Monk: Catching up on old podcasts I missed from last year, I finally listened to this discussion between Christopher Prieto and the Tales from the Pits guys at Prime BBQ in Knightdale. It covers some similar ground to Prieto’s appearance on Kevin’s BBQ Pits in 2021 but is still a good conversation on his barbecue origin story as well as Prime’s menu nonetheless.
Description: Christopher Prieto, aka The Barbecue Nerd, has had one of the more unique journeys through the barbecue world that you’re likely to find. From his storied competition cooking career to his work with veterans and opening his first restaurant, Christopher’s story of faith, determination and service is an inspiring one.
If you’re anywhere near the Raleigh, North Carolina area, Prime BBQ is a must stop for Christopher’s menu of inspired barbecue meats and sides.
Monk: Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue is launching what he hopes will be a new annual event, called Frankie Lemmon’s Gettin’ Piggy With It in support of the Frankie Lemmon School. By way of background, “Frankie Lemmon School is a NAEYC accredited, 5-star child development center that welcomes children ages 2-6 with and without disabilities.”
For the event, he’s partnering with Trophy Brewing in Raleigh and utilizing their new event venue Maywood Hall & Garden. And he’s bringing with him some heavy hitters in the world of barbecue, not only in North and South Carolina but also one from California. The full list of pitmasters and chefs:
Dampf Good BBQ – Cary, NC
Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland, NC
King BBQ – Charleston, SC
Lawrence Barbecue – Durham, NC
Lewis Barbecue – Charleston, SC
Locals Seafood – Raleigh, NC
Longleaf Swine – Raleigh, NC
N. Sea Oyster Co. – Hampstead, NC
Shepard Barbecue – Emerald Isle, NC
Southern Smoke Barbecue – Garland, NC
Wye Hill – Raleigh, NC
ZEF BBQ – Los Angeles, CA
Tickets are on sale as of of today for the May 21 event. Tickets and event information available here
Native News
AVL Today profiles two Asheville-area joints on the Historic NC Barbecue Trail: Switzerland Cafe in Little Switzerland and Hubba Hubba Smokehouse in Flat Rock
The Bone Suckin’ Sauce Peak City Pig Fest, a KCBS event, took place this past weekend in Apex
NoDa Brewing and Jon G’s Barbecue have teamed up for a fun event at their OG Taproom on April 27th…but tickets have already sold out
We only have a few tickets left…
We've teamed up with @JonGsBBQ to bring you Beer & BBQ, an exclusive event at our OG Taproom 🙌
Gear Patrols dives into the best charcoal grills on the market
In the same way many driving enthusiasts prefer manuals to automatics, there is carnal satisfaction in direct control, higher failure rates and sky-high potential. https://t.co/pFCxckZVLA
John Tanner checks out Rodney Scott’s Barbecue to compare it to the original; his findings may surprise you
Speaking of Rodney Scott, he’s teamed up with The Spice House to create a line of spice blends available to purchase now
We are so excited to share 4 NEW spice blends in collaboration with legendary @PitmasterRS! Each balanced blend adds a touch of barbecue brilliance to anything you cook.
Subtle smokiness & a sweet-savory flavor make this coffee cocoa rub a favorite all-purpose seasoning. Rub it on a whole pork shoulder, sprinkle it over a ribeye for a cowboy steak, or add a spoonful to beans & chili.
Goldee’s Barbecue will soon be selling their own smokers, made in partnership with M&M BBQ Company
The caption says it all
Here is an AI generated photo of a "Classic Central Texas-style barbecue brisket". It is clearly taking its cues from John Cornyn. pic.twitter.com/ZMUo8sQ8An
Congrats to Daniel Vaughn on 10 years as barbecue editor for Texas Monthly
I took this photo ten years ago on my first day at @TexasMonthly. Hard to believe that writing about barbecue has been my full time job for a decade. pic.twitter.com/40tLyllmbl
Monk: While I’ve certainly stopped into Sweet Lew’s BBQ several times since our somehow only official review from opening day in December 2018, I recently made a quick week day stop for lunch to check out how things are going.
To avoid overeating on a workday, I went with the chopped pork sandwich combo which comes with one side and a drink for $14. The chopped pork sandwich itself is a mountain of smoky pork on a potato roll and can be topped with your choice of slaw and sauce (red slaw and vinegar for me, respectively). You could probably get two respectable sandwiches out of the amount of pork so $14 is a better value than at first glance.
They didn’t have rice at that moment for what would have been my preferred side of hash and rice so I went with barbecue potatoes, an item I hadn’t had at Sweet Lew’s before. While they may look plain in the pictures they were packed with flavor from a broth of pork. Would definitely order again.
Sweet Lew’s BBQ is an ever dependable barbecue joint in the Belmont neighborhood just outside of Uptown Charlotte that is worth a stop in if it’s been awhile. They’ve also got a great covered patio for the warmer weather coming up. I’d recommend you check them out if liked me it’s been a while. I’ll certainly be stopