Monk: This Thanksgiving, consider leaving the cooking to the professionals at these Charlotte-area barbecue joints. You also get the added benefit of supporting a local business while you take it easy because let’s face it, we should all take it easy when we can. See below for information.
Big Tiny’s BBQ – Mooresville, NC
The Dixie Pig – Rock Hill, SC
Farmhouse BBQ – Gastonia, NC
The Improper Pig – Charlotte, Fort Mill
Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland, NC
Mac’s Speed Shop
Midwood Smokehouse
Noble Smoke
OooWee BBQ – Pineville
The Q Shack
RayNathan’s – Gastonia, NC
Rock Store BBQ – Stallings
The Smoke Pit – Concord, Gastonia, Monroe, Salisbury
Monk: The biggest news was of course the closing of Bill Spoon’s Barbecue in late September, which I wrote a little bit about in our 9/16 Linkdown. Afterwards, the news came out that it wasn’t only the pandemic that killed them off – it had been some time coming due to an aging customer base and Spoon’s inability to attract new, younger customers that may have wanted a more full service barbecue experience.Until the end, they thought of themselves as a “traditional barbecue house” which means they only accepted cash and didn’t serve beer or wine. And they were ok with that, even if that ultimately wasn’t what Charlotte wanted. Rest in peace, Bill Spoon’s Barbecue.
July
7/6 Sweet Lew’s BBQ announces adjusted hours of operation, now Wednesday through Sunday, removing Tuesday
7/24 Sweet Lew’s Barbecue introduces an updated menu with hash now on the menu full time and house made sausage that was helped develop with advice from Garren of Jon G’s Barbecue
7/25 Noble Smoke celebrated one year of being open with an all-day party
August
8/20 Bargarita, a “new restaurant serving margaritas and BBQ tacos” opens in the former Solstice Tavern location in NoDa. No word on where or how they smoke their brisket or pork for tacos.
8/28 The Annual Mallard Creek Barbecue, “The Grandaddy of North Carolina Barbecues,” was officially cancelled for the first time in 90 years
According to an email to Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church members, the 91st Annual Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church BBQ has been canceled #ncpol@wsoctvpic.twitter.com/jXPTsGoFy8
8/31 Big Tiny’s BBQ in Mooresville celebrated four years of being open; Pitmaster John also celebrated a birthday
September
9/1 Noble Smoke introduces Taco Tuesdays
9/8 Seoul Food Meat Co will open a second location in the Optimist Park neighborhood (not NoDa as noted in their post) as part of an adaptive-reuse project called Lintmen’s
9/16 Bill Spoon’s Barbecue closed after 57 years in business
9/20 Sweet Lew’s Barbeque begins smoking whole hogs on Sundays, the only Charlotte-area restaurant smoking whole hogs as far as I am aware of
9/28 We interviewed Garren and Kelly of Jon G’s Barbecue about what it’s like to open a barbecue restaurant in the middle of the pandemic
EXCLUSIVE: What It's Like to Open a Barbecue Restaurant in the Middle of a Pandemic https://t.co/oRzxq9Bmc9
Longleaf Swine has announced their new location; instead of their previously announced stall at Transfer Co Food Hall they will be in a free-standing building that formerly housed Oakwood Cafe
Congrats to Big Tiny’s BBQ in Mooresville, who celebrated their 4th anniversary earlier this week
Foodie Score visits the Gastonia location of The Smoke Pit (the local chain’s 4th store), and reports back full bellies
🤤 If you want a meal that will truly fill you up and satisfy your tastebuds, visit one of The Smoke Pit’s 4 western NC locations. 👍👍 Here’s our experience:https://t.co/dj32nDv7SJ
Thankfully, it appears the fire last weekend at Pecan Lodge didn’t cause major damage and they were actually able to open later that day
I talked to Justin Fourton of @PecanLodge. Fire took out one of two smoker exhaust systems they have. They can still cook at 1/2 capacity. Will reopen within days. They have a very $$$ fan to replace, but dodged a bullet. https://t.co/1ksnSmwFdG
Pellet smokers are on the rise, according to J.C. Reid
Commercial-grade pellet smokers are elbowing their way into more smoke rooms. What they lack in producing deep smoke flavor, they make up for in cooking & cost consistency. Some pitmasters, stretched for time & capital, are making the switch. #houbbqhttps://t.co/6qs5VLFlrwpic.twitter.com/EtuUOnUq5T
– A feature on Sauceman’s brazilian pitmaster Edgar Simoes (though whats with the question about sauces?)
We are lost in the sauce… The award-winning BBQ at @Saucemans comes from a surprising source, but Brazilian native Edmar Simoes has taken to Lexington-style ‘cue quite well. Now which of the four sauces do you reach for? https://t.co/1Lp1RSVSwo
– The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot food writer Matthew Korfhage waxes poetic on the “some of the best pulled pork in the known universe” two hours away from him in eastern NC – B’s Barbecue and Skylight Inn
Sure, there are other famous eastern-style whole-hog barbecue spots – most notably Wilber’s in neighboring Wayne County, where presidents have dined and owner Wilber Shirley still presides over his restaurant, as he has for more than 50 years.
But a morning drive down winding, wooded roads to B’s and Skylight – hitting both stops along the way – is one of life’s most unmitigated pleasures, one I’ve only just discovered and will repeat many times before I’m through.
– Speaking of The Virginian-Pilot, good find from Robert Moss from that paper from 1935
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