Reviews

The Smoke Pit brings true ‘cue to South Charlotte

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Name: The Smoke Pit
Date: 1/3/26
Address: 8136 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Order: Tres Amigos platter with pork, ribs, and brisket plus hush puppies, jalapeno creamed corn, and collards (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: I have been a fan of The Smoke Pit since first visiting their original Concord location in 2015. We’ve since visited and reviewed their Salisbury and Gastonia locations as well, most recently in 2021. However, The Smoke Pit empire keeps expanding, with an established location in Monroe, a newly opened location at the Arboretum shopping center in South Charlotte, and a forthcoming store in Mooresville that will bring the total count to 6 in the Charlotte area.

The Arboretum location opened in September 2025, taking over a former longtime Chili’s location. Extensive renovations were made to both the interior and exterior of the building, including the build out of a pit room where the outdoor patio used to be. Inside it, a mini army of M&M BBQ Company wood smokers made in Tool, TX pump out their smoked items.

The menu at The Smoke Pit takes an “international house of barbecue” approach with pork, brisket, ribs, turkey, chicken, burnt ends, sausage, and smoked wings on the menu. Mrs. Monk and I split the “Tres Amigos” platter that comes with pork, brisket, and ribs along with two sides and hush puppies, corn bread, or Texas Toast. There is also a “7 Meat Fest” that comes a large sampling of their meats and sides for a hungrier group than the Monk family was on that day. Something to think about in the future, though.

All of the meats I tried that day were of above average quality. The chopped pork and brisket both had a nice bark while the ribs had a good tug to them. Of the three, I’d probably give a slight nod to the brisket but I would recommend each of them.

I found my sides to be really good as well. The jalapeno creamed corn had a nice kick to counteract the creaminess while the collards met Mrs. Monk’s high standards. I should note that I had previously ordered bulk sides of their mac and cheese, baked beans, and coleslaw for last fall’s pig roast and received a ton of compliments on them. So based on my experience you can’t really go wrong with the sides at The Smoke Pit.

A nice touch was the offer of free dessert for each person in the party. We tried both the peach and strawberry cobblers, with peach being the winner for me. I don’t know how long the offer of free dessert will continue but it was a welcome end to our meal.

In terms of wood-smoked barbecue in South Charlotte, its just The Smoke Pit and Midwood Smokehouse. The Smoke Pit’s 5th location is a welcome addition to both the Arboretum shopping center and South Charlotte, and the bar looks to be worth exploring in the future. Check them out if you haven’t tried their other locations before.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

At Real Q, Lexington-style Barbecue is on the Menu

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Name: Real Q
Date: 11/28/25
Address: 4885 Country Club Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Order: Chopped plate with fries, BBQ slaw, and hush puppies; Cheerwine (link to menu)
Pricing: $

Monk: In April 1991, Richard Berrier and two business partners opened the original Little Richard’s BBQ on Country Club Road in Winston-Salem. Twenty-seven years, a couple of business partnership splits, and several restaurant spinoffs later, it changed its name in to “Real Q” in January of 2018 to distinguish itself from the other Little Richard’s in the the area (now Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Yadkinville, Walkertown and Mount Airy). Fortuitously, Berrier is also known as “Q” in the industry, so the name works on a couple of levels.

The Country Club location of Little Richard’s is the one that Speedy visited 5 years before the name change in 2013 and enjoyed quite a bit, rating it 4 hogs. On that visit, he loved the BBQ slaw and hush puppies while enjoying the pork itself a little less, noting that he would have liked more smoke. I had never visited that, or any other, Little Richard’s so this past Thanksgiving in the Triad it was time to check it out the restaurant formerly known as Little Richard’s.

Real Q is a classic Lexington-style joint with Winston-Salem memorabilia lining the walls

Being less than 25 or so miles from Lexington, NC, it’s no surprise that Real Q would take on the shape of a classic Lexington-style barbecue joint. Meaning smokestacks in the back, no frills dining, and red slaw and hush puppies on the menu.

What may be more surprising is the quality and depth of Winston-Salem memorabilia that lines nearly every available wall space. Home to Texas Pete and RJR (formerly the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company founded in 1875), the walls reflect that Winston-Salem heritage in addition to a few, unrelated cigarette and retro cola brands. Behold:

Decor aside, of course I was there for the barbecue. Lack of smoke, which Speedy observed on his 2013 visit, was not an issue for me. A mixture of the barbecue topped with the table dip and mixed with red slaw made for a perfect bite of barbecue.

On his visit, Speedy found the red slaw to be cold and perfectly tangy, offering a nice contrast to the pork and I would agree. The hush puppies were some of the best I’ve had in recent memory, and the youngest Monkette (who normally isn’t a hush puppy fan), agreed as well. She ended up finishing the rest of the basket.

At Real Q their motto is “if it ain’t over wood, it ain’t as good” and they have the wood pile out back to prove that they do just that. And its cue I would rank alongside some of the very best in the town of Lexington. Next time, I’ll be checking out Little Richard’s to see if they stack up well to Real Q.

For more on Real Q, check out a 2021 review from John Tanner’s BBQ Blog

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 5 hogs
Pork – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

Order the smoked pork chop at Slow Bone BBQ

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Name: Slow Bone BBQ
Date: 9/9/25
Address: 2234 Irving Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207
Order: Quarter pound brisket, quarter pound sausage (jalapeno cheddar and black pepper), 1 bone smoked pork chop with collards and beans (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: This year, a lot of the places I’ve visited have been on last year’s Texas Monthly United States of Barbecue for best Texas-style places outside of the republic: Dampf Good BBQ, Shotgun Willie’s, Owens & Hull, City Limits Barbeque.

