Monk: Dampf Good BBQ has recently come onto the Raleigh barbecue scene, bringing a distinctly Texas take to the pork-centric capital. Here, Nick Dampf sits down with The NC F&B Guys and describes, among other things, his background, approach to barbecue, and the intricacies of smoking on a dual 1000 gallon behemoth of a pit.
Description: We sat down with Nick Dampf himself to talk about his transition from Cisco sales rep to a full-time pitmaster (a term Nick’s too humble to use). We learned:
What do you get when you mix weekend pop-ups, Texas style BBQ, and a 2000 gallon smoker? Dampf Good BBQ of course!
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
Name: Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall Date: 4/14/22 Address: 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Order: Pulled pork tray with ribs and chicken wings, BBQ chips, chilled street corn, “BBQ fries”, and fried okra (link to menu) Pricing: $$$
Speedy: Our most loyal readers will recall that I spent a year living in Atlanta. While there, I graced Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall with my presence 5 or 6 times, but I never knew they had barbecue. In fact, I never ate anything there at all. So imagine my surprise when on a return trip, there was ‘cue on the menu. And I had the entire Monk clan in tow to boot!
Monk: I’m assuming there was a change in the menu since you left Atlanta to become our Senior Tennessee Correspondent because on the day we visited (in town for the wedding of friend of the blog and Yelper HOFer TDB) the smell of smoke was evident as soon as we got out of our car and also wafted throughout the gravel patio set up with biergarten-style tables and firepits.
Food and drinks are ordered cafeteria-style in the mode of a Texas joint, and the line moves pretty quickly. Unfortunately, at dinner on a Thursday night they were out of brisket so we made do with the available meats that Speedy could tolerate.
Speedy: Easily the star of the show was the St. Louis style ribs. Meaty, tender, and well-seasoned, they had good flavor and texture, but lacked any extra “oomph” that I’m generally looking for that could come from an extra kick; the perfect application of smoke or a sweet glaze. So while perfectly enjoyable, and something I’d order again, I don’t think they will be winning any Memphis in May awards any time soon.
Monk: We always order pork when its available, but as soon as I brought the tray to the table I knew this pork wasn’t going to cut it for us North Carolinians. It came pre-sauced and if there was any smoke to be found, it was certainly masked by the thick, overly-sweet sauce.
Speedy: The wings, like the ribs, were solid if unspectacular. Smoked then fried, these wings were tender and had good flavor, but I didn’t feel compelled to write home about them. Called “Nashville Wings” on the menu, I didn’t taste traditional hot chicken seasoning (I have become an expert), so I’m not sure what that’s about. Still, worth ordering a round for sharing.
Monk: With our group we opted mostly for the “shareable” sides and on the whole they about as successful as the meats. Which is to say, a mixed bag. The pre-sauced pork made much more sense on the “BBQ fries,” the okra was fried nicely, the chilled street corn had good flavor, and the BBQ chips were inoffensive.
Speedy: The best part about Ladybird is definitely the huge outdoor space right on the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, which is perfect for people watching. In fact, Ladybird will show up on many “best of Atlanta” lists when discussing where to have a drink on a nice day. Unfortunately, it probably won’t repeat its spot on any best of barbecue lists. While the barbecue at Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall is good enough to get by, true ‘cue lovers are best served looking elsewhere.
Monk: Hector Garate brings his Puerto Rican and Cuban influences to whole hog barbecue and his approach to barbecue at Palmira BBQ (named for his grandmother). I’ll have more on Palmira in the coming weeks (particularly the hash and rice), but in the meantime enjoy this short conversation from Charleston Wine + Food with the Tales from the Pit guys.
Description: Hector Garate has combined the inspiration of his heritage, his upbringing, and modern techniques to create a menu at Palmira BBQ in Charleston that produces high quality items from top to bottom. Serving high quality meats and flavorful, carefully crafted sides, Palmira has burst onto the barbecue scene and quickly become one to watch.
In addition to being open seven days a week, Hector and his partner chef Graham Calabria have also launched Cienfuegos, a pit building business inspired by the direct heat cookers Hector built to cook the heritage breed hogs he serves at Palmira.
Check out Hector’s story and be sure to add a stop at Palmira BBQ to your next Charleston trip.
Palmira BBQ Instagram: PalmiraBBQ Located inside Port of Call Food Hall 99 S Market St Charleston, SC
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