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How the BBQ Community Rallied Around Western NC in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

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Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

Monk: On September 27th, Hurricane Helene made its way to the mountains of North Carolina and wreaked once-in-a-hundred years worth of damage, referred on some accounts as “pure devastation and chaos.” Entire towns were reduced to rubble, roads and highways washed away from landslides, and hundreds of thousands of lives were changed forever.

Having grown up in North Carolina for nearly all my life, I (along with many others) have a fondness for that part of the state which is approximately 2+ hours west of Charlotte. Not only Asheville, the most well known of the affected cities, but smaller communities like Linville Gorge, Chimney Rock, Hot Springs, Hendersonville, Little Switzerland, and countless other towns set amongst the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

The barbecue community has unfortunately become quite good at responding to these types of events. The bad news is that the road to recovery is only beginning but the good news is that help is coming from a number of places: international and national organizations, barbecue restaurants from the unaffected parts of the state, and local restaurants in western NC that are in a fortunate position to help out.

As has become an unfortunately regular occurrence, World Central Kitchen and Chef José Andrés were on the ground pretty much from the beginning, much as they have done over the past 14 years in places such as Haiti, Türkiye, Syria, Gaza, as well as throughout the US. They have been offering hot meals to anyone affected by the natural disaster as well as first responders such as the National Guard, Army, and FEMA. In western NC they’ve set up their hub at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ in Asheville and with help from Goldsboro-based Cheshire Pork they are feeding the communities of Asheville, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Bat Cave, Bakersville, amongst others.

Similarly, Operation BBQ Relief is on the ground in Florida, Georgia, and NC offering free meals to individuals as well as bulk meals for churches, schools, or neighborhoods and Big Green Egg is also matching donations to Operation BBQ Relief’s Rally for Recovery fundraiser up to $50,000. And in an unfortunate circumstance, they are already on the ground for the next storm, Hurricane Milton, which is set to hit Florida this week.

In the central and eastern parts of North Carolina that weren’t affected as much by Helene, barbecue restaurants are also coordinating donations to bring safely to the mountains. In the Triangle region, both Lawrence Barbecue in Durham and Dampf Good BBQ in Cary collected donations of essential items such as bottled water, diapers, baby formula, while Clyde Cooper’s BBQ in Raleigh collected pet food and supplies and Blues on Franklin in Chapel Hill donated pre-cooked barbecue in addition to essential supplies.

Similarly, in the Charlotte Midwood Smokehouse collected essential items at their Plaza Midwood location for donation while Sweet Lew’s BBQ and the Carolina BBQ Festival used their already-planned Fall Pig Pickin’ on October 6th to collect donations and supplies for the relief effort before Sweet Lew’s set up at Regina’s in west Asheville on Tuesday to feed those in need. Jon G’s Barbecue conducted a blanket drive in preparation for the coming winter and also donated wood and supplies directly to Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue for their efforts (more on that later).

Then there are the barbecue restaurants in the western part of the state that are doing their part even as they were in the affected areas. In the small town of Little Switzerland off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the NC Historic Barbecue Trail joint Switzerland Cafe and General Store are not only offering free snacks, water, and over-the-counter meds in front of their cafe but are also acting as a central distribution center as well as a Starlink hotspot with a generator so folks can charge phones and make calls to reach loved ones.

Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue is a firefighter-owned barbecue trailer that regularly operates in cities between Asheville and Bryson City towards the far western part of the state. They too are also feeding people in need, in part from generous donations from Sysco, TMG Pits out of Knoxville, Jon G’s Barbecue, and even individual citizens.

Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue has also partnered with Unkie’s Seasoning out of Franklin, VA to donate a portion of sales of their seasonings and rubs to the Team Ryan Project to support firefighters and their families.

I will add, this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the barbecue restaurants and individuals throughout the state are conducting similar efforts, whether it be feeding those in need or first responders, collecting donations, or donating supplies. The road to recovery and rebuild in western NC is only beginning and will be marked in years instead of months, but one thing I’m certain of is that the barbecue community will continue to do its part long after the nightmare that was Hurricane Helene has left our memories.

If you are inclined to send money, you can donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund here.

North Carolina State Parks and Recreation staff raised the flag back at Chimney Rock on September 30th

Charlotte’s Got a Lot (of Barbecue Styles)

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“Charlotte is not really in either part of North Carolina, it’s a city of newcomers and we have other people’s barbecue.“

Monk: When I think of Charlotte barbecue, more often than not I tend to have the above quote in my head from Tom Hanchett, the former historian at Charlotte’s Levine Museum of the New South. Charlotte’s barbecue scene has grown steadily in the twelve years since Barbecue Bros started but that growth has not typically been because of restaurants that are serving strictly traditional North Carolina barbecue.

In the spirit of the official slogan of Charlotte’s Regional Visitor’s Authority (“Charlotte’s Got a Lot”), here are the styles of other people’s barbecue you can find in the Queen City.

