Hog Day

Linkdown: 7/20/22

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Featured

Monk: A fairly wide-ranging state of NC barbecue from News & Observer writer Drew Jackson, who has been very ably covering the barbecue scene in and around Raleigh for the past few years.

Despite the invasive species of brisket coming into the state, there are still a number of places clinging to the NC barbecue tradition, be that eastern whole hog or Lexington-style shoulders (though this story focuses on places east of Durham. Wyatt Dickson, Matt Register, Ronald House (night pitmaster at B’s Barbecue), and Ryan Mitchell are all quoted in the story but of course Sam Jones has the money quote:

“The hard lines that used to exist, that barbecue was either this or it’s not barbecue — that’s over. It used to be, for people in North Carolina, it was either whole hog, or it ain’t (expletive). For 10 million Texans, it’s brisket. As times go on and we’re so much more transient as a society, those lines are blurred.”

Sam Jones

Read more at the link:

Native News

Lewis Donald is no longer involved with Dish and will be focusing his efforts on Sweet Lew’s BBQ and the Carolina Barbecue Festival going forward

Axios Raleigh releases their Triangle barbecue list

Barbecue Center in Lexington is closing for a week later this month for some hard earned rest and relaxation, so plan accordingly

Hillsborough’s Hog Day festival is the oldest barbecue festival in Orange County and this year will officially be part of the Whole Hog Barbecue State Championship

Jon G’s makes the Yelp Charlotte Top 25 Places to Eat along with…JD’s Smokehouse in Rutherford College near Morganton?

A behind-the-scenes follow-up to Jeremy Markovich’s story on B’s Barbecue in Our State Magazine from 2016

Non-Native News

A couple of recent stories where Adrian Miller was interviewed:

Little Pigs BBQ is on this Eater essential restaurants list for Myrtle Beach

Feges BBQ hosted Premier League champions (ugh) Man City on their pre-season US tour

Barbecue sauce beer? Barbecue sauce beer.

Linkdown: 6/18/14

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

– A review of the Mighty Quinn’s in Clifton, NJ

– Hogs for the Cause out of New Orleans has added an event in Charleston dubbed Holy City Hogs

– Ed Mitchell’s barbecue made an impression on Zagat from the Big Apple BBQ a few weeks back (via)

Whole hog from pitmaster Ed Mitchell

North Carolina-based pitmaster Ed Mitchell recently opened Durham restaurant Que with his son Ryan. At this weekend’s event he prepared whole hog which was tossed in the classic North Carolina vinegar-based sauce, resulting in some of the most interesting and complex flavors we tasted. 

– New location, new management for Hog Day, this year in Efland

– Three Salisbury men have created Little E Sauces and Marinades, a line of rubs, marinades, and sauces that has been picked up by Food Lion

– A Beer Pilgrim’s review of 12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville

– Marie, Let’s Eat! visits Lovie’s BBQ in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, that, while isn’t a Lexington-style joint, has a thin vinegar sauce somewhat reminiscent of a Lexington dip

There is only one sauce available, and it’s as close to a Lexington-style thin vinegar-tomato mix as you’re likely to find in Atlanta. I don’t know that it went all that well with the chicken, but the pork just loved it.

– The Great NC BBQ Map should be shipping out for customers to receive maps by the end of July, and the final tally of barbecue restaurants is kind of mind-blowing

How many restaurants ended up on the map? Guess. We don’t think you’ll believe the number….

FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR!!!!

Yes, you read that right. 434. And another 42 barbecue festivals and cook-offs! So get your bellies ready.

Linkdown: 2/19/14

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

– Hillsborough’s Hog Day will be back after all

– Big Wayner’s mini Georgia barbecue crawl hit up three spots in the Atlanta area

– Beef prices are getting a bit ridonkulous and are affecting Texas barbecue as a result

– The Ballantyne Hotel will be hosting weekly $15 barbecue plate specials throughout the month of May (which just so happens to be National Barbecue Month)

– This month’s barbecue photographer is Ken Goodman, who had some nice photos from this year’s Whole Hog Extravaganza at 17th Street Bar & Grill in Murphysboro, IL including this great one of Sam Jones with his double cleavers

image

– Thrillist’s “American BBQ Field Guide” doesn’t get the details right, particularly about NC barbecue (via), though their 33 best barbecue joints in the USA post by two different writers is a little better

Linkdown: 1/15/13

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

– The town of Hillsborough to end Hog Day after 31 years

– Report says smoking ban has not financially affected business, including barbecue restaurants

Michael Conrad, co-owner of The Barbecue Center, said the restaurant opted to go smoke free prior to the law being enforced. He said although there was some complaints in the beginning, in the end it has improved the atmosphere of the restaurant.

“We can breathe a little better,” Conrad said. “We did lose a few customers who didn’t want to go outside or wanted to smoke after they ate, but on the whole we were getting more compliments than complaints.”

– True ‘Cue gets a write-up in the Charlotte Observer

– A slightly different kind of guide to Austin barbecue

– More information on Crook’s Corner’s weekly barbecue dinner Carolina ‘Cue

– SC competition team Up in Smoke is hosting a whole hog class this Saturday in McConnells (about 50 minutes from Charlotte)

– This past Sunday, Midwood Smokehouse welcomed folks from Ribs ‘n’ Bibs, an “American Smokehouse” in Lincoln, England