Friday Find: Food YouTuber Mark Wiens Travels to Eastern NC for Whole Hog

Monk: Bangkok-based food YouTuber Mark Wiens visits 5 whole hog restaurants in eastern NC in this supersized video. The visits to Skylight Inn (where he meets with Sam Jones) and B’s Barbecue are of particular interest to me as I’ll be making stops there soon.

Description: NORTH CAROLINA, USA – Welcome to North Carolina, one of the capitals of Barbecue, in the world. Today I’m taking you on an ultimate BBQ tour of Eastern North Carolina which is famous for whole hog barbecue! During this food tour we’re going to 5 of the best restaurants in North Carolina, for Eastern style bbq.

The Skylight Inn, Ayden, North Carolina (https://goo.gl/maps/Wj3t9yRDw464Edmp7) – First stop is The Skylight Inn, easily one of the most well known bbq restaurants in North Carolina, in the United States. They do things the right way, whole hog, slow cooked over smoking coals. One of the best things about The Skylight Inn is when the whole hogs are ready they chop them up, with a ratio of meat, fat, and crispy skin, into an insanely juicy chopped bbq tray. It’s truly a life-changing bbq experience.

Bum’s Restaurant (https://goo.gl/maps/yfWPbidoykXLAtGe8) – Just down the road from The Skylight Inn you’ll find Bum’s Restaurant, another long time bbq restaurant. Along with whole hog bbq, they also have plenty of other southern US foods and great sides. They do their bbq quite differently, instead of being chopped its much more shredded.

B’s Barbecue (https://goo.gl/maps/AgiGLpQPSwhdWDgb7) – Greenville, North Carolina – Next we drove out to B’s Barbecue, a local favorite. I had really wanted to try the chicken bbq, but unfortunately they had already sold out. We barely made it in time to get some whole hog, but luckily we did. It was delicious and so were all the sides.

Grady’s Barbecue (https://goo.gl/maps/1tTj9qgL2guawpK48) Dudley, North Carolina – Another amazing and one of the best bbq restaurants to try in North Carolina is in the small town of Dudley. Again, they do things the right way, slow cooked over coals, the entire pig. Along with the pork, their other dishes, including smoked turkey and bbq chicken, and all the sides were outstanding.

Wilber’s Barbecue (https://goo.gl/maps/6SKdDphpu1mEhcUH6) Goldsboro, North Carolina – Finally to complete this North Carolina bbq tour, we’re eating at Wilber’s Barbecue which is a fantastic family restaurant. Their food and service is fantastic. Also, one bonus about the bbq here is that you can order the leftover or picnic bbq ribs, which are delicious and fun to eat.

When you’re in North Carolina, BBQ is something you must eat, it’s a huge part of the local culture, and I hope you can try some of these best Barbecue restaurants!

Friday Find: Tales from the Pits Returns to Charleston Wine + Food

Monk: The Tales from the Pit guys returned to their first Charleston Wine + Food in a few years and recapped their barbecue adventures while in town. At the festival they had barbecue bites from Southern Smoke BBQ in Garland, Lawrence Barbecue in Raleigh, Truth BBQ, and 17th Street Barbecue among others.

In addition to the festival events in town they made visits to Scott’s BBQ, McCabe’s in Manning, Hite’s BBQ in West Columbia, Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que in Holly Hill, Palmira BBQ, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, and Lewis Barbecue. I’m hoping to try out Palmira later this month and will report back.

Description: The Charleston Wine + Food festival is an amazing showcase of so many talented chefs and spirits professionals from not just South Carolina but all around the country. We were thrilled to be invited back to cover the event and made the most of our five days in the Lowcountry. 

Tune in to hear about the whole hog road trips we made in between going to festival events, including one of the best bites of whole hog we’ve ever had. We had an awesome time attending the CHSWF events, supporting local Charleston restaurants, and eating old school South Carolina BBQ.

Friday Find: Scotty Barvir of Scotty’s Whole Hog Barbecue on the Eat More Barbecue Podcast

Monk: Scotty Barvir joints the Canadian barbecue podcast for an in-depth interview to discuss his love for barbecue, barbecue road trips, and his business Scotty’s Whole Hog Barbecue in Northfield, Minnesota. Scotty’s family roots are in the Burlington/Graham area of the piedmont of North Carolina, and while he has since expanded his business to cook brisket, ribs, and sausage, his first love was North Carolina whole hog smoked directly over wood coals. Great conversation.

Description: Scott Barvir from Scotty’s Whole Hog Barbecue in Minnesota is my guest this week. Memories of childhood trips to North Carolina inspired Scott to bring whole hog barbecue to his local community You can get more information about his special events and residency at Loon Liquors Distillery in Northfield, MN on the web at http://www.scottyswholehogbbq.com. You can also follow them on Facebook & Instagram @scottyswholehogbbq

Friday Find: Sweet Lew’s BBQ Featured by Charlotte FC

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