Texas Barbecue: Jon G’s Barbecue

Jon G’s Barbecue still remains the best barbecue available in Charlotte, and Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn thinks its even one of the top 10 Texas barbecue joints in the country (outside of Texas). I have always found Garren and Kelly Kirkman’s barbecue joint to be remarkably consistent, whether I’m at one of their weekly food truck services around the greater Charlotte area or at the restaurant in Peachland, where they’ve turned Barbecue Saturdays at their restaurant into a destination-worthy event for travelers from all across the southeast and even United States. 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133 jongsbarbecue.com

Tex-Mex Barbecue: Union Barbecue

Earlier this year, Chefs Holden Sasser and Chase Young burst onto the Charlotte barbecue scene with “new school barbecue” and “Mexican flavors” in the form of their Union Barbecue food truck. Sasser is actually a Charlotte native who recently relocated back from San Francisco, where he worked in food technology and did barbecue pop-ups in his free time. Meats range from beef cheek barbacoa to pork carnitas to brisket (all served with house made tortillas) and they’ve got some seriously awesome, inventive sides. unionbarbecue.com

Midlands South Carolina Barbecue: Sweet Lew’s BBQ

In late 2023 Sweet Lew’s BBQ celebrated 5 years open, a nice milestone for the ever-changing Belmont neighborhood restaurant. One thing that’s been on the menu for a few years now is the Midlands, South Carolina specialty hash and rice (or barbecue hash or, simply, hash). There’s a lot to like about the other meats on the menu, but definitely don’t sleep on the hash. 923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 sweetlewsbbq.com

Kansas City Barbecue: Midwood Smokehouse

While Midwood Smokehouse is more of what barbecue author John Shelton Reed calls an “international house of barbecue” with multiple styles on their menu, they were one of the first restaurants in Charlotte to offer burnt ends smoked out of their Oyler smoker when they opened in 2011. Multiple locations midwoodsmokehouse.com

Lexington Barbecue: Resident Culture Brewing

Another recent entrant to the Charlotte barbecue scene is Resident Culture Brewing, who last year brought on Chef Edmar Simoes (previously of Noble Smoke and Saucemans) to start their barbecue program out of the South End location of the brewery in late 2023. Simoes is actually Brazilian-born but has taken to American barbecue (as evidenced by his Instagram handle “american_bbq”) and learned the ways of Lexington-style barbecue from his time at Noble Smoke. Throw some barbecue slaw and some vinegar sauce onto a bit of barbecue, and you might as well be 60 minutes north on I-85. 332 W Bland St. Suite C Charlotte, NC 28203 residentculturebrewing.com

Which Summer Barbecue Show Should You Watch?

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Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

July marked the official start of barbecue on summer TV, with the return of a couple of fan favorites in BBQ Brawl and Barbecue Showdown. While both are barbecue competition shows at heart, each is doing a slightly thing and has different strengths. Before we figure out which barbecue show is right for you, let’s set the stage for each.

BBQ Brawl returned for its fifth season on Food Network and notably, former Top Chef season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio replaced Anne Burrell as a captain. Otherwise Bobby Flay and Sunny Anderson remained as captains from previous seasons and judges Brooke Williamson, Rodney Scott, and Carson Kressley all returned. The setting stayed the same, taking place at Star Hill Ranch outside of Austin, TX.

In terms of gameplay, while the bottom two teams still switch after the first competition, the show introduced a new wrinkle in the form of a “franchise player” who stays with their initial captain no matter what. The ultimate winner wins the title of “Master of Cue” and gets a Food Network digital deal.

Barbecue Showdown dropped all of its third season on Netflix and its host (Michelle Buteau) and judges (Melissa Cookston and Kevin Bludso) all remained the same from season 2. And the competitors still vie for the title of “Barbecue Showdown Champion,” $50,000 in prize money, and a new offset smoker.

Barbecue Showdown moved Georgia locations of the competition set, resulting in what appears (to me at least) to be an upgraded set in addition to an upgraded graphics package. This all might be as a result of having taken on some new sponsors, as for instance several beer brands are prominently named and featured in an early episode.

But back to the original question: if pressed for time, which one should you watch? Well I guess that all depends on what you’re looking for…

If you’re looking for proven barbecue talent: pick BBQ Brawl
Included among its contestants are restaurateurs including Hugh Mangum (co-owner of Mighty Quinn’s BBQ with locations in the US and worldwide), a James Beard Award-nominee (Bruce Kalman), and a BBQ Hall of Fame member in Ray Lampe (more commonly known as “Dr. BBQ”). They’ve even got a prior runner-up of “Barbecue Showdown” season 2 in Logan Sandoval.

On Barbecue Showdown this season they introduced guest judges, Top Chef-style, which is a welcome addition to Melissa and Kevin. Tuffy Stone appears early in the season and Matty Matheson and speaking of which, former Top Chef-testant Kwame Onwuachi join in later episodes.

If you’re looking for storytelling: pick Barbecue Showdown
Whereas it seems that Barbecue Showdown‘s focus is less on known talent and more on the storytelling of contestants who are backyard smokers or are newer in their restaurant careers. You watch less-seasoned cooks make pretty glaring mistakes in their cooking. Notably Tung and Luis in the first couple episodes of the season.

