John Tanner

Linkdown: 11/22/23 – The Happy Thanksgiving Edition

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Monk: The Cuegrass festival, a mix of barbecue, bluegrass, and beer, is back next April in downtown Raleigh. It’s been a few years since I’ve been, but it looks like they’ve moved a few blocks away from in front of The Pit restaurant onto Fayetteville Street. Here were my thoughts from 2019:

The Cuegrass Festival is a Must for Raleigh Barbecue and Bluegrass Fans

Mark your calendars for April 20 for what is sure to be a fun time.

Native News

The Barbecue Festival has been nominated by NC Tripping for best annual festival

Non-Native News

John Tanner visits Franklin Barbecue

DC barbecue featured in Texas Monthly

Team applications are now open for Memphis in May

Texas Monthly with some helpful suggestions for leftover barbecue

The labor shortage hits Texas barbecue

Noted fan of barbecue Jon Favreau recently stopped in at Heritage Barbecue

WANT:

Wayback Wednesday:

Linkdown: 9/20/23 – The Two-Meat Plate Edition

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Monk: Robert Moss dropped his annual top barbecue joint list for Southern Living, and of the 50, eight were North Carolina barbecue joints while another nine were from South Carolina. The North Carolina joints were:

  • Prime Barbecue, Knightdale
  • Barbecue Center, Lexington
  • Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge
  • Sam Jones BBQ, Winterville
  • Stamey’s Barbecue, Greensboro
  • Grady’s Barbecue, Dudley
  • Lexington Barbecue, Lexington
  • Skylight Inn, Ayden

Even with some decent representation from the Carolinas, there were a few I felt could’ve made the list based on what Robert Moss had written previously; Jon G’s Barbecue and Lawrence Barbecue in particular.

A Texas barbecue joint made the #1 spot on the list, and while I won’t spoil just who it was just know it is a very familiar joint to most. You just know that Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn would have to gloat:

Have you read the list yet? Who else should have made it, be it from North Carolina or elsewhere?

Native News

Mike D’s BBQ Smokehouse & Retail in Durham is one of Eater Carolinas’ hottest restaurants in September

Meet Sweet Lew next Monday through Unpretentious Palate

Robert Moss stopped by Prime Barbecue recently for some lechon whole hog

Do you know the difference between western and eastern NC barbecue?

Non-Native News

J.C. Reid on the two-meat plate

John Tanner has some thoughts on the recent Southern Living Top 50 List

Congrats to Lewis Barbecue Greenville on 1 year open

The origin story of Fox Brothers Barbecue, who recently celebrated 22 years

Linkdown: 8/16/23 – The Runaway Longhorn Bull Edition

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Monk: As a result of some severe storms in the Charlotte area last week, a 900 pound longhorn bull got loose in west Charlotte and ran free for 4 days.

It would re-emerge once a day or so but no one was ever able to pin it down. It quickly soared to the top of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD’s most wanted (animals) list.

it wasn’t until the fourth day that the bull was found and euthanized by a hunter hired by the owner. No word on whether any barbecue was able to be made as a result.

Rest in Power, Runaway West Charlotte Longhorn Bull of 2023.

Native News

Midwood Smokehouse is the only barbecue restaurant in the CharlotteFive’s Reader’s Choice Poll for tacos

NC-based Cheerwine is now available at 4 Rivers Smokehouse restaurants across Florida

Speedy’s is back from vacation

Have you tried livermush before? This NC delicacy is not barbecue but is made from pig: “they ground pig’s liver and head meat and mixed it with cornmeal, salt, pepper, and sage to form something akin to a caseless sausage”

Non-Native News

The Smoke Sheet is now a paid newsletter, so consider subscribing for continued high quality barbecue content

John Tanner checks out Big Bad W Pit BBQ in Stafford, VA

Plus, is ZZQ the best brisket east of Texas?

POV: How to navigate City Limits Q’s queue (or is it que?)

Dispatch from an epic taco road trip from the Tales from the Pits guys

Tacos for the Cause this week at Fox Bros Bar-B-Q

J.C. Reid’s latest column is on beef brands

This year’s Pig Island NYC is September 9

ICYMI, this week’s episode of “BBQ USA” featured the Jeff Michner benefit at Pig Beach

Linkdown: 7/26/23 – The Barbycu Edition

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Monk: Congrats to Joseph Haynes on the release of his latest barbecue history book
“From Barbycu to Barbecue,” now available from the University of South Carolina Press.

The central premise of Haynes’ book is that the barbecue methods were not imported from the Caribbean but instead were a collaboration “between Native Americans, Europeans, and free and enslaved people of African descent during the seventeenth century.”

While I’m somewhat familiar with Haynes’ work online, I have not ready any of his books to date. The release of his latest book is reason enough to check him out.

Native News

Digging this new Sam Jones BBQ tee

This week Jon G’s will be at Super Abari Game Bar on Wednesday, 7/26

Noble Smoke has a “Two Napkin BLT” on the menu for the summer

A belated happy birthday to “Papaw Keith” Smith of Bar-B-Q King

Non-Native News

Agreed – this is too pretty not to share

John Tanner welcomes the sight of direct heat true ‘cue in Virginia at Two Drummers Smokehouse in Toano (whole hog coming?!)

A photo of City Limits Barbeque’s sides

Any suggestions?

ICYMI, Franklin Barbecue is taking a well-earned vacation