklin Barbecue, and Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
Pork n’ Pine Santa delivers pulled pork sammies in Baltimore
In Baltimore there’s a business called Pork n’Pine where Santa comes to your house on a bicycle with a fresh 9-foot-tall Christmas tree strapped to the front, and a sack of pulled pork sandwiches. This is undoubtably the most brilliant business concept in human history. pic.twitter.com/rA9B2jSSSB