Charlotte Magazine

Linkdown: 2/23/22

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This morning, Axios Charlotte brings details on the upcoming Carolina Barbecue Festival to be held May 22 at Camp North End in Charlotte. I’ve heard rumors of a Charlotte barbecue festival starting last summer from Donald himself and more recently from Garren Kirkman of Jon G’s. But this festival is shaping up to be quite the event, with a roster of notable pit bosses from Barbecue Bros favorites from all over the Carolinas including Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque (who grew up in Charlotte), Elliot Moss of Asheville’s Buxton Hall Barbecue, Nathan Monk of Lexington Barbecue, Matthew Register of Southern Smoke in Garland, Tay Nelson of Bobby’s BBQ in Fountain Inn, SC, and Brandon Shepard of Shepard’s Barbecue in Emerald Isle. Master Blend Family Farm, a family-owned farm in Kenansville, N.C., will contribute the hogs for the event.

The day looks to be full of Carolina barbecue (be it east, west, or South), beer, local music, and charity, with the proceeds going to nonprofits Piedmont Culinary Guild, World Central Kitchen and Operation Barbecue Relief. And I’m here for it.

More details and tickets at carolinabbqfest.org

Native News

John Tanner’s been making the rounds in NC lately with fruitful stops at Troutman’s Barbecue in Denton

…as well as Dickie-Do’s BBQ in Haw River where he discovered some delicious, smoky barbecue

Jon G’s will be back in Waxhaw today

Charlotte Magazine has a pretty straightforward list of Where to Get Barbecue in Charlotte for 2022

Non-Native News

Now’s your chance to get your barbecue story featured on the Southern Foodways Alliance’s Gravy Podcast

Cattleack Barbeque, Hurtado Barbecue, and Heim Barbecue make Eater Dallas’ Essential Restaurants for the city

Latest Blake’s BBQ building update

At Brett’s BBQ Shop, J.C. Reid dug the sausages

Very curious to see who Tesla gets to smoke the barbecue at what could be the “Largest Barbecue in Texas” at their Austin Gigafactory

More coverage on the passing of Rene “Ray” Rodriguez

Chef Michael Symon’s Mabel’s BBQ is expanding

AMEN

Linkdown: 1/12/22

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For Monday night’s College Football Championship game, the governors from each state made a bet of barbecue, with Kay Ivey from Alabama wagering Dreamland Barbecue against Brian Kemp’s bet of Fox Bros BBQ. Which, must be said, is a Texas-style barbecue joint. Perhaps Georgia should have come up with Fresh Air Barbecue or Paul’s BBQ or Hot Thomas; you know, something a little more in line with Georgia-style barbecue. Never heard of it? Here’s an impassioned primer from our friends at Marie, Let’s Eat!

Native News

The BBQ Lab‘s upcoming North Hills location has started construction in Raleigh

Vote for the best barbecue in Charlotte in Charlotte Magazine’s BOB Awards

Non-Native News

PSA: Franklin Barbecue may have shorter lines during colder weather

Matt Horn‘s fried chicken restaurant is open in Oakland

Fort Worth is where it’s at for barbecue now

Charlotte Barbecue News from the Second Quarter of 2021

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Monk: In our first quarter wrap-up, I had optimism as things continued to move in a positive direction with vaccinations and the resulting re-opening of restaurants. That mostly continued, and while Charlotte lost a lot of its classic non-barbecue restaurants (Price’s Chicken Coop, Mr. K’s, Oakhurst Grill, Zack’s Hamburgers, etc), I only tracked one barbecue restaurant that closed during that time: the Tyvola Road location of the Sonny’s BBQ chain.

Charlotte barbecue even got some national attention, both of the good (Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn visiting and loving Jon G’s) as well as notorious variety (Charlotte as the #3 best city for barbecue according to chefspencil.com).

While we may never know about the barbecue joints that weren’t started during the past year, hopefully a corner has been turned (and the Delta variant of COVID doesn’t wreak havoc here like it has in other countries; get vaccinated people!) and the Charlotte barbecue scene can experience new concepts as well as expansion and growth of its existing ones.

April

4/9 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

4/12 Charlotte-based Mac’s Speed Shop finds itself coming out of the pandemic in a strong position for growth

4/13 Roddey’s BBQ has changed their lunch hours in Rock Hill to Fridays only

4/19 Jon G’s Barbecue gets in the pit fabrication game

4/26 K&N BBQ makes Axios Charlotte’s list of best food trucks; and they recommend you try the pork and brisket

4/26 Adam Richman (of Man vs Food fame) visits Midwood Smokehouse

4/30 In what was (somewhat embarrassingly) one of the oldest barbecue restaurant’s in Charlotte, the Tyvola Rd. outpost of the Sonny’s BBQ chain closed

May

5/7 Daniel Vaughn ends his NC barbecue trip at Jon G’s Barbecue, where I was fortunate enough to meet both him and Kathleen Purvis and also share a meal with him

5/12 Charlotte is obviously the number 3 Top City for BBQ in the US. No objection here.

5/19 Jon G’s Barbecue gets the highest of praise from the BBQ Snob himself, Daniel Vaughn; Noble Smoke also gets a mention for their brisket

5/25 Phar Mill BBQ introduces itself to the world and will be using a Jon G’s offset smoker

June

6/3 Sweet Lew’s Barbeque announces its new food truck

6/3 Noble Smoke announces details on its 2 year anniversary

6/8 Mac’s Hospitality Group, parent company of Mac’s Speed Shop, adds Rare Roots alum Jay Spungin as Director of Operations

6/19 Congrats to Jon G’s Barbecue on one year open

6/26 Charlotte-based EDIA Maps, makers of The Great NC BBQ Map, ends operations

6/29 And the name of the Sweet Lew’s Barbeque food truck is…Sweet Lucille

Linkdown: 11/11/20

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Featured

Even in the midst of a pandemic and all that 2020 had to offer, Tim Carman of the Washington Post went ahead with his annual “best barbecue joints in DC” list, with the main change being that he got takeout from every joint he tried. And he found that, even while getting more and more expensive, the state of barbecue in DC is strong and only improving. To wit, three of the joints in his top ten were brand new to the list.

Cheers to Tim Carman for pushing ahead!

Native News

10% off today for veterans and active duty military at Wilber’s Barbecue

Have you seen Apple City BBQ’s pig? It was recently stolen from the Taylorsville barbecue joint.

Midwood Smokehouse’s brisket cheesesteak makes Charlotte Magazine’s list

Non-Native News

Another writeup on Desiree Robinson, 2020 Barbecue Hall of Fame Inductee

https://twitter.com/soulphoodie/status/1325136946264338432

Several barbecue restaurants in Columbia are offering Thanksgiving specials

Four Savannah barbecue joints that offer comfort food during COVID

Smoked Turkey Explosion in Texas:

The Athens episode of TrueSouth brought together neighbors; watch at the link below