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
A couple of big barbecue books are now available for pre-order. “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott and Lolis Eric Elie will be released on March 16 and Adrian Miller’s “Black Smoke” from UNC Press will be out on April 27. Both are available for preorder now here and here, and I can’t wait to read both of them to get different perspectives on barbecue. I strongly encourage you to do the same. -Monk
“Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” by Adrian Miller @soulfoodscholar is available now for preorder wherever books are sold (on sale April 27th) https://t.co/4KZr3y8hKt
You might not associate Illinois with BBQ but 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro was certifiably 100-Mile-BBQ-worthy — a place you’d drive two hours to experience. RIP Mike Mills, its genial owner and pitmaster. An Illinois culinary legend in every sense. https://t.co/Oi3qQk07se
CM Smokehouse from Cade Mercer gives South Austin a new and promising food truck option
Cade Mercer (formerly of Guess) is slinging BBQ in South Austin at his own truck CM Smokehouse. The usual suspects with a brisket melt and baby back “wings.” The fried ribs are addictive. pic.twitter.com/FBtgkKEKMa
Texas Monthly makes the case for a barbecue tour of the Texoma region north of Dallas
From brown gravy sauce to pecan pie with brisket, joints from Denison to Gainesville provide lots of solid (and surprising) options. https://t.co/FwENaSzUk7
Eater Atlanta’s Mike Jordan speaks to a number of Atlanta-area pitmasters to get their take on “Georgia-style” barbecue, with the consensus that there is a style, but that you have to get out of Atlanta to try it and its not quite up there with the other “major” styles of barbecue.
A handful of Georgia pitmasters consider what makes their state’s smoked meat traditions unique https://t.co/WAkK0fFcUW
The question of “what even is Georgia barbecue” seems to come up every few years and while I’m far from an expert when it comes the Peach State, I follow the lead of people who know more than me. Robert Moss notes in his latest issue of The Cue Sheet that Jordan didn’t quite venture far enough outside of Atlanta to get a true sense of Georgia-style barbecue. That is, chopped barbecue sandwiches, Brunswick stew, cole slaw, and sometimes a regional dish called chicken mull from the Athens area.
Finally, to get an even more impassioned defense of Georgia barbecue, I highly recommend you read our friend Grant’s missive from a few years back over at Marie, Let’s Eat. Grant knows more about Georgia barbecue than just about anyone out there, having done the legwork to travel to the farthest corners of the state in search of true barbecue. When it comes to Georgia barbecue, heed his word. In particular, he urges you to explore the Athens area:
What you might want to do is start in Athens, because some of the best barbecue in the country can be found here. Not too many people pish-poshed this notion, but a couple did, so let me be very clear: I think that Memphis is one of this country’s best barbecue cities. It’s home to Payne’s, Leonard’s, and the Bar-B-Q Shop, and they’re all amazing, and there are at least a dozen other darn good places there. I agree that Lexington NC is certainly one as well. I have only been here three very short times, but I’ve had four downright excellent meals and would love to return for a very long trip. I’m perfectly prepared to accept that Lockhart TX is one. It is unlikely that I will visit anytime soon, but I can believe the hype I hear. Its advocates are reliable correspondents. Kansas City, quite probably. Calvin Trillin believes in Arthur Bryant’s, and if you haven’t figured out how much debt I owe Trillin, you’re not paying attention.
So I’m not dismissing any other city when I say that the Athens area deserves to be given the same accolades. There’s room for it as well. I’ll say that the triangle formed by Zeb’s in Danielsville, Paul’s in Lexington, and Hot Thomas in Watkinsville is the region that I mean, and those three remarkably good restaurants are all in my top twenty somewhere. (They’re actually not in my top ten, about which more in a moment.) The photos accompanying this story come from our last weekend in Georgia before the move. We revisited Paul’s and Hot Thomas, along with Bill’s, which is just across the Clarke County line, outside of Hull, and Scott’s & BJ’s, the only one of these four with an actual Athens address.
(Not so) coincidentally, here’s Eater Atlanta’s list of best barbecue restaurants in the area they rolled out along with the “What is Georgia Barbecue?” article.
Here are 22 barbecue restaurants around Atlanta to consider for smoked meats, mac and cheese, and collards https://t.co/AWL7pu1CIc
Adding Perry’s Pig Pickin’ BBQ in Mint Hill to my list
You've heard of Perry's at SouthPark. But have you heard of Perry's of Mint Hill? 1 of the 4 Perry brothers chose not to go into the jewelry business and instead runs a convenience store that sells bait, BBQ and cigarettes. @CristinaBolling with the story. https://t.co/DRzQCikCFk
How to make John Lewis’ green chile barbecue sauce at home, courtesy of Eater
Helen’s Bar-B-Que, by John T. Edge
3-4 times a year, I drive to see Helen Turner of Helen's Bar-B-Que in Brownsville, Tennessee. Really proud to see my piece about her is still on the wall — https://t.co/drb0KKoIMgpic.twitter.com/1yi35Hk5tA
From writer Caroline Schnapp reflecting on her childhood in Durham at local institution Bullock’s Bar-B-Q to an unassuming barbecue joint in Alabama between a race track and a Bass Pro Shop
A barbecue pit between a racetrack and a Bass Pro Shop is one of the best BBQ spots in the state of Alabama.https://t.co/uKzRz0eCoG
Raleigh Magazine has the latest on the still-about-to-be-booming Raleigh barbecue scene; the article notes that Ed Mitchell’s new venture The Preserve hopes to finish its kitchen soon for takeout and that Friendship Barbecue is not moving forward
Sam Jones BBQ’s Raleigh location is on track for a November opening
The last chance to claim your #SummerofCue t-shirt is today by 3pm
Non-Native News
Fresh off the release of Chef’s Table: BBQ, Rodney Scott’s got a book coming out next year titled “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day” that is co-written with Lolis Eric Elie; you can pre-order it now (h/t Robert Moss’s The Cue Sheet)
The Charleston Post and Courier writes up the SC Midlands barbecue restaurants like Big T Bar-B-Q, True BBQ, and Hite’s BBQ, who were all featured in the Food & Wine 50 states article