ribs

Is Bringle’s Pastrami the Best Smoked Meat in Nashville?

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Name: Bringle’s Smoking Oasis
Date: 5/3/26
Address: 4901 Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
Order: Pastrami, brisket, ribs, Kool-Aid pickles, turnip greens, Mexican street corn (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Since Speedy moved to Nashville nearly a decade (!!) ago, we’ve tried our fair share of barbecue joints around the city. Most recently, we shared a pretty decent meal at Shotgun Willie’s in January 2025 but Speedy’s favorite has always been Cary Bringle’s second restaurant after Peg Leg Porker (which we’ve visited a few times), Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, which he first visited in 2022. On my most recent trip to Nashville, I finally checked it out with Speedy to see what all the fuss is about.

Bringle’s calls itself a “West Texas Style BBQ Joint” and it is situated in the middle of the growing Nations neighborhood. In addition to the barbecue, they are going for a bit of a neighborhood hangout/outdoor sports bar vibe with a big, enclosed outdoor beer garden with large TVs and outdoor games. Good for families with small kids during the day but I imagine also good for catching a NBA playoff game or World Cup match at night. 

Speedy: And don’t forget dog friendly! In addition to its big outdoor spot, Bringles has some indoor dining, and a cafeteria style line as you walk in, where you order desserts first, then cold sides, hot sides, and finally the meat. Always available are pastrami, brisket, ribs and pulled pork (we ordered all three) as well as turkey and sausage (which we skipped).

I told Monk going in – and also re-confirmed on this visit – the pastrami is my favorite smoked meat in Nashville. Smoked to perfection with great salty flavor, it always delivers. It’s one that I frequently order extra for leftover sammies the next day. On this day, Monk and I cleaned our plates.

Monk: Pastrami is not always a protein you see at a barbecue joint, but Speedy wasn’t lying about it. Great meat executed super well. I was flying out the next day but would have gladly eaten a leftover sammie had we not eaten it all.

The brisket was sliced from whatever was the current brisket on the cutting board, and while we weren’t given the choice of fatty or lean we also didn’t ask. What we got was a good-sized slice of lean that was well-smoked with the nice, peppery rub that you expect from a Texas-style joint.

Speedy: The ribs are done Texas style, with (I believe) just salt and pepper as seasoning. That gives them a widely different flavor than those you get at Peg Leg Porker which I also quite like but are dusted with rub Memphis-style. One day I will do a side by side, but both are great, and no sauce is needed for these dry seasoned ribs.

Monk: The one weak spot at Bringle’s on this visit was the pulled pork, which had dried out considerably sitting under a heat lamp on the cutting board. In addition to the dry texture it lacked a lot of flavor and needed several hits of the mild vinegar barbecue sauce.

The sides of kool-aid pickles, Mexican street corn, and turnip greens were above average across the board. 

Speedy: As usual, Bringles delivered a solid barbecue experience with a great atmosphere. As of this writing, I would still consider this my favorite barbecue spot in Nashville (apologies to Rodney Scott (editor’s note: all Rodney Scott’s locations are closed until further notice as of this post with no reopening announced) – largely on the back of the great atmosphere and the pastrami. However, with Terry Black’s slated to open in Germantown this summer, challengers are a-comin’.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Pastrami – 4.5 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Barbecue meets Chinatown at King BBQ in North Charleston

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Name: King BBQ
Date: 1/25/26
Address:  2029 Carver Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
Order: Pork combo with BBQ red rice with yum yum sauce and slaw (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: King BBQ is the collaboration of husband and wife team Shuai and Corrie Wang and pitmaster Brandon Olson, who worked for them at their other restaurant Jackrabbit Filly not far from the location of King in North Charleston. Even if you haven’t been there, you may still recognize Shuai from his finale run on the most recent season of Top Chef Destination Canada.

King BBQ takes inspiration from Shuai’s upbringing in Queens, NY, Corrie’s upbringing in Buffalo, and Olson’s NC Piedmont roots (he grew up outside of Charlotte). There’s not a lot of beef to be found in those places, and thus there is not at King BBQ. However, in addition to the pork, there is duck, chicken wings, and occasionally fried fish taking cues from Queens and Buffalo.

On this day, I stuck with pork – chopped pork topped with fried pork skins and pork spare ribs. The barbecue items are smoked in Lang offset smokers but while I did not detect a ton of smoke from the chopped pork, the texture and taste were nice, particular when paired with some crunch from the pork skin or the creamy chopped slaw I selected as one of my sides.

The spare ribs were slathered with a char siu barbecue sauce, which added a slight sweetness to the rib that wasn’t overpowering. The flavor was great but to a certain extent the sauce masked any smoke on the ribs. They were cooked nicely with each of my bites coming clean.

The BBQ red rice was a highlight as well, and came recommended by the server as I was ordering at the register. Paired with a homemade yum yum sauce, I would consider even going a double side of them next time.

There’s so much more to King BBQ than what I tried on that day: duck, sausage, noodle bowls, shrimp toast, a play on crab rangoon, and more. I hope to find myself back in Charleston again soon to check them out with a bigger crowd.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Ribs– 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

The 11 Best Barbecue Bites I ate in 2024

/ Barbecue Bros / 2 Comments

Monk: The back half of the year saw a little less barbecue than normal for me, but nonetheless I still had some great bites in 2024. In no particular order, here are the 11 best things I ate this year:

Beef Cheek from Palmira Barbecue in Charleston (review)

I’m not the only fan of Palmira Barbecue, as Daniel Vaughn named them the best Texas barbecue outside of Texas. But I got to check them out a few weeks after opening their West Ashley restaurant in January of this year, and left impressed.

