Monk: Queen City Nerve goes deep on the roots of the newly opened Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly. While I haven’t made it out there myself (and couldn’t make the media opening due to family commitments), I do plan to make the trip very soon. After reading this article about the barbecue restaurant/fish camp/brewery, I’m even more excited.
With their opening along the banks of Dutchman's Creek in Mount Holly two weeks ago, Firehawk Brewpub is a space that looks to prioritize community, workers … and damn good beer, barbecue and fish camp. https://t.co/nDbmfjj63s
Dana Hanson is a Meat Scientist at NC State and runs their annual barbecue camp, modeled after Texas A&M
There’s no shortage of barbecue experts in North Carolina, but only one hosts the NC State BBQ Camp. That’s Dana Hanson, an NC State Extension meat science specialist who humbly refers to himself as “the meat guy.” https://t.co/SkYWURvY4g
Monk: The biggest news from a mostly quiet past three months was the reopening of Bubba’s Barbecue in north Charlotte after 2+ years closure due to the pandemic. It technically opened over the summer, but that was a quiet reopening and it wasn’t publicized until October.
As noted in the article linked below, the restaurant first opened in 1963 as Jackson and Spoon’s Barbecue (later just Spoon’s Barbecue) on South Boulevard. In 1987, owner Ralph Miller purchased the restaurant and the original recipes. He later renamed the restaurant Bubba’s Barbecue and moved it to Sunset Road, where it has been serving Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue since 1994.
I’ll have a report back in a few weeks, but in the meantime it’s good to have a classic barbecue restaurant back in operation.
October
10/7 Bubba’s Barbecue quietly reopened over the summer, reports the Charlotte Observer
Bubba’s Barbecue closed at the beginning of the pandemic. It serves slow-cooked Eastern NC-style barbecue, with brisket, ribs and sides. https://t.co/kd8Dd1BPfP
10/18 Local coverage from WSOC TV on Phar Mill Brewing & BBQ‘s expansion into Concord
10/23 Courtney’s BBQ in nearby Clover opened a brewery that is open every day the restaurant is
November
11/7 The Smoke Pit wins Best Soup for its Smoked Chicken and Dumplings in the 17th Annual Soup Sampling by Cabarrus County’s Meals on Wheels
11/17 Jon G’s Barbecue collaborated with Virtuoso Bread in Waxhaw by smoking a bag of rye berries for 4 hours “in a way that the flavor would come out gentle and not too intrusive”
11/30 The NC F&B Podcast publishes its podcast visit to Jon G’s Barbecue
December
12/19 Midwood Smokehouse’s Raleigh location (opening this month) will have some different items than their current stores, including what looks to be a crunchwrap-type item
12/28 Mac’s Speed Shop has new menu items until the end of February, including this beef rib
Monk: Phar Mill BBQ and Brewing has not only recently joined the Charlotte barbecue landscape within the last year or so but has even opened a second location in Concord (it’s original location is in Harrisburg). They are a joint that is smoking it’s barbecue over wood – on a Jon G’s smoker, nonetheless – and I hope to report back soon.
In the next six months, I’d love to see more upstart barbecue joints in Charlotte plus maybe an established, wood-smoking chain like Sam Jones or Rodney Scott or Home Team join the Charlotte barbecue scene because, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats.
Here’s the notable barbecue news from the past three months.
July
7/12 Spectrum 1 checks in on Barvecue, the wood-smoked, plant-based barbecue from Cornelius
7/12 Jon G’s Barbecue makes Yelp Charlotte’s list of 25 places to eat in Charlotte
7/15 Lewis Donald is no longer involved with Dish and will be focusing his efforts on Sweet Lew’s BBQ and the Carolina Barbecue Festival going forward
Former owner Lewis Donald will focus on Sweet Lew’s, and Paper Plane owner Amanda Cranford has taken over. Good news: Meatloaf and fried green tomatoes are here to stay. https://t.co/Np0YFk0Ysr
8/3 HopFly Brewing Company releases Go Time Smoked Pilsner, brewed in collaboration with Jon G’s Barbecue:
We put this recipe together with our friends from the renowned @jongsbbq in Peachland, NC. In addition to our favorite pilsner malt, we filled this beer out with a healthy quantity of wheat smoked by Jon G himself down in Peachland. This beautiful golden lager has a round, malty sweetness complemented nicely with overtones of the BBQ pit. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a slab of smoked brisket, or while you’re at home standing next to the grill. 4.0% ABV
8/3 Jon G’s also makes the News & Observer’s favorite NC barbecue joints
September
9/3 Jon G’s Barbecue shares some photos of their involvement in the wedding of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Afflect in Savannah
9/9 Phar Mill Brewing and BBQ opens its Concord location
9/14 Noble Smoke, Jon G’s, Midwood Smokehouse, and The Smoke Pit are included in this Texas-style barbecue restaurant roundup from Kevin’s BBQ Joints
NEW: There are some amazing Texas-style BBQ Joints OUTSIDE of Texas. I have compiled a list of over 108 of them from 46 states. You can see the guide with over 324 photos of gorgeous platters from those spots here:https://t.co/3VFkTmO8FSpic.twitter.com/2H3pNTfa30
The Smoke Pit is one of the recommended places to eat when in Concord just north of Charlotte
The best barbecue places in Eastern NC according to WNCT’s analysis of TripAdvisor data
😋🐷🔥: TripAdvisor recently released the top BBQ joints in the big cities in NC. Here's the ENC version with many of the delightful places we visit all the time. See who made the list. https://t.co/Q195mzzDzU
Get tickets to the Carolina BBQ Festival while you can
Non-Native News
The first in a series of articles from the great Hanna Raskin leading up to the Southern Foodways Alliance Fall Symposium on Barbecue. Can’t wait to read the rest.
John Lewis has brought “border food” to the lowcountry with Rancho Luis
John Lewis is a native Texan who took his barbecue skills to Charleston. Now he's introducing the city to the border food particular to El Paso. https://t.co/AHuV5kKpTN
The famed Tootsie Tomanetz of Snow’s BBQ celebrated her 87th birthday last Thursday
Happy 87th birthday to the Queen of BBQ, Tootsie Tomanetz. This photo is from last year, which means it’s been too long since I’ve been to @snowsbbq. 📸 by Wyatt McSpadden. pic.twitter.com/uVW882URwz
Tootsie Tomanetz of @snowsbbq turns 87 years young today! Happy birthday to the unrivaled Queen of Texas Barbecue! Long may she reign. (That's the Texanist's friend Judy Whalen, another fine human being, on Tootsie's left.) pic.twitter.com/b2Qg29TScE
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