Monk: As of Thursday at 8am, Mecklenburg County is enforcing a Stay at Home order effective until at least April 16. Thankfully, residents are still allowed to go to a restaurant “for take-out, delivery or drive-thru.” As hard as restaurants have already been hit, this will be even more of a blow for those that are trying to stay open through these weird times.
Thusly, if we are able, we should do all we can to support our local barbecue restaurants if we want them to still be around after the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s a list of our five favorite Charlotte options based on our Charlotte Big Board.
Please note: As everything is pretty much a fluid situation these days, please call ahead or check on social media to ensure that the restaurant is open and serving.
1. Jon G’s Barbecue March 28th is sold out but stay tuned to their Facebook page for future events Link to Facebook page
Name: Midwood Smokehouse Address: 540 Brandywine Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209 Order: Beef rib with collards and creamed corn, basket of hush puppies (link to menu) Pricing: $$
Monk: Somehow, it has been almost five years. That is, five years since we officially reviewed any location of Midwood Smokehouse, the standard bearer for Charlotte barbecue restaurants since we started the blog in 2012 and a regular go-to for the Barbecue Bros. In that time, they’ve opened two more stores: one in Huntersville north of Charlotte and the other in the back lot of the Park Road Shopping Center, which I’ve eaten at many times since opened in spring 2017 but somehow never thought (or remembered) to review. Regardless, I figured it was time to reassess Midwood Smokehouse in the current climate of Charlotte Barbecue.
If you are new to this blog or to Charlotte barbecue, you may not realize that there was a time not too long ago (way back in early 2011) where wood fired barbecue joints were nearly extinct in a town not really known for great barbecue to begin with. Then, Frank Scibelli along with Executive Chef and Pitmaster Matthew Berry opened their original Plaza Midwood location off of Central Avenue with its Oyler smoker imported from J&R Manufacturing out of Texas. I have always tried not to ding them too much for their overly Texas influence (though they do have eastern NC chopped pork and hush puppies on their menu), because the fact stands that they changed Charlotte barbecue for the better in May 2011 by reintroducing wood-smoked barbecue.
On my last visit, I went for it with the beef rib, a weekend special I had been wanting to try for a couple of years now. While it was a tad on the fatty side, it had great flavor and I liked the aggressive, peppery bark. It did come with a somewhat hefty $32 price tag, though I guess I can’t complain too much because Midwood doesn’t charge by the pound like most Texas joints. Had that been the case, this 1+ lb. rib surely would have resulted in a price tag closer to the $50 mark.
We got a basket of hush puppies for the table and they were a hit with the in-laws and the family. I’ve always been a fan of Midwood’s sides and their creamed corn and collards were solid as ever on this visit. The standard offering of pickles and onions (again, very much Texas-influced) were a nice touch to counteract the fattiness of the beef rib.
While a few places have opened in recent years that I might like just a little better (i.e. Noble Smoke and Sweet Lew’s BBQ), there’s something comforting knowing you can go to any Midwood Smokehouse location (four in the Charlotte area and one in Columbia) on any day of the week and get a consistently legit meal of wood-smoked barbecue. For that, they should be celebrated and not taken for granted.
Lawrence BBQ from Chef Jake Wood is a go in Raleigh this summer and the menu will include whole hog, brisket, ribs, sausage, poultry, and broiled oysters
Jake Wood, whom we named a “chef to watch” in 2019, has slowly teased out details of the restaurant on social media, including a logo for Lawrence BBQ and tantalizing photos of juicy sliced brisket. https://t.co/uzuiCiXEZG
Miguel Vidal from Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ was in Charlotte last week spending some time with the pitmasters from Midwood Smokehouse
Learned so much from Miguel Vidal these past few days. That’s the best part about barbecue (other than eating) – you always have more to learn. pic.twitter.com/QfOYXy5zqQ
…which they turned some of those learnings into a Friday special
Our Park Road location is taking the feature tonight to the next level with what they learned from @Valstexmexbbq . Braised pork tostadas with jalapeño queso blanco. pic.twitter.com/axM3IS0Tty
Midwood Smokehouse Executive Pitmaster Matthew Berry on how he works
Noble Smoke and Sweet Lew’s BBQ make Charlotte Agenda’s list of 25 best new restaurants in Charlotte
Art’s BBQ and Deli in Charlotte will officially close after it’s last day of service on December 20
Fox Bros Bar-B-Q will be collaborating with Taqueria Del Sol for brunch on the 15th, with proceeds benefitting Hogs for the Cause and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Next Sunday Dec 15th our brunch collaboration returns, this time at the @taqueriadelsol on Cheshire Bridge. Join us from 11am-2pm for a brunch menu created by Fox and TDS! All proceeds go towards @hogsforthecause and @childrensatl Giving has never been this easy and tasty!!! pic.twitter.com/nj2Ho7VAl2
