Linkdown: 7/6/22

Monk: After a 2 month break to recap season 3 of “BBQ Brawl,” we’re back with a roundup of the latest barbecue news in North Carolina and beyond.

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Catching up on some of the NC barbecue posts the past couple of months from Friend of the Blog John Tanner, he was making the rounds in eastern NC during the spring starting with a return trip to Parker’s Barbecue in Wilson where he enjoyed the barbecue but particularly the fried chicken

He then headed to Marty’s BBQ across town and did a head-to-head comparison with his meal at Parker’s

He followed up those meals with another return trip to Grady’s BBQ which, despite John’s near persistent drum beating, is still not a UNESCO world heritage site

John also visited Southport Smokehouse and Leland Smokehouse in the Wilmington-area and came away resolved to eating seafood at the beach in the future

But that was followed by the best pork of his trip (and contender for best in eastern NC according to him) at Stephenson’s Bar-B-Q in Willow Springs

John then swing through the Piedmont and hit up Stamey’s Barbecue in Greensboro which, while he had a fine meal, he was surprised to learn that hush puppies didn’t come with the meal

When news of Richard’s Bar-B-Q in Salisbury closing later this month, he also spun some words reflecting on the pending loss of yet another True ‘Cue joint

Native News

Congrats to Grady’s BBQ on 36 years open

Elliot Moss has parted ways with Buxton Hall Barbecue, according to his Instagram post, but will be staying in Asheville and has another restaurant in the works; as for barbecue: “I’m NOT done with BBQ. My passion for BBQ will live on forever. I’ll be doing some bbq traveling & cooking. Stay tuned”

ICYMI, our latest Lexington (NC) Barbecue Rankings

Linkdown: 7/15/20

James Beard Award-winning author Adrian Miller reflects on photographer Russell Lee’s “Man slicing barbecue at the Gonzales County Fair” photo and the role of Black Americans in barbecue culture

Miller was also impressed by Phoenix’s black barbecue scene

Rodney Scott ‘s BBQhas received $25,000 from Discover as part of its #EatItForward sweepstakes to support Black-owned restaurants

More on the new Leland Smokehouse, where the “brisket is so good, no sauce is needed”

Prime BBQ is navigating opening a restaurant during a pandemic

The Manual has its pick of 7 best rib rubs, all of which are available by mail order

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse is adapting to life during COVID

Tex-Mex barbecue from Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q in Grapevine between Dallas and Fort Worth

In it’s latest issue, Garden & Gun has a beginner’s recipe for chicken bog that can be cooked indoors

Happy belated birthday to David Thompson, the ACC Basketball GOAT

Linkdown: 7/8/20

The NC Pork Council announces the “Summer of Cue”; take selfies at five barbecue restaurants now through Labor Day and you will get a special edition t-shirt. Full details at the link.

A mural of David McAtee, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd is almost complete in Louisville

Don’t forget about the classic joints (in Texas or otherwise), like Meshack’s Bar-Be-Que Shack in Garland

Todd Richards has opened Lake & Oak BBQ in the former Greater Good Barbecue location in East Lake in Atlanta

Socks Love Barbecue is the best barbecue in Atlanta according to the readers of The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Anaheim’s Heritage Barbecue gets profiled by Eater

Buxton Hall Barbecue had a small fire last week after reopening but thankfully it was not catastrophic. They reopened briefly on Friday however per their Instagram have since closed again due to a “set back in building repairs” but they will be reopening “ASAP.” Here’s hoping that’s sooner rather than later.

Picnic has been able to maintain its barbecue throughout the pandemic due to the hog farm co-owned by the oners of the restaurant

Leland Smokehouse has opened in the town of Leland outside of Wilmington; it is the second restaurant from Troy Knight, the owner behind Southport Smokehouse

Rosako Bailey of Rosako’s Soul Food & BBQ in Fort Worth is used to helping others but now needs help

Big Rojo is the Big Red-flavored beer from San Antonio-based Islla Street Brewing

Great news from Hogs For The Cause

And last but not least, big congrats to Ryan Cooper (aka BBQ Tourist) on getting the news that he is cancer free!

Duke’s Old South BBQ – Leland, NC

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Name: Duke’s Old South BBQ
Date: 5/17/14
Address: 318 Village Rd NE, Leland, NC 28451
Order: Plate special with barbecue, baked beans, brunswick stew, hush puppies, pickles, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $7.50

Just across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington lies the town of Leland. The coastal plain of NC isn’t really known for having great barbecue, but Duke’s Old South BBQ is trying to do things the right way, cooking their ‘cue over hickory and charcoal.

Duke’s marks yet another first for me in my barbecue travels – the barbecue buffet. Normally, this would make me skeptical about the barbecue, assuming it had been sitting in a steam tray for hours and getting an iffy texture in the process. On this particular trip, the stream tray ended up claiming victim to half of my order.

The barbecue had a slight touch of smoke but the lacked chunks of bark I like to see. It was also a little on the dry side and needed some of the side sauce. Duke’s Old South offers three sauces – sweet, mild, and spicy – and I opted for spicy, an eastern NC-style vinegar-based sauce. Each table also has Texas Pete, so I used that as well. Overall, the barbecue wasn’t half bad once aided by these sauces.

The sides were another matter. I went for brunswick stew and baked beans and while I didn’t have many complaints with either, they didn’t knock my socks off. My wife got mac and cheese, and it was dry and crusty from sitting in the steam tray too long. The hush puppies had an odd taste to them, reminiscent more of a seafood hush puppy than a barbecue one. Each plate also comes with a choice of dill or sweet pickles, which seems a little weird for a NC barbecue place.

The dining area is basically a large rectangular room with cafeteria-style seating and fluorescent lights. To be honest, it could use some work in terms of atmosphere or ambiance, although the bluegrass/country music playing over the speakers helped a little.

Duke’s Old South BBQ does have some nice things going for it, mainly in terms of the barbecue itself. If it stepped up its game in terms of sides and atmosphere, it could be a hidden jewel. As it stands, its just a nice little joint with a few flaws just off NC-74 heading into Wilmington.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 Hogs

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Duke's Old South BBQ on Urbanspoon