Fox Bros Bar-B-Q – Atlanta, GA

September 6, 2016September 5, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Fox Bros Bar-B-Q
Date: 8/27/16
Address: 1238 DeKalb Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Order: The Everything plate (pork, brisket, ribs, wings) with tater tots and collard greens, brisket egg rolls, jalapeno cheddar link, Frito pie, jalapeno corn bread, 5 beers (link to menu)
Price: ~$82

Speedy: It wasn’t long after my move to Atlanta that Monk and friend-of-the-blog-but-definitely-not-a-barbecue-bro Susong started planning a trip down to visit. I still don’t know too much about the city, but I knew for sure one thing would be on the agenda – barbecue. Fox Bros is probably the most famous place in town – a Texas-style joint with a little bit of everything on the menu. We went early on a Saturday to beat the crowd.

Monk: Acknowledging that Fox Bros definitely is not a “Georgia style” barbecue joint, next time through we’ll plan to visit a more regionally appropriate joint. For instance, Old Brick Pit Barbeque is actually not far from Speedy’s hood.

Speedy: The first thing to come out were the brisket egg rolls and boy were they good. It was an egg roll filled with brisket, onions, and a little bit of mustard sauce. A simple concept executed to perfection. It made me wonder – why don’t more things come in egg rolls? Another conversation for another time I guess.

Monk: You may recall that Speedy also really loved the southern egg rolls from The Pit in Raleigh. This guy just loves a good egg roll, darnit. Can’t say he’s wrong, though.

Speedy: We also had brisket as part of our combo platter, and ordered the fatty cut. Loyal readers of this blog know I’ve sworn off of North Carolina brisket. I’m happy to report I will not have to make the same proclamation in Georgia. It wasn’t the best brisket I ever had, but it was had a solid bark, good flavor and tenderness, and was just solid.

Monk: Solid, yes. But in Charlotte I’d actually put up the brisket from The Smoke Pit or Midwood Smokehouse against Fox Bros any day.

While the coarsely pulled pork had bark mixed it, I found it to be disappointingly dry and bland. Texas joints aren’t generally known for their pork, and that was certainly the case for Fox Bros.

Speedy: The ribs, on the other hand, were meaty and cooked to perfection. I was able to get a nice, clean bite and enjoyed the flavor. I do think there could have been a little more dry rub used, but overall a good rib. I was similarly impressed with the smoked wings, that came with a spicy bbq sauce. I’d consider them a must order for wing lovers.

Monk: The jalapeno cheddar link was a special on the day we were there, but being that it had cheddar Speedy was unable to partake. I liked it quite a bit, though I will say my sausage knowledge is still lacking. Having followed Fox Bros on Instagram for the past few years, one of my most anticipated items to try was the Frito Pie. Brisket chili, cheese, jalapenos, and sour cream mixed into a bag of Fritos. It was one of the best things I ate at that meal and if I can’t find it closer to home in NC, then I’m almost certainly going to have make my own version of it at home.

Speedy: The collards were quite good, and I’ll order them again, but they didn’t really make or break the meal. The tater tots were ordered were better than average, as they were seasoned nicely. Of course the big win was at the end of the meal when friend-of-the-blog-but-definitely-not-a-barbecue-bro Susong lost credit card roulette and picked up the tab. Thanks, buddy!

Monk: Oh right! Thanks for reminding me of my favorite part as well. I definitely won’t go as far as to say that I was disappointed with our meal at Fox Bros Bar-B-Q – the food was generally above average and the beer was cold. Whether the buildup in my head was fair is a valid question, but in any case I was hoping for just a little more.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sausage – 3.5 hogs
Wings – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

The everything plate, and then some

The everything plate

Pulled pork

Fatty brisket

Jalapeno cheddar

Texas rolls

Frito Pi

Spicy sauce

Fox Bros Bar-B-Q

Bar-B-Que House – Oak Island, NC

August 29, 2016August 29, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Bar-B-Que House
Date: 8/19/16
Address: 5002 East Oak Island Dr., Oak Island, NC 28465
Order: Medium chopped pork tray, red slaw, brunswick stew, hush puppies, and drink (link to menu)
Price: ~$14

Monk: On our recent family vacation, I promised Mrs Monk that we only had to eat at one barbecue restaurant (not that there is a ton of options right at the coast anyways). In Oak Island, there is really only one option and that is Bar-B-Que House, the self-proclaimed “best barbecue on the beach” with additional locations in North Myrtle and Surfside Beach. There was a bit of a wait on the Friday night that we came in, so it’s clearly a pretty popular place with the locals and tourists.

As for my order, the chopped pork had some bark but overall was pretty bland despite the chunks of bark mixed in. Perhaps more rub was needed. As a result, the pork was more or less naked and required the addition of one of the sauces – mustard, Lexington, eastern, “house”, and “spicy house”. I tried both the Lexington and eastern and found the pork passable once they were mixed in.

