Eater

Linkdown: 11/14/18

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– Bill Addison’s fifth annual list for Eater is now out and includes 2 barbecue restaurants: 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio and Franklin Barbecue in Austin; Franklin is one of only five restaurants (barbecue or otherwise) that have made his list all five years

– Whole hog barbecue is making its way to Texas

Carolina-style whole-hog barbecue is also making inroads in the self-proclaimed capital of Texas barbecue, Austin. Chef Evan LeRoy of LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue uses a trailer-mounted, whole-hog pit to offer pulled pork on his regular menu.

In perhaps the most ambitious implementation of Carolina-style whole-hog barbecue in Texas, chef Ted Prater of Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden in Austin is building a self-contained smokehouse with custom-built pits dedicated to cooking whole hogs. It’ll be ready in December.

– The owners behind Sauceman’s in Charlotte have sold the lot their restaurant sits on and are looking to relocate in Southend

– A short photo post on B’s Barbecue in Greenville

– From this month’s Garden and Gun, former Charlotte Magazine editor Michael Graff recalls the ribs he grew up on in Charles County, Maryland

– Dr. Howard Conyers spoke at his undergrad alma mater, NC A&T, yesterday on how science influenced his love of barbecue

– The more you know

– Damon Stainbrook, a former French Laundry sous chef, has opened his second Pig in a Pickle barbecue restaurant location in the SF area and is smoking onsite over California white oak

– I continue to love how Dave Grohl’s fallback profession is seemingly “Carolina pitmaster”

– Update: no longer a fallback profession:

Friday Find: What Does Pork From Cannabis-Fed Pigs Taste Like?

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I previously posted a video of the Prime Time guys smoking ribs with Rodney Scott in New York. In this video, they visit a farm in Oregon, where pigs are fed a diet containing up to 25% cannabis leaves and stems.

Then the Prime Time guys help cook the secreto muscle of a 14 month old pig (doble the average lifespan of a pig) in a “planking” method over open flame at nearby restaurant Imperial. No, there is not a weed taste to the pig, but what the guys do find is that the pig tastes good because it has led a generally healthier life compared with most commodity pigs.

On today’s episode of Prime Time, Ben and Brent visit Moto Perpetuo Farm, where pigs are fed a diet that includes cannabis.

Linkdown: 6/27/18

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– The origin story of the great Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque, the next great pitmaster (who’s already here)

Though he’s been a restaurant owner and full-time pitmaster for just four years, Furman, 37, already sits among the greats. Maybe it’s because he swaps out typical commodity pork for whole heritage-breed hogs he raised himself. (“Nobody else was doing that,” Furman says, “Not in a barbecue restaurant.”) Maybe it’s his unique Carolina-meets-Georgia style sauce, a sweet and tangy blend of mustard and fresh peaches. (“He does everything different,” says Nikki Furman, his wife and business partner.)

– B’s Cracklin Barbeque and a few other Barbecue Bro faves are on this Eater list of best Atlanta barbecue

– Eater’s got a list of barbecue in New York City, too

– Meet the Executive Pitmaster for Midwood Smokehouse’s 4 locations, Matt Berry

– Noble Smoke is one of Charlotte Agenda’s 9 most-anticipated restaurants and bars opening in Charlotte by the end of 2018 (wow that’s not a brief title)

– The Takeout has a crash course on Chinese barbecue, which isn’t wood-smoked like American barbecue

– Houston foodwriter J.C. Reid on the expanding role of the pitmaster

Another responsibility is that of barbecue ambassador. Pitmasters are asked to travel to distant locations to cook for an event or speak on a panel. In this case, the pitmaster isn’t just drawn away from working the pits — he’s often absent from his barbecue joint for days at a time.

– 8 Austin barbecue sandwiches that break the mold

– This Travel + Leisure list of the 25 best places for barbecue in the U.S. is based on Yelp and is…certainly a list

– Reminder: Daniel Vaughn’s Smokelandia airs its pilot episode tonight

– Registration is now open for October’s Tour de Pig in Lexington

Friday Find: Rodney Scott joins Eater’s Upsell Podcast

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Fresh off his James Beard Award win, Rodney Scott was in town earlier this month for the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party and stopped by Eater’s NY office for a quick chat about barbecue and a potential expansion to NYC.

Link to podcast in above link or here

…the only reason he hasn’t opened up in NYC already is that he hasn’t found the right building yet. “The space is very important as well as the people around it,” he says. “You want the residents and the neighbors to be comfortable with what you’re bringing.”

Friday Find: Searching for the Birthplace of Southern Barbecue in Memphis

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Unfortunately I didn’t make it to any barbecue restaurants in Memphis eventhough Payne’s, Central, German Commissary, Bar-B-Que Shop all would have been worthy excursions from the festival. Here’s a taste of what I missed.

The birthplace of Southern barbecue as we know it is almost impossible to nail down; cities from across America’s “barbecue belt” are responsible for different flavor profiles and techniques that have grown and shaped the cuisine’s history. Today, we visit Memphis for an inside look at the smoky, meaty dishes coming out of Tennessee.

Friday Find: Cuban Lechon in Miami

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Before this video, I wasn’t aware that Cuba had a lechon tradition somewhat similar to the Philippines. Now La Esquina Del Lechon in Miami doesn’t cook over a wood fire, but even though this isn’t technically barbecue they look to achieve the roasted whole pig with crispy skin not too dissimilar to Filipino lechon and some places like Skylight Inn that chop the crispy skin into the whole hog.

In the first episode of Dining on a Dime Miami, Lucas heads to La Esquina Del Lechon to check out a whole-roast pig that is a local favorite, and always starts a party.

Friday Find: Eater visits Pecan Lodge

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I’ve still yet to go to Pecan Lodge (Rudy liked it a lot) but when I do go I plan to bring some friends and get The Trough.

Ask a Texan what their favorite smokehouse is and the answers will span the state. Ask someone from Dallas, and chances are you’ll hear the name Pecan Lodge thrown around. With the help and desire of their following, Pecan Lodge owners Justin and Diane Fourton turned their brisket out of a truck business into a brick and mortar restaurant that’s hard to miss thanks to a constant line out the door.