But there’s also the emotional investment that comes with seeing someone overcome mistakes, scrape through early rounds, and start to figure things out and make a run in the competition. Of the two shows, you’re more likely to see that with Barbecue Showdown.

If you’re looking for colorful characters: pick BBQ Brawl
New captain Michael Voltaggio brings a chaotic, wild card energy with his hair and outfits but ultimately seems to be a great mentor and collaborator with his team (which has paid dividends early on).

Captain Sunny seems to have found a lane in poking fun at Bobby Flay every chance she gets, sporting a couple of different custom shirts stating “Crispy Rice isn’t BBQ” and “Crispy Rice is Bobby’s Binky” in the first two episodes and just generally needling him at every opportunity.

Brawl contestant Noah Sims did bring some spaced-out energy with his tie-dyed overalls and shirt, hippie bandanas, and general laid back vibe but unfortunately did not last too long in the competition.

And then of course there is head judge Carson Kressley who may be a slightly divisive figure in terms of his antics but I think has always done a great job in his dual capacity as host and judge.

On Barbecue Showdown, I will note that the Egyptian Cowboy Kareem El-Ghayesh (also known as “KG”) is not only a fun character to watch but in early episodes is also performing at a high level.

If you’re looking to binge the latest season: pick Barbecue Showdown
As is consistent with their model, Netflix dropped all eight episodes of Barbecue Showdown at once. If you want to scratch that itch immediately or perhaps within a couple of multi-hour sessions, it is definitely the show for you.

And then, if you want to revisit (or even watch for the first time), the two previous seasons are right there waiting for you. Of course, it should be noted that the previous four seasons of BBQ Brawl are also available on Max.

So there you have it. Whether its barbecue talent, storytelling, characters, or the desire to binge the season, between BBQ Brawl and Barbecue Showdown you should be covered when it comes to barbecue television in these late summer months.

BBQ Brawl airs Monday nights at 9pm ET on Foot Network and is also available the next day on Max. All episodes of BBQ Showdown are available now on Netflix.

The Best Bites at last month’s Second Annual Jon G’s Jubilee

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Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

Monk: The Jon G’s Jubilee is part barbecue festival and part birthday celebration, with the first edition in 2023 created in honor of the 40th birthday of co-owner and pitmaster Garren Kirkman. This year, I made my way to Peachland around 4pm on a Saturday in late June – which, by the way, is an odd feeling if you’ve ever woken up closer to the crack of dawn to leave for a Barbecue Saturday – for this year’s edition of the Jubilee featuring contributions from N. Sea Oyster Co., Lawrence Barbecue, Elliott Moss, and of course Jon G’s Barbecue.

Most attendees at the Jubilee started with oysters from N. Sea Oyster Co. from Hampstead which is located near Topsail Beach on the North Carolina coast. They offered both raw and the barbecued oysters that were cooked on a Kudu grill next to the tent. The oysters were a touch on the small side for my liking but the raw with a “hog wash mignonette” were nice and briney while the barbecued with a chipotle bourbon butter were sublime.

Lawrence Barbecue‘s beef fat caramel wings were probably the food highlight of the evening for me. If I am recalling the process correctly, beef fat drippings from briskets are rendered into a caramel sauce with sugar and cumin, and then that is what the wings are dipped in after they are fried. These don’t appear to be a regular menu item at their shop in Durham but if they are ever on special, grab a friend and get as many as you can. Just ridiculously tasty.

Elliot Moss and his mobile BQ smoker was actually the first sight attendees saw when walking into the Jubilee in the the lawn area behind the Jon G’s building. Moss was a last minute addition to the festivities, announced just the week leading into the festival, but he was certainly a welcome one for barbecue fans in the know. He’s made some moves in his hometown of Florence that are still to be announced publicly (but are consistent with what he told me at the Carolina BBQ Festival) and safe to say that big things are in the works. I can’t wait to hear the full scope of his plans, which we should hopefully know more about in the coming weeks.

His whole hog was served pig pickin’ style straight from the pig cooker with a pot of vinegar pepper sauce and a white slaw. And it was as sublime as you would have expected from a fresh hog cooked on site the night before to be.

Finally, Jon G’s Barbecue came through with a beef rib croissant sandwich topped with chimichurri served with a side of burnt ends and a watermelon salad. The sandwich was a super-sized version of the slider beef rib croissant sandwich I had at the first Carolina BBQ Festival and the Smoke and Grapes event as part of 2022’s Charlotte Food and Wine Festival. It’s deliciously luxurious and indulgent and a neighbor at a nearby table noted that the sandwich was “the best thing [she’s] ever eaten” which honestly isn’t too far off from the truth. The usual excellence from Garren, Kelly, and team.

Thankfully, Garren has confirmed that the third edition of the Jon G’s Jubilee is already in the works, possibly with a move in timing (especially if wife and co-owner Kelly has anything to do with it). Whenever it’s announced, for barbecue fans in North and South Carolina it’s worth looking out for and adding to your calendar.