Featured

In the latest sign that we’re slowly coming out of this pandemic, the BBQ Fest on the Neuse, “home to the largest whole hog cook-off in the world”, returns this May to Kinston, NC. This is on top of Governor Cooper announcing yesterday that as of this Friday restaurants can open at 75% capacity indoors and 100% outdoors. While this doesn’t mean that everything going’s to snap right back to how it was, things are definitely trending upward.

As for the BBQ Fest on the Neuse, the event hopes to be back in downtown Kinston but if they aren’t able to procure that permit they will go to the Lenoir County Fairgrounds. The barbecue competition will have less competitors, there will be less vendors, and the amount of bands and stages will also be smaller. Despite all this, hopes are high for “Kinston-Lenoir County’s signature event.

Says Joe Hargitt, Visit Kinston Chairman: “We want the overall feel to be a coming out party, after COVID, for the city of Kinston.”

The BBQ Fest on the Neuse, one of North Carolina's top annual barbecue events, is set to return May 7-8 this year in Kinston https://t.co/v0QCQJYoJP

— The Smoke Sheet (@thesmokesheet) March 23, 2021

Native News

Charlotte-based Mac’s Speed Shop eyes growth across the Southeast in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Florida

“We are aggressively looking and beginning to grow our pipeline of future growth,” says Shang Skipper, president of Mac's Hospitality Group. The popular barbecue concept has eight locations in the Carolinas.​ https://t.co/HxQvPoZcMZ

— Charlotte Business Journal (@CBJnewsroom) March 20, 2021

Jon G’s has a new convert

The tender ass meat sweats from @jongsbbq

Pastrami brisket sandwich
Brisket sandwich
Porky brewster sandwich pic.twitter.com/bou6e5wJ5f

— Kenty Chung — Food Photographer (@kenty_eats) March 18, 2021

Non-Native News

Houston-based Blood Brothers BBQ, which fuses Asian flavors with central Texas barbecue, will open a location at the upcoming Resorts World casino on the Las Vegas strip in May

Read all about it: Blood Bros. BBQ talks to Alison Cook on opening in Las Vegas https://t.co/kEozQBsIwh

— Alison Cook (@alisoncook) March 23, 2021

Ahead of his upcoming book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue (out April 27 on UNC Press), Adrian Miller shares a few insights with Daniel Vaughn on his barbecue travels

In a new book, award-winning food writer Adrian Miller highlights the often overlooked contributions of Black pitmasters. Here, he shares a few things he learned while writing 'Black Smoke.' https://t.co/urF5mcnesL

— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) March 19, 2021

Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ is on Eater’s list of noteworthy new cookbooks

17 new cookbooks that we’ll be cooking from for months to come https://t.co/exYmjE4HGg pic.twitter.com/PBXnZ6jowX

— Eater (@Eater) March 22, 2021

More on that beer collab between La Barbecue and Zilker Brewing

la BEER is here!
American Pilsner 5.0%
Made in collaboration with @la_Barbecue

Time yields quality- whether you're smoking a brisket for 16 hours or waiting weeks for a batch of hops and yeast to ferment, it's always worth the wait… Order here: https://t.co/L7g9x2E2lY pic.twitter.com/Pl3v7z5jTa

— Zilker Brewing Co (@ZilkerBeer) March 11, 2021

Get brisket tips from Evan LeRoy; a video is available for Patreon members

Our full, 3-part series on cooking brisket is live on @LeRoyandLewis Patreon. https://t.co/BC5HDxJwgy

— Evan LeRoy (@evanleroy) March 23, 2021

Steve Raichlen has some brisket tips of his own over at Barbecue Bible

This is important: when you smoke a brisket, should you wrap or not? What do YOU do and why?https://t.co/S3HgNW5HFU

— Steven Raichlen (@sraichlen) March 20, 2021

…and so does Jess Pryles. Must be something in the water.

Beef up your weekend – how to cook a Texas style brisket! https://t.co/oVfOJkNb0v

— Jess Pryles (@jesspryles) March 19, 2021

Tips on fire maintenance

Fire maintenance can make or break a backyard barbecue @jcreidtx #barbecue https://t.co/brDMTVGJPd pic.twitter.com/9aXw1ZdcOA

— PREVIEW (@PreviewNow) March 18, 2021

Sounds like my kind of place:

One of the best new(ish) barbecue joints in Texas is in a trailer behind a gas station in a canal-and-golf-cart community just this side of Galveston. @smokinzsbbq is the real-deal. #HouBBQ https://t.co/ETciWJ4NAz pic.twitter.com/lS71YJqBCd

— J.C. Reid (@jcreidtx) March 20, 2021

Robert Sietsema tries the brisket sandwich at four new NYC-area barbecue joints: Virgil’s Real Barbecue, John Brown BBQ, Izzy’s BBQ Smokehouse, and Hudson Smokehouse

Four new barbecues have appeared in town in recent weeks and months, here's a comparison of their brisket sandwiches. https://t.co/P8YkSDlWwN pic.twitter.com/jqrVMiGJ5B

— Robert Sietsema (@robertsietsema) March 23, 2021

Rest In Peace to Dorothy King of Everett & Jones Barbeque in Oakland

“Dorothy was an icon in our community and in the African American community especially.” https://t.co/bJkNXmWe37

— Chronicle Food (@SFChronicleFood) March 20, 2021