Monk: The biggest news from a mostly quiet past three months was the reopening of Bubba’s Barbecue in north Charlotte after 2+ years closure due to the pandemic. It technically opened over the summer, but that was a quiet reopening and it wasn’t publicized until October.
As noted in the article linked below, the restaurant first opened in 1963 as Jackson and Spoon’s Barbecue (later just Spoon’s Barbecue) on South Boulevard. In 1987, owner Ralph Miller purchased the restaurant and the original recipes. He later renamed the restaurant Bubba’s Barbecue and moved it to Sunset Road, where it has been serving Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue since 1994.
I’ll have a report back in a few weeks, but in the meantime it’s good to have a classic barbecue restaurant back in operation.
October
10/7 Bubba’s Barbecue quietly reopened over the summer, reports the Charlotte Observer
Bubba’s Barbecue closed at the beginning of the pandemic. It serves slow-cooked Eastern NC-style barbecue, with brisket, ribs and sides. https://t.co/kd8Dd1BPfP
10/18 Local coverage from WSOC TV on Phar Mill Brewing & BBQ‘s expansion into Concord
10/23 Courtney’s BBQ in nearby Clover opened a brewery that is open every day the restaurant is
November
11/7 The Smoke Pit wins Best Soup for its Smoked Chicken and Dumplings in the 17th Annual Soup Sampling by Cabarrus County’s Meals on Wheels
11/17 Jon G’s Barbecue collaborated with Virtuoso Bread in Waxhaw by smoking a bag of rye berries for 4 hours “in a way that the flavor would come out gentle and not too intrusive”
11/30 The NC F&B Podcast publishes its podcast visit to Jon G’s Barbecue
December
12/19 Midwood Smokehouse’s Raleigh location (opening this month) will have some different items than their current stores, including what looks to be a crunchwrap-type item
12/28 Mac’s Speed Shop has new menu items until the end of February, including this beef rib
Monk: Phar Mill BBQ and Brewing has not only recently joined the Charlotte barbecue landscape within the last year or so but has even opened a second location in Concord (it’s original location is in Harrisburg). They are a joint that is smoking it’s barbecue over wood – on a Jon G’s smoker, nonetheless – and I hope to report back soon.
In the next six months, I’d love to see more upstart barbecue joints in Charlotte plus maybe an established, wood-smoking chain like Sam Jones or Rodney Scott or Home Team join the Charlotte barbecue scene because, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats.
Here’s the notable barbecue news from the past three months.
July
7/12 Spectrum 1 checks in on Barvecue, the wood-smoked, plant-based barbecue from Cornelius
7/12 Jon G’s Barbecue makes Yelp Charlotte’s list of 25 places to eat in Charlotte
7/15 Lewis Donald is no longer involved with Dish and will be focusing his efforts on Sweet Lew’s BBQ and the Carolina Barbecue Festival going forward
Former owner Lewis Donald will focus on Sweet Lew’s, and Paper Plane owner Amanda Cranford has taken over. Good news: Meatloaf and fried green tomatoes are here to stay. https://t.co/Np0YFk0Ysr
8/3 HopFly Brewing Company releases Go Time Smoked Pilsner, brewed in collaboration with Jon G’s Barbecue:
We put this recipe together with our friends from the renowned @jongsbbq in Peachland, NC. In addition to our favorite pilsner malt, we filled this beer out with a healthy quantity of wheat smoked by Jon G himself down in Peachland. This beautiful golden lager has a round, malty sweetness complemented nicely with overtones of the BBQ pit. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a slab of smoked brisket, or while you’re at home standing next to the grill. 4.0% ABV
8/3 Jon G’s also makes the News & Observer’s favorite NC barbecue joints
September
9/3 Jon G’s Barbecue shares some photos of their involvement in the wedding of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Afflect in Savannah
9/9 Phar Mill Brewing and BBQ opens its Concord location
9/14 Noble Smoke, Jon G’s, Midwood Smokehouse, and The Smoke Pit are included in this Texas-style barbecue restaurant roundup from Kevin’s BBQ Joints
NEW: There are some amazing Texas-style BBQ Joints OUTSIDE of Texas. I have compiled a list of over 108 of them from 46 states. You can see the guide with over 324 photos of gorgeous platters from those spots here:https://t.co/3VFkTmO8FSpic.twitter.com/2H3pNTfa30
Monk: The biggest barbecue news in Charlotte from April to June was surely the inaugural edition of the Carolina BBQ Festival held in late May. You can revisit my recap of the memorable day here:
The Carolina BBQ Festival Delivered on its Promise to Put Charlotte Barbecue on the Map https://t.co/NudqfDphkO
The festival sold out of all tickets for this year’s edition and Lewis Donald has some big plans for next year. More news on that front should be coming in the next few days or weeks according to a recent Instagram post. Follow them on Instagram to find out as soon as its posted.
The rest of the Charlotte barbecue news from the past 3 months:
April
4/4 In news you don’t like to see, Noble Smoke and a neighboring business The Good Life got involved in a parking dispute
The latest update in the parking dispute between 2 Charlotte businesses: The owner of The Good Life was arrested last week after a Freedom House pastor got involved via Instagram.
Robbie McNair asks, “Why am I here? I didn’t put my hands on anyone.”https://t.co/jtbTRftD6Y
4/25 Axios Charlotte names The Smoke Pit as one of the recommended places to eat when in Concord just north of Charlotte
May
5/10 The inaugural Carolina BBQ Festival officially sells out weeks ahead of its debut
5/24 The Carolina BBQ Festival in photos
Cheers to Lewis and team for a hugely successful inaugural Carolina BBQ Festival! Charlotte's got itself a great event I hope becomes a fixture of the local food scene. I can't wait until next year's edition which promises to be even bigger and badder. More on the festival soon. pic.twitter.com/Q7xuWYc0yS
6/1 We collaborate with our friends at The Smoke Sheet to recap the Carolina BBQ Festival
6/3 The fan favorite G’s Burger is taken off the Jon G’s Barbecue menu for a “short hiatus”
6/5 Midwood Smokehouse and Jon G’s Barbecue are two of the 13 barbecue restaurants included in Cheerwine’s Carolina ‘Cue Tour
6/5 Not to be outdone, Gaston County launches a barbecue trail of their own. The Gaston County Cue Trail has 7 barbecue restaurants on the list, the oldest of which even opened back in 1946
6/30 The Charlotte Observer posts their latest list of Charlotte-area barbecue joints; some good, some not so good on the list but that’s a reflection of Charlotte barbecue more than anything else.
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