Sweet and savory kolaches at Jon G’s Barbecue in Peachland

My love for Jon G’s is well documented, but I really love the kolaches they now serve for breakfast at their restaurant in Peachland while you wait.

Barbecue Hash over Carolina Gold Rice from City Limits BBQ at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

I have been meaning to get to City Limits Q for years, and in 2025 I will remedy that at the earliest. I did at least get a taste at this past spring’s Carolina BBQ Festival.

Smoked Burger from Southern Smoke at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

A smoked burger served by Matthew Register and the rest of the Register family? Well you can hardly beat that.

Beef tenderloin over campfire in Deep Gap, NC

More of the “live fire cooking” variety versus traditional barbecue, but the beef tenderloin cooked over a campfire while camping with the youngest Monkette and a bunch of neighborhood dads was definitely one of the highlights of my year.

Beef Fat Caramel Wings from Lawrence Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

These wings were the best things I ate this year, hands down.

Whole Hog from Elliott Moss at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

The brewery and smokehouse is still under construction in Florence, SC, but I got to have Elliott Moss’ whole hog not once but twice this year. This was a pleasant surprise.

Carnitas from Union Barbecue (review)

Union Barbecue is my new favorite Charlotte barbecue joint, and I will be their biggest cheerleader in 2025. HEY EVERYBODY, COME WITH ME TO UNION BARBECUE’S NEXT POP-UP, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE.

Texas Trinity at Matt’s BBQ in Portland, OR (review)

Really enjoyed the Texas Trinity from Matt’s BBQ in Portland after a morning hike at Wahkeena Falls. Matt’s BBQ was also named to Daniel Vaughn’s top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of Texas list.

Frito Pie from Fumar (review)

I look forward to checking out more from Fumar in the new year. This Frito pie will be a must order just about every time from now on, though.

Whole hog from Live Fire Feasts

For our neighborhood pool here in Charlotte, I hosted a whole hog party in October catered by Craig Morrow and the fantastic crew at Live Fire Feasts out of Rock Hill, SC. Highly recommend checking them out if you like delicious food cooked over live fire in the Charlotte metro area.

Honorable mention: Whole hog from Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s, Beef Rib Croissant from Jon G’s Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee

What was your favorite barbecue bites this year?

Can a Nashville honky-tonk have true ‘cue?

/ Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s
Date:10/12/24
Address: 200 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201
Order: Pork belly skewer, smoked wings, Whole hog Combo with whole hog, ribs, brisket, turkey plus fries, hush puppies, collards, and mac and cheese; Lil Piggie Combo with whole hog and ribs plus fries and baked beans (link)
Pricing: $$

Speedy: Seven years into my life as a Nashvillian, I’ve learned a few things: 

  1. The hottest level in a hot chicken joint isn’t worth it 
  2. Stay far away from Broadway during CMA Fest
  3. Don’t expect much from the Titans
  4. You’re in for a rough next day if you find yourself on Printer’s Alley late at night
  5. The barbecue is (sadly) better in Memphis, and finally…
  6. Don’t trust the food at the honky-tonks 

Finding out that the whole hog king Rodney Scott was teaming with Eric Church (a North Carolina boy originally from Granite Falls) to open a barbecue joint on top of a honky-tonk right smack in the middle of Broadway gave me hope that the last two might change.

Monk: The Rodney Scott/Eric Church joint venture (backed by the Pihakis Restaurant group on the food side) was originally announced in January 2022. It would open in a location that formerly housed another honky-tonk Cotton Eye Joe, which was owned by John Rich of Big & Rich fame. It was expected to open sometime in 2023 but didn’t actually open until April of this year. While the top two floors are the actual restaurant, they do have a walk-up window on the street level that serves food to hungry patrons on Broadway from breakfast through dinner. 

Speedy: Our group of six got to Rodney Scott’s ahead of the dinner rush and were seated pretty quickly on the 5th floor of Chief’s (the lower of the two floors devoted to Rodney Scott’s). The dining area is fairly small but there are seats at the bar too as well as a smoker room right off to the side. Definitely not your typical barbecue joint. In true Barbecue Bros fashion, Monk and I ordered a bit of everything on behalf of the group, which they happily obliged. Food was delivered quickly, so we dug in.

No surprises here, but the whole hog took the proverbial cake and was the crowd favorite. Peppery and tender, every bite had a bit of smoke and was as good as I’d had from Rodney Scott in Charleston (alas, I have not been to Hemingway). The whole hog alone is reason to visit Rodney Scott’s. It is a must order item and I am ready to declare it the best smoked pork in Nashville.

Monk: Best in Nashville? That’s high praise! The ribs were the consensus second favorite meat of the meal, or perhaps even 1a to the whole hog depending on who you asked. The man just knows his way around a rack of ribs. What was less successful, and perhaps expectedly so, was the brisket. Compared with the rest of the meats, it simply failed to measure up.

Turkey may not have been the crowd favorite but it was a very solid meat that gave us a respite from the other, richer meats. Another mark in the “pro” column for ordering turkey at barbecue joints.

Speedy: The wings were another standout meat, with solid seasoning and good smoke. I preferred this as an appetizer to the pork belly skewer. While I do love a good meat on a stick, I thought the pork belly was a little overcooked, and slightly tough.

Monk: As for sides, we got a few different options: collards, baked beans, mac and cheese, fries, hush puppies, and cornbread. All were above average and our group more or less finished what was there between the two platters. 

Next time I’m honky-tonkin’ on Lower Broadway, I’m going to steer the group towards both Chief’s for the drinks and music as well as Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ for food. Not to mention the rooftop bar for drinks if the weather’s nice. I mean, at what other bar can you get food from a James Beard Award-winning pitmaster?

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Whole hog – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Turkey – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs