I covered this on the Facebook page briefly a few weeks back, but Smiley’s Lexington BBQ has officially announced its closing due to the NCDOT widening of Winston Road in Lexington. This widening was first announced in 2018 with a start date in summer 2020 but had likely been delayed due to the pandemic.
While owner Steve Yountz is not ready to retire just yet, per him “right now there is no definite plans on relocating as far as availably and affordability.” Patrons will have until February 26 to dine at the current location of Smiley’s before it closes its doors for good.
Nearby barbecue restaurant Speedy’s is also expected to close as a result of the road widening, however they are more optimistic about reopening in a new location and plan to rebuild and relocate, depending on the compensation they receive from DOT.
While the optimist in me hopes that both restaurants are able to relocate and continue business in due time, I worry that by next month we will be down two more classic NC barbecue joints.
Native News
A helpful post from Grady’s
Non-Native News
Applications for the Preserve the Pit fellowship are due March 1st
We continue to celebrate Black barbecue culture by launching year two of our Preserve the Pit fellowship and doubling our investment towards aspiring barbecue professionals. Check out details and apply: https://t.co/IYglP3WOgf#PreserveThePitpic.twitter.com/r1sGUEZvJL
Tim Carman of The Washington Post comes out with his annual barbecue list, with the wrinkle of releasing it in the winter time when some joints are closed
Carman also mourns the loss of pitmaster Corries Hardy
As we celebrate the best smokehouses in DC for 2022, I’d like to pause for a minute and acknowledge the loss last year of one of Washington’s best pitmasters: Corries Hardy. I really miss his presence at the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market. https://t.co/6kwtRV7OMV
Rodney Scott and Eric Church getting into the honkey tonk game, and bringing whole hog to Broadway at Chief’s
In case anyone was wondering, the next country singer signing on for restaurant and bar ownership in downtown Nashville is Eric Church, and this time Carolina pitmaster Rodney Scott is getting in on the action.https://t.co/v472hUfRe2
Texans love traditions, and when it comes to barbecue, that means the Texas trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage. But like everything else in the barbecue business recently, that tradition is adapting and evolving. https://t.co/dpg88ZCGOi#houbbq#texaspic.twitter.com/0XZ3o7s6vj
This latest piece of controversial barbecue list content from one “chefspencil.com” has been rightly getting roasted online since the weekend, but perhaps that was the intent all along? I mean, who had even heard of “chefspencil.com,” an Austrialian website, before this list?
New Orlean’s at number 1? Red flag. No Texas cities on the list? Red flag. As for Charlotte’s rank of 3 on the list? I say this as a Charlotte resident, but red flag. I’m not the only Charlottean who feels this way. Enter Kathleen Purvis:
Let’s declare a moratorium on any further discussion or outrage on anything “chefspencil.com” related, particularly when it comes to barbecue.
Native News
Fighting words from the Hear to Say podcast host Tressie McMillan Cottom
We had @KosherSoul & @soulfoodscholar on @HearToSlay this week. We talk about race and culture and food and how Black people were erased from the food we perfected. But I started with this question to BBQ master, Adrian, because I’m true to this: pic.twitter.com/k1Y5dlQ4Yl
— Tressie McMillan Cottom (@tressiemcphd) May 18, 2021
An oldie but a goodie from Our State Magazine for National Barbecue Day this past Sunday
No matter where you stand on the great sauce debate, we can all agree that North Carolina barbecue is legendary. In honor of #NationalBarbecueDay, here are 26 essential NC barbecue joints. Which one will you visit next?https://t.co/eVfcMzRUGV
1. Jack's Old South 2. Hometown BBQ 3. Yazoo Delta's Q 4. Smoke Masters Championship BBQ Team 5. The Beached Pig 6. Pickin N Grillin 7. Dirty Old Basters 8. 3 Taxi Guys 9. Boars Night Out 10. Ubons BBQ
This #spicerub collection tells a story of culinary traditions that span from #WestAfrica to the American West. Includes an all-purpose rub inspired by the late John Frank Garth, one of my beloved church fathers, a #tsire rub, some #jerk seasoning, and a shout out to East Texas! pic.twitter.com/ME2UDouCwx
High on the Hog premieres on Netflix in one week on 5/26
Although it took five years to turn what is essentially the first half of her book “High on the Hog” into a documentary, Jessica B. Harris said the timing of its release is perfect. https://t.co/rgisl9z6Bu
The “Winningest Man in Barbecue” helps out the wannabe backyard smoker who may only have Weber charcoal grill handy.
Four-time barbecue world champion Myron Mixon cooks up some St. Louis spareribs at the MUNCHIES Test Kitchen. He shows us how to make a homemade marinade, rub, and barbecue sauce to achieve barbecue perfection at home without an elaborate setup—all you need is a charcoal grill, no smoker required. Just grab your ingredients and a cold drink, light the grill, and follow along at home for the ultimate summer barbecue dish.
Name: Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque Date: 3/31/18 Address: 220 N Lee St., Alexandria, VA 22314 Order: Speedy: 3 meat plate (brisket, pork, sausage, fried, collards); the Bro: 2 meat plate (pork, pork belly, collards, baked beans) (link to menu) Price: $24 (3 meat) / $19 (2 meat)
Speedy: Recently, I was in DC visiting my (literal) Bro, and while his wife and kids were out running errands we snuck away for a meal. As the Bro and S-I-L are changing their diet to eat less meat, naturally, I suggested to the Bro that we find a local ‘cue joint. A quick Google search pulled up a name I recognized – Myron Mixon. Well, after great experiences at Aaron Franklin’s and Tuffy Stone’s joints, it was time to round out the BBQ Pitmasters trifecta and check it out.
Monk: Congratulations, Speedy! Turn in your punch card on your next visit and the next meal’s on us. But for real, I’m curious to see how his place actually stacks up.
Speedy: Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque is a little different than the other two, as it’s a sit down joint with a wait staff, but it still had a nice, rustic feel and a great (but expensive – this is DC) beer list. The Bro and I were seated immediately and wasted no time ordering – pulled pork and pork belly for him, and pulled pork, brisket, and sausage links for me.
The food arrived fairly quickly, and the portions were quite large. Frankly, we could have split a three meat place between the two of us, but that’s not the Barbecue Bro way. The meats all looked great, and I could tell I was in for a treat.
Monk: Not the Barbecue Bro way…unless one of those bros happens to include Monk and his tiny stomach.
Speedy: I first dug in to the brisket. Not living in Texas, I am used to very mediocre brisket and nothing I’ve had outside of Texas has even come close to what I’ve had in the state. However, this was pretty good. I definitely got the fatty part of the brisket, and could have used a little more bark, but it was not overdone and had good flavor. A solid effort.
While I was trying the brisket, the Bro dug into his pork belly. Upon the first bite, his eyes rolled back into his head and it was clearly an out-of-body experience. I think he could’ve died right there and been OK. Naturally I reached my fork across the table to see what the fuss was about, and oh my – that pork belly was really, really good. Perfectly smoky with a little crispiness, it’s salty flavor was perfect. Definitely the highlight of the meal.
The sausage was my second favorite meat. It had great smoke and snap, and just a really solid flavor. I did use a little of the provided mustard sauce fo the sausage, and it was a great compliment. This is another meat I would order again.
Monk: Any idea if its made in house or imported from somewhere in Texas?
Speedy: I don’t know, Monk, and I didn’t ask. My (hot) gut would say it was imported, only because the casing was so perfect.
Monk: I see what you did there…
Speedy: The pulled pork was also solid. It had good bark and was nice and tender. I did feel the need to add a little vinegar sauce to it, but it was still enjoyable.
The sides were above average – particularly the collards, but with so much meat, I honestly didn’t eat too many of them there.
Overall, this was a very solid barbecue meal. The Bro says it’s the best ‘cue he’s had in the DC area (though I don’t think that’s a high bar), and I was not disappointed at all. In terms of the BBQ Pitmasters trifecta – I think Aaron Franklin’s and Tuffy Stone’s places are a little better, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
