NC

Resident Culture’s Barbecue Expands the Top Tier of Charlotte Barbecue

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Name: Resident Culture Brewing
Date: 8/14/24
Address: x
Order: Butcher’s Block Sampler with pork and brisket, red slaw, and hush puppies (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Resident Culture Brewing made waves last year when they announced they would be hiring pitmaster Edmar Simoes (formerly of Noble Smoke and Sauceman’s) to start their barbecue program out of their South End location. They rolled it out in late 2023 but it wasn’t until summer 2024 that I personally was able to check it out.

And for me, it definitely did not disappoint. While I did initially say it may be in the conversation for best barbecue in town (and possibly in the top 3) more on that in a bit and why that’s not quite the case.

The pork seemingly owed a lot to Edmar’s time at Noble Smoke, and was perfectly smoky with a nice salt and pepper bark chopped in. Of the two meats, I made sure to finish it at that sitting and would be my must-order next time I visit.

The slices of brisket had a fantastic peppery bark you’d want to see on a Texas-style brisket. No choice of fatty or lean was offered, so the three slices were all from the lean side of the brisket. On a side note, the brisket reheated nicely several days later for a leftover sandwich made of the the slices plus some of the pickles and onions offered on the side,

In terms of sides, I appreciated the choice of red or white slaw and the red slaw paired really nicely with the chopped pork and doused in some Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce from the table. The generous helping of hush puppies were also a nice surprise in terms of taste and texture.

Upon further reflection and after getting a little more information in terms of the smoking setup, I would still put Resident Culture Brewing in the top tier of Charlotte barbecue but not quite in the top 3 or even the top 5. Edmar confirmed to me that they use an Ole Hickory gasser that can add wood to get smokiness but in any case I was still impressed by how good the barbecue was. For game days or lunch stops during a South End Brewery crawl, this is certainly some very good barbecue.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

YouTubers Cris & Cale Select Their Top 5 Traditional NC BBQ Joints

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Monk: A fairly well-edited video from what appears to be novices in the world of NC barbecue. After a primer on NC barbecue, they go into their top 5: Stamey’s Barbecue, Old Hampton Store, Clyde Cooper’s, Red Bridges, and Skylight Inn. They give some nice history on each joint and also tasting notes.

You can always argue choices when it comes to a barbecue list but the inclusion of Old Hampton and Clyde Cooper’s stand out for a couple of reasons. Old Hampton Store is a fun joint in the mountains but doesn’t really compete with places like Lexington Barbecue, B’s Barbecue, or Barbecue Center and perhaps was picked on vibes. And Clyde Cooper’s may be the oldest barbecue restaurant in NC but switched over to gas a long time ago.

But still I won’t knock efforts like this from YouTubers Cris & Cale. I can imagine an 18 minute video is no joke to produce, shoot, and edit. Props to them.

Description: After years of research, we found the best restaurants serving up traditional barbecue in North Carolina. Join us in our state-wide pursuit of the top classic pitmasters and the mouth-watering barbecue that is the result of their tireless work! These are our Top 5 Traditional North Carolina BBQ Joints.

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Pitmaster Ed Mitchell

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Link to web version

Monk: Pitmaster Ed Mitchell is in a curious spot these days. His name is in many ways synonymous with eastern North Carolina whole hog barbecue and his reach in the barbecue world is unmatched by few, but he hasn’t operated a barbecue restaurant in almost 10 years.

In this episode of the Southern Foodways Alliance’s Gravy podcast, North Carolina native Wilson Sayre recaps Mitchell’s story from starting to cook pigs at his parent’s grocery store in Wilson, NC in the wake of his father’s passing to that restaurant getting shut down for failing to pay taxes tax (with Mitchell spending time in jail) to partnering in opening The Pit in Raleigh and eventually the opening and closing of his short-lived Durham restaurant Ed Mitchell’s ‘Cue. Along the way, Ed brought on his son Ryan as a business partner to help him with his business decision making.

The Mitchell’s latest venture with restaurateur Lou Moshakos is called The Preserve and was set to open in 2020 (which was to be Raleigh’s “Year of Barbecue”) before getting sidetracked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this episode is light on solid details for that restaurant, only saying that it is set to open “this spring” (though the episode was released May 22). But of course we’re starting to get into the summer months with little in the way of updates and The Preserve website doesn’t have much more information, only stating that “2023 is our year.”

Unfortunately, it seems as if Ed Mitchell is once again going to have to do it the hard way. All of us North Carolinians will be rooting hard for him.

Description: Ed Mitchell’s name has come to be synonymous with Eastern North Carolina wood-smoked whole-hog barbecue. From Wilson, North Carolina, he grew up smoking hogs and has tried to continue that tradition, using old techniques and traditionally farm-raised pigs.

But almost since the start, Ed Mitchell’s barbeque journey has not been a straight line—business relationships, racism, and smoke have all shaped his rollercoaster ride.

Mike D’s BBQ in Durham is North Carolina’s Best New Barbecue Restaurant

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Monk: In East Durham, NC, Mike De Los Santos started doing barbecue sauces and rubs that mixed Hispanic and black flavors as a hobby but then a family tragedy refocused him to eventually open a brick and mortar restaurant called Mike D’s BBQ Smokehouse. Last December, his wood-smoked barbecue joint earned Best New North Carolina Barbecue from Eater Carolinas.

Description: Mike De Los Santos brings his award-winning barbecue and rubs to a brick-and-mortar destination in East Durham.