In keeping with having it both ways, red slaw and white slaw are both an option, and I found the red slaw to be a decent version. Being that it was late August and 90+ degrees out, Brunswick stew probably didn’t make the most sense but I have decided that I need to expand my limited knowledge when it comes to Brunswick stew. This was an inauspicious start – while the stew had good flavor, the veggies used had clearly been frozen. Each plate comes with 4 hush puppies, and I stole more from the Monkette’s plate that she wasn’t going to eat anyways.

So Bar-B-Que House isn’t a bad option per se if you are in the Oak Island/Holden Beach area. However, if you are up the road in Southport I’ve found Southport Smokehouse to be a better barbecue option at the beach.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 2.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs

Ace Biscuit & Barbecue – Charlottesville, VA

August 15, 2016August 14, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
Date: 7/20/16
Address: 711 Henry Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Order: Brisket biscuit, hash browns, and coffee (link to menu)
Price: ~$13

Monk: In my barbecue travels, I find Ace Biscuit & Barbecue to occupy a fairly unique niche. Sure you might have those barbecue joints that also serve as southern cafes and while they serve breakfast, its more of your standard fare. This was a legit biscuit place that truly integrates barbecue into their breakfast sandwiches.

Located in the Rose Hill neighborhood just outside of downtown Charlottesville, Ace Biscuit & Barbecue has been there since 2012 and serves breakfast and lunch all day except for Mondays and Tuesdays. It occupies a small brick building where you order at a counter and then sit either at a community table inside or a small outdoor patio off to the side of the building. I arrived late morning with just one other party there, but would be curious as to what kind of regular breakfast crowd they usually have .

I went with the brisket biscuit with my egg over easy in hopes it might quell the headache I received from the previous night’s activities. Before launching in, I took note of the brisket, which appeared to be well-smoked. Later on, I poked my head around the side to see a legitimate burn barrel and the pit where the barbecue was smoked. On their menu, they claim to smoke the brisket over oak and hickory and I could see no reason to not believe it. This being a Wednesday, I don’t know how recently the brisket was smoked (ie was it the night before?) but nonetheless it did not have a rubbery or chewy consistency. Once I bit in, the egg yolk, sauteed onions, and cheese all mixed together and complimented the brisket nicely. Overall this was a successful breakfast sandwich.

The hash browns were well fried but nothing spectacular and disappointingly , my coffee was lukewarm. Could really have used fresh coffee on that morning.

I left Ace Biscuit & Barbecue in slightly better shape than when I arrived, and on another day would have liked to check out some of their other biscuits with rib meat, house pastrami, and fried chicken. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Brisket biscuit from Ace Biscuit & Barbecue

Exterior shot

Patio

Smoker enclosure

Portable smoker

Main smoker

B urn barrel

Burn barrel closeup

Clark’s Barbecue – Kernersville, NC

August 8, 2016August 5, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Clark’s Barbecue
Date: 7/16/16
Address: 331 N Carolina 66, Kernersville, NC 27284
Order: Chopped barbecue tray, coarse chopped sandwich, barbecue slaw, hush puppies, and Cheerwine (link to menu)
Price: ~$13

Monk: Growing up in High Point, little did I know that there was a wood-smoked barbecue joint not 15 minutes away in the next town over of Kernersville. Clark’s Barbecue is off NC 66 situated between US-40 and Business 40 and is apparently a mile from the much more popular Prissy Polly’s (which curiously serves both eastern and Lexington barbecue – something to explore next time around). It’s located in an unassuming rectangular brick building and I would say Clark’s was definitely going for the “no-frills” experience when it comes to ambiance.

The chopped barbecue in the tray came with a nice consistency and good moistness. The Lexington-style ‘cue was surprisingly good and some of the best I’ve had outside of the town of Lexington – nice consistency of the chop, good smoke, and the right amount of tang in the sauce. In terms of presentation, the tray was placed on a coffee filter – something I’ve also seen at Richard’s in Salisbury.

For a change of pace, I also ordered a coarse chopped sandwich, which the menu claimed was “real barbecue” for “true barbecue aficionados”. I was a bit confused by the claim when it also has both the chopped classic Lexington style and the leaner sliced options. In any case, I found it a bit unwieldy to eat, with the larger chunks too large for the now soggy bun, and thus falling out easily with each bite. For me for you dawg, give me the chopped version any day. Still need to try that sliced someday though.

This was my first time encountering circular hush puppies in my barbecue travels – though my father in law didn’t seem phased by them – but I dug them even though I thought “onion ring” every time I picked one up. Clark’s does bring out as many baskets of hush puppies as you like, a touch I always like to see especially when they are this good.

I’ll be curious to try out Prissy Polly’s on the same stretch of road to compare the two joints in Kernersville, but considering its identity crisis in serving both eastern and Lexington I think it’d be hard to beat the solid barbecue from Clark’s Barbecue.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs