Linkdown: 9/20/23 – The Two-Meat Plate Edition

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Monk: Robert Moss dropped his annual top barbecue joint list for Southern Living, and of the 50, eight were North Carolina barbecue joints while another nine were from South Carolina. The North Carolina joints were:

  • Prime Barbecue, Knightdale
  • Barbecue Center, Lexington
  • Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge
  • Sam Jones BBQ, Winterville
  • Stamey’s Barbecue, Greensboro
  • Grady’s Barbecue, Dudley
  • Lexington Barbecue, Lexington
  • Skylight Inn, Ayden

Even with some decent representation from the Carolinas, there were a few I felt could’ve made the list based on what Robert Moss had written previously; Jon G’s Barbecue and Lawrence Barbecue in particular.

A Texas barbecue joint made the #1 spot on the list, and while I won’t spoil just who it was just know it is a very familiar joint to most. You just know that Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn would have to gloat:

Have you read the list yet? Who else should have made it, be it from North Carolina or elsewhere?

Native News

Mike D’s BBQ Smokehouse & Retail in Durham is one of Eater Carolinas’ hottest restaurants in September

Meet Sweet Lew next Monday through Unpretentious Palate

Robert Moss stopped by Prime Barbecue recently for some lechon whole hog

Do you know the difference between western and eastern NC barbecue?

Non-Native News

J.C. Reid on the two-meat plate

John Tanner has some thoughts on the recent Southern Living Top 50 List

Congrats to Lewis Barbecue Greenville on 1 year open

The origin story of Fox Brothers Barbecue, who recently celebrated 22 years

Linkdown: 7/12/23 – The Hush Puppy Queen Edition

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Monk: Cheerwine has launched their “Uniquely Southern Summer Contest” and are giving Barbecue Bros readers – some of the smartest barbecue connoisseurs around – an edge when it comes to the contest. Simply enter “BBQBROS” in the “Bonus Code” box for a bonus entry when entering the contest at the link here.

Next week’s prize is The Carolina ‘Que Collection, “an ultimate culinary adventure featuring gift cards to over a dozen barbecue restaurants across North and South Carolina. Savor the mouthwatering flavors and unique regional styles that make Carolina barbecue legendary, and see why Cheerwine and BBQ are known as the ‘Southern Handshake.'”

The grand prize of the contest is a three-day, two-night stay at the historic Brown Mountain Beach Resort, “located in the breathtaking Wilson Creek Gorge of Lenoir, North Carolina, promises an unforgettable getaway where history and natural beauty intertwine. The stay will include a Cheerwine-themed riverfront yurt and plenty of swag from the South’s favorite soda. The winner will also enjoy paddleboard and kayak excursions along Wilson Creek and more.”

The contest ends on July 30 so be sure to enter today (and don’t forget to use the code “BBQBROS”).

More info on the restaurants included in the gift card pack here:

Native News

Congrats to Grady’s BBQ on 37 years open!

B’s Barbecue is featured in this month’s Garden & Gun Magazine

Some recent interviews with Ed and Ryan Mitchell as part of their press tour on their latest cookbook: WBUR in Boston and WUNC in Chapel Hill

Mike D’s BBQ Smokehouse and Retail opens this weekend in East Durham

Red Bridge’s “hush puppy queen” DeDe recently celebrated her 40th anniversary of hiring at the barbecue institution

Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge has new Richardson hats in stock

Non-Native News

Looks like City Limits Q is off to a good start at their new, in-progress brick and mortar in west Columbia

From last month, CNN delves into barbecue hash

Aaron Franklin recently sat down with the Biscuits & Jam podcast

John Tanner rejoices that downtown DC is getting a legit barbecue restaurant in 2fifty Texas BBQ

Holy Smokes tickets are now on sale! The barbecue celebration returns to Waterfront Park in North Charleston in November.

Linkdown: 3/8/23 – The “Cooking with Gas” Edition

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Monk: Southern Living readers pick their favorite barbecue in each state in the South for the annual “Best in the South” issue. While Robert Moss provides a foreword, please remember that this is a reader chosen list and not his South’s Top 50 Barbecue Joints list. So address your ire at the masses and not Moss’ inbox.

Moss does note that half of the 14 are repeat, with the other half being new to the list. For North Carolina, the reader’s pick this year was Lexington Barbecue but it was not a repeat winner as last year’s choice was Buxton Hall Barbecue.

Check out the Southern Living reader’s pick at the link below.

Native News

Steve and Gerri Grady get profiled in the local paper, the Mount Olive Tribune

Eat Raleigh checks in at Longleaf Swine and they are also a fan

Congrats to Black Powder Smokehouse on their Asheboro location, their second store

Midwood Smokehouse is doing pork versions of birria tacos

Tickets are now on sale for the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival taking place Labor Day weekend

Non-Native News

Hector Garate of Palmira BBQ is headed to Austin later this month for a collaboration with Interstellar BBQ

Sweatman’s Barbecue in Holly Hill has made the switch to gas

Howard Conyers is hosting The Roots of BBQ Invitational Memorial Day weekend in Paxville, SC (ticket link)

NYC BBQ checks out the relocated Pig Beach in Queens and found that “the quality has not declined a bit even with the big changes the past few months”

Memphis in May will be back at Tom Lee Park for this year’s event

Linkdown: 9/28/22 – The Old School Icons and Impressive Newcomers Edition

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Monk: For the first time in 3 years, Contributing barbecue editor Robert F. Moss presents his list of the South’s Top 50 Barbecue Joints. And of course, a lot has changed. There’s the little matter of the global pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the restaurant business for the past 2.5 years and has probably accelerated some restaurant closings that might have been able to hang on a little longer. But notably, the only closure from the 2019 version of the list is Bryan Furman’s B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque in Atlanta and Savannah. Fear not, as Bryan Furman BBQ is in the works.

As expected, there’s also a decidedly Texas bent to the list which reflects the national trend. Even in proud barbecue states like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia is represented by Texas-style joints.

Note that this differs from the annual “South’s Best” Reader’s list published in the spring.

By the Numbers:

  • Texas: 15
  • South Carolina: 9
  • North Carolina: 8
  • Tennessee: 6
  • Alabama: 3
  • Georgia: 3
  • Missouri: 2
  • Arkansas: 1
  • Florida: 1
  • Kentucky: 1
  • Maryland: 1

Not surprisingly, Texas tops the list with 15 entries. Texas barbecue is rapidly becoming the national barbecue style and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. This lost provides a good roadmap of places I still need to try, such as Valentina’s, Burnt Bean, Blood Bros, Tejas among many others.

South Carolina takes second with 9 joints and while Moss is a SC-based writer, I’m a little surprised its so well represented on the list. However, I am especially happy to see Palmira BBQ in Charleston make the list.

North Carolina takes home the bronze with 8 joints including newer-school joints like Prime Barbecue and Sam Jones Barbecue alongside classics like Skylight Inn, Stamey’s, Lexington #1, and Grady’s.

Locally, no Charlotte-area joints make the list and in particular I’m surprised that Jon G’s Barbecue is not on the list. Not only because I’m such a fan but also because Moss wrote so glowingly about it after his visit. The same could be said for Lawrence Barbecue, for that matter. If I had to guess, it probably came down to Jon G’s, Lawrence, Palmira, and Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, NC for two spots on the list.

Barbecue lists are inherently controversial but with Robert Moss you know he’s at least doing the leg work and traveling to each of these joints in his list. Some slight SC-bias aside, it’s a very solid list.

What are your thoughts? What joints did Moss not included? How many of the list have you been to? I’ve been to a respectable-but-still-lacking 18 of the 50.