Linkdown: 3/18/15

– Now this is cool: workers uncover three barbecue pits behind a wall in the Lexington, NC City Hall building; they are believed to be from Beck’s Barbecue, the first barbecue restaurant in Lexington (h/t @mossr)

– The state of Alabama’s Year of Alabama BBQ campaign now has a website (h/t TMBBQ)

– They’ve also got a smart phone app and book on Alabama BBQ

– Barbecue season has started in South Carolina’s midlands; and they have info on some upcoming classes and events in the region

– Dinosaur Bar-B-Que will open its 9th national location in Chicago this spring

10. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
April will see the arrival of the ninth national location for this well-respected New York-based barbecue chain. Founder/pit master John Stage says Chicago was a natural choice as the existing restaurants have hosted the city’s blues musicians for the past few decades. While the management isn’t ready to divulge full menu details, we’re reassured there will be some new items specific to the Chicago location. We just hope they keep that tender pulled pork sandwich in the lineup. 923 W. Weed St., dinosaurbarbque.com/bbq-chicago

– Here’s a short barbecue guide to SXSW barbecue

– Check out Burger Mary’s guide from last year which should still be very applicable is constantly updated and kept current

– Speaking of SXSW, GE brought a 12 foot “interactive smoker” to the interactive portion of the festival

– In Barbecue Bros news, Speedy may have had it with trying brisket in our fair state:

– The Garden & Gun Ultimate BBQ Bracket 2015 kicked off this morning; check their website for more information

Linkdown: 3/11/15

– The history of naner pudding, the perfect dessert for barbecue

The latest entry in Arrogant Swine’s fantastic How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn series why restaurants never open on time due to contractors, gas companies, and silly bureaucracy

– In anticipation of this week’s ACC Tournament which started last night (weird), here’s Syracuse.com’s guide to the best eats in the ACC that includes Greensboro (site of this and many many other ACC Tournaments):

Stamey’s (two locations, including 2206 High Point Road, Greensboro, 336-299-9888, @stameysbarbecue)

Especially recommended. Just an old-fashioned southern BBQ establishment, this Stamey’s location is right across the street from the coliseum. It’s packed during the ACC tournament — as well as around lunch on most days. The chopped pork barbecue sandwich (with the slaw on top, naturally) and hush puppies is a great choice, as is the barbecue chicken. Word to the wise: If you want to have dinner there Wednesday or Thursday, leave with four minutes left in the second game of the afternoon session. Otherwise, you’ll wait for a while.

A profile on TMBBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn by Lucky Peach magazine; plus his 3 favorite “fusion-y” places in Texas

– Lucky Peach also spends a day with Aaron Franklin

– Re: Arrogant Swine: Is the Best Brunch in Bushwick Built on Carolina ‘Cue?

– Robert Moss has a short recap of the Cross Culture BBQ event at last weekend’s Charleston Wine + Food Festival

– SXSW Barbecue:

An appreciation of Alabama barbecue, by Daniel Vaughn of TMBBQ

– Menswear blog Red Clay Soul has started their own Georgia barbecue bracket

Today we are kicking off the 1st Annual Georgia BBQ Bracket Challenge with our friends at Peach State Pride.  This should be a GREAT event, and will last until Masters Sunday.  That’s right…five weeks.  We have picked 64 BBQ spots in Georgia (a much tougher task than you’d think), and built a bracket.  There are four regions – named after BBQ sauce flavors: Hot, Mild, Sweet, and Vinegar.  16 spots per region.  We’ll spend one week per region, and the final four will fight it out during Masters week.

– Details on the next NC BBQ Association class

Linkdown: 3/4/15

– The last chapter documenting Marie, Let’s Eat!’s jaunt through the Charlotte area back in January finds them at Black’s Barbecue, among other Gastonia-area places; they also check out Anna’s BBQ in Atlanta in a newer post

– The weather may be 70 degrees now, but this yo-yo weather could strike at any moment so here’s last week’s Charlotte Weekly Yelp which ran down chili options around town, including Queen City Q

–  The Great NC BBQ Map has 5 barbecue road trips that doesn’t include just the usual suspects, which I appreciate

– While John Lewis is off in Charleston starting his namesake barbecue joint, a new head pitmaster has been named at La Barbecue

– That salad’s got nuttin’ on Western Kentucky’s chipped mutton, and Robert Moss investigates

– Alabama has kicked off their own statewide barbecue marketing campaign, dubbed the Year of Alabama BBQ

– A short post on NYC barbecue

A few weekends ago, the city celebrated the smoky flesh at the annual—and free—Hudson River Park Blues BBQ Festival, featuring NYC’s three top pits, Mighty Quinn’s, Delaney and Dinosaur, with dining music provided by five authentic blues outfits. If this is the South’s long-term strategy to take the North, it seems to be working.

– Regarding Louie Mueller Barbecue, Burger Mary has some great photos and says “If you only have time to visit one traditional, iconic and outstanding barbecue joint in Texas, Louie Mueller Barbecue should be it.”

The most underrated barbecue in Memphis, according to First We Feast

– Vote for your favorite Charlotte-area barbecue restaurants in Charlotte Magazine’s Best of the Best Awards

– ICYMI, our photos and recap of last week’s barbecue dinner at Midwood Smokehouse:

Linkdown: 2/25/15

– The chapter on Midwood Smokehouse from Marie, Let’s Eat! was posted earlier this week (our photos from the meet up here); he also checked out Mac’s Speed Shop during his Charlotte-area travels in January

– More on Smoke Modern Barbeque’s second location in Ballantyne

– A review of Uncle J’s BBQ and Restaurant in Kings Mountain from the Gaston Gazette

Expansion into the South is a sign of City Barbeque’s success; Speedy checked out their Cary location a few weeks back and thought it was decent

– Could Aaron Franklin actually win a James Beard Award?

– Did you know a barbecue pork sandwich chain used to dominate Texas and the rest of the south?

– Lexington makes the list on Thrillist’s list of best barbecue cities in the US

– Lockhart also makes the list at #3, and TMBBQ has a timeline of the city’s barbecue

– Is chicken mull having a moment? First a post on The Daily South, then another on Serious Eats (granted, both by Robert Moss), now Garden and Gun has a recipe