(L-R) Monk, Speedy, Rudy, and friend of the blog Boomsauce in Ohio, October 2020
Monk: Nine years ago today, it all started with a discussion between Speedy and Monk about Charlotte’s best barbecue on our way to what turned out to be a disappointing visit to Bobbee-O’s, then the #1 joint in the city (at least according to Yelp). That then led to this tweet:
And then Rudy, who at the time lived in Austin, offered to be our beef correspondent:
And then it didn’t take too long to come up with the name:
All this happened in the span of less than an hour, and our first review was up later that afternoon. Shortly thereafter we picked our “noms de blog”: Monk, Speedy, and Rudy. Nine years and 294 reviews later here we are.
(L-R) Speedy, Monk, and Rudy at Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, NC in July 2014
Thanks to all of our readers for following our barbecue journey. We’re not stopping anytime soon, and we hope to keep bringing you even more barbecue content.
(L-R) Monk, Rudy, and Speedy at The Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX in May 2012
While we have you, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram if you don’t already. Thanks!
Monk: Tommy Tomlinson welcomes Adrian Miller onto his SouthBound podcast during his recently publicity tour for his “Black Smoke” book. A lot of similar ground is covered if you’ve listened to other interviews or podcasts with Miller, but Tomlinson manages to cover some new topics with his thoughtful questions.
Don’t have Spotify? Click here for other ways to listen to the episode.
Description: SouthBound host Tommy Tomlinson interviews Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winning food writer and author of the new book “Black Smoke,” about Black barbecue pioneers.
This latest piece of controversial barbecue list content from one “chefspencil.com” has been rightly getting roasted online since the weekend, but perhaps that was the intent all along? I mean, who had even heard of “chefspencil.com,” an Austrialian website, before this list?
New Orlean’s at number 1? Red flag. No Texas cities on the list? Red flag. As for Charlotte’s rank of 3 on the list? I say this as a Charlotte resident, but red flag. I’m not the only Charlottean who feels this way. Enter Kathleen Purvis:
Let’s declare a moratorium on any further discussion or outrage on anything “chefspencil.com” related, particularly when it comes to barbecue.
Native News
Fighting words from the Hear to Say podcast host Tressie McMillan Cottom
We had @KosherSoul & @soulfoodscholar on @HearToSlay this week. We talk about race and culture and food and how Black people were erased from the food we perfected. But I started with this question to BBQ master, Adrian, because I’m true to this: pic.twitter.com/k1Y5dlQ4Yl
— Tressie McMillan Cottom (@tressiemcphd) May 18, 2021
An oldie but a goodie from Our State Magazine for National Barbecue Day this past Sunday
No matter where you stand on the great sauce debate, we can all agree that North Carolina barbecue is legendary. In honor of #NationalBarbecueDay, here are 26 essential NC barbecue joints. Which one will you visit next?https://t.co/eVfcMzRUGV
1. Jack's Old South 2. Hometown BBQ 3. Yazoo Delta's Q 4. Smoke Masters Championship BBQ Team 5. The Beached Pig 6. Pickin N Grillin 7. Dirty Old Basters 8. 3 Taxi Guys 9. Boars Night Out 10. Ubons BBQ
This #spicerub collection tells a story of culinary traditions that span from #WestAfrica to the American West. Includes an all-purpose rub inspired by the late John Frank Garth, one of my beloved church fathers, a #tsire rub, some #jerk seasoning, and a shout out to East Texas! pic.twitter.com/ME2UDouCwx
High on the Hog premieres on Netflix in one week on 5/26
Although it took five years to turn what is essentially the first half of her book “High on the Hog” into a documentary, Jessica B. Harris said the timing of its release is perfect. https://t.co/rgisl9z6Bu
Name: Bobby’s BBQ Address: 1301 N Main St, Fountain Inn, SC 29644 Order: 1/2 lb brisket, 1/2 lb pork, 1 original sausage, 1 jalapeno cheddar sausage, corn pudding, mac and cheese, green beans (link to menu) Pricing: $$
Monk: Octavius “Tay” Nelson and his wife, Sarah opened Bobby’s BBQ in Fountain Inn, SC after Tay spent a few years learning how to smoke from YouTube videos. Yes, really. Tay actually originally grew up in Fountain Inn and Bobby’s is named after both his dad and brother (Bobby Sr and Jr) who both passed away within a few months of each other in the late 00’s. Tay came up with a barbecue seasoning first in 2010 and the restaurant came later in 2018.
The restaurant is central Texas-inspired which as mentioned above, Tay learned from watching different tutorials on YouTube. The Texas of it all is evident if you take a peek into the smoke room and see two huge offset pits with stacks of wood.
As for the barbecue, I found it to be above average but not transcendent. The brisket had good flavor but was not the most neatly sliced by the meat cutter, who hacked and sliced through the end of a brisket.
The pork was dry which is almost to be expected from a Texas-style joint at this point.
On this day, they had two sausages, both an original and a jalapeno cheddar. Of the two, I preferred the jalapeno cheddar, though both were above average.
From a sides perspective, both the mac and cheese and corn pudding shone, and I particularly liked the corn pudding. The green beans were a bit bland and were cooked within an inch of their life.
Bobby’s BBQ is a great story, with food that mostly backs it up as well as a great setting. It’s worth seeking out in the greater Greenville area.
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