The latest version of Texas Monthly Top 50, the list released every four years for joints within the state, was released earlier this year. I don’t make it to Texas a ton but a work trip brought me to the Dallas area and after a quick scan of places that were open on a Sunday and made the top 50, I headed off to Slow Bone.

The smoked Berkshire pork chop headlines the proteins I tried that day

The Sunday/Monday special is a smoked Berkshire pork chop that takes 3 weeks to prep, from the initial seasoning to sitting uncovered in the walk-in cooler where it cures for two weeks before a light smoking and vacuum sealing for another week.

Then, on the day its being served it is crisped in the oven and then cooked on a flat top once its ordered. That might seem unnecessary to us lay folks, but the results seem to bear out the complex process. It was by far my favorite protein that day, juicy and full of flavor with a kick on the back end. It made me happy that circumstances put me there on a Sunday. Just look at this beauty:

Being solo, I opted to just try a quarter pound of the brisket and sausage in addition to the pork chop. I got each of the two varieties of sausage with the jalapeno cheddar and the black pepper. Both packed a nice kick, and made me wish I had gone ahead and ordered another Lone Star with my meal.

I don’t normally mention brisket last, especially at a Texas joint, but that’s not a knock on the brisket itself and more just a reflection on the quality and depth of the meats I tried at Slow Bone. This was a good, solid Texas brisket.

As for sides and accoutrement, each tray came with a savory hush puppy and a piece of honey cornbread. A nice combo of salty and sweet between the two. I have been on record for the 13+ years of this blog of loving a sweeter cornbread and this was S-tier. The collards and beans were solid but unspectacular compared with the rest of the platter.

Conclusion

Chef Jeffrey Hobbs and his team are doing great things at Slow Bone and based off my one visit their status on the Texas Monthly Top 50 is well deserved. The smoke Berkshire pork chop is in contention for my favorite barbecue bite of the year. Texas certainly does not lack for quality barbecue joints, but you can certainly do worse in the DFW.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork Chop – 5 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

City Limits Barbeque has my favorite bite of the year

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Name: City Limits Barbeque
Date: 6/14/25
Address: 1119 Methodist Park Rd, West Columbia, SC 29170
Order: Quarter pound brisket, half pound chopped pork, chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins,1 mild sausage link, hash and rice, sweet beans, collards, shells and cheese, jalappeno pimento cheese (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Have you been to a James Beard-nominated barbecue joint? There are only but a few of those around, so chances are you might not have. How about one that’s been nominated as a semifinalist twice in two years, believed to be the only joint to have that distinction? Well if you’ve been to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC, you can say that you have. It may also hold the distinction to be perhaps the only James Beard nominee to display their nomination next to a loaf of Wonder Bread:

My visit to City Limits had been years in planning before I finally made the trip. I had previously met owner and pitmaster Robbie Robinson through Garren Kirkman of Jon G’s but had only tried his food once before: his barbecue hash over Carolina Gold rice at last year’s Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte. It was one of my favorite bites of the festival and on this day was a close second to my favorite bite of the day and possibly the year.

Speaking of which, the chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins mixed in holds that particular distinction. Robinson smokes pork shoulders as well as pork bellies over direct heat with just a salt rub and chops them together. You can choose whether to have the skins mixed in or not, but I beg you to please get the crispy skins mixed in. It’s then placed upon a nice hefty bun that can withstand the generous portion and you won’t be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t.

In addition to being a James Beard nominee, City Limits also has the distinction of being one of the top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of the state of Texas according to Texas Monthly. I tried a slice of the fatty brisket and while Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the look of the slice I got when I spoke with him at the register, it was more than solid. Being a Texas-style joint, there were a couple of house made sausages on the menu, and I went with the mild hot link which was above average like the brisket. A few days later, I put these two leftovers together into a fold over on a piece of white bread with a dill pickle and had a great snack.

All of the sides at City Limits are scratch made, and there wasn’t a miss in any of the ones I selected: sweet (pinto) beans, shells and cheese, and collards which were Mrs. Monk-approved. I can’t forget to mention the jalapeno pimento cheese, which we saved to eat a few days later during our week at the beach.

Robinson likes to say that it’s better than the pimento cheese at the Masters, and after visiting myself earlier in the year for the first time I can’t disagree. My only complaint was that I didn’t buy a bigger tub of it; it’s a must get.

Unfortunately, Robbie and team (all of which were able to attend the awards ceremony in Chicago with him in person) did not take home the award for Best Chef: Southeast last Monday; instead it went to Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville. However in this case it’s not cliche to say that it’s an honor just to be nominated; particularly when its twice in two years.

If you get there during or just prior to the lunch rush at City Limits Barbeque, be prepared for roughly a two hour wait; that was our experience getting there at 10:30am Saturday before an 11am open. Another potential approach would be to wait until 2 or 3pm once the rush has died down. You may risk some items being sold out, but this past weekend I saw someone was still able to nab a beef rib so you never know.

In any case, don’t be a dummy like me and delay your visit to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 5 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Barbecue Hash – 5 hogs
Sides – 5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs