Monk: Charlotte FC has taken the town by storm, setting the MLS attendance record in its first home match, and getting folks excited about soccer. A couple of weeks ahead of their first match, they spotlighted Lewis Donald and Sweet Lew’s BBQ in the above video. Sweet Lew’s is one of our favorite places in town, and Lewis is doing far more than barbecue. He’s serving the Belmont neighborhood
Sweet Lew’s BBQ
Linkdown: 3/16/22
Native News
A couple of the pitmasters for the upcoming Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte on May 22nd: Bryan Furman and Matthew Register
Not to be outdone, the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival has been announcing pitmasters for the Prieto Pitmaster Invitational at its festival, including Brandon Shepard of Shepard Barbecue, Melanie Dunia of The Pit, Ron Simmons of Master Blend Family Farms, and Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ
Noble Smoke’s stall has opened at Optimist Hall as of Monday, 3/14
Jon G’s will be smoking meat for a barbecue and wine event on the last day of the Charlotte Wine & Food Festival
Pretty cool: actor Eric Wareheim made it all the way from LA to Peachland for a Barbecue Saturday last weekend
Non-Native News
Blake’s BBQ has its final days in the trailer this week
In Austin for SXSW?
The latest reader-generated list from Southern Living
Linkdown: 1/26/22
Featured
A fun story from Charlotte Magazine on how Chapel Hill-born fashion designer Alexander Julian got paid in barbecue for designing the original Charlotte Hornets jerseys.
According to Juilian (also known for the UNC Chapel Hill argyle and being the costume designer for Robert Altman’s The Player), “I had this idea: What good is money if you canβt buy barbecue? I call it Carolina caviar. β¦ I said, ‘Iβll give you ownership of the design for five pounds of Carolina barbecue a month.’ A (writer) asked me to sum up the whole experience. I said, ‘Well, George (Shinn) got rich, and I got fat. I traded $10 million worth of royalties for a gut.'”
Getting paid in barbecue, that’s the dream. Well played Alexander Julian, well played.
Native News
Garren of Jon G’s Barbecue featured on the Minsters of Smoke Instagram page
…speaking of which, Jon G’s is popping up at Triple C Brewing in Charlotte tonight
Sweet Lew’s has a new “Just Peachy” barbecue sauce available through the end of the month
Non-Native News
John Tanner checks out Ruthie’s All Day, The Federalist Pig, and DCity Smokehouse for an upcoming Smoke Sheet article
Adrian Miller is interviewed for this Atlas Obscura piece on the Southern Foodways Alliance oral history project
The Oak Texas BBQ makes its debut in Kemah, TX; they were previously based in Nashville and were Speedy’s favorites
The Texas Monthly BBQ Fest moves to Lockhart for this year’s edition
Tips on selecting the best wood for barbecue
Nice merch special from Fox Bros Bar-B-Q: two mystery shirts and a mystery hat for $35
Monk’s Favorite Barbecue of 2021
Monk: While my hunch is that I had roughly as much barbecue as last year, I suspect the ratio of mediocre barbecue to great barbecue was higher than in past years. There’s always highlights to pick out, but let’s hope next year is a more favorable ratio.
In alphabetical order:
Beef rib, brisket, pork ribs, Cheerwine hot link from Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland, NC
Jon Gβs remains the gold standard for the Charlotte area. And it seems that the rest of the southeast is starting to catch on with Eater Carolinas naming them “Barbecue Restaurant of the Year” and Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn raving about them in an article from mid 2021. The future for Garren and Kelly remain bright.
Chopped pork sandwich from Noble Smoke – Charlotte, NC
Some of the meats at Noble Smoke can be a little hit or miss for me, but the Lexington-style chopped barbecue sandwich is ever reliable.
Ribs and wings from Peg Leg Porker – Nashville, TN (link to review)
Speedy has said he often thinks the ribs at Peg Leg Porker are the best in the state of Tennessee, and who am I to argue? The full wings are also a must-order.
Ribs from Randy’s BBQ – Savannah, GA (link to review)
Randy’s ribs are a sub-regional variety with a sauce that I understand is found primarily in the Savannah area. It expanded my framework as to what barbecue is in different parts of the US.
Jones Family Original BBQ Tray from Sam Jones BBQ – Raleigh, NC (link to review)
Life-changing whole hog. So far I’ve only made it to Sam Jones’ outpost in Raleigh but I can’t wait to try this same tray at Skylight Inn this spring.
Sausage, wings, hash and rice, ribs, brisket, and turkey from Sweet Lewβs BBQ – Charlotte, NC (link to post)
Between the house-made sausage, the barbecue hash, and Lewis Donald’s ever-constant tweaking of his main meats, Sweet Lew’s continues to evolve, and I’m here for the the journey.
Chopped pork tray takeout from Whispering Pines – Albemarle, NC (link to review)
It’s a shame that Whispering Pines was takeout only but I’ll make the hour drive to Albemarle again I’m sure. Great Lexington-style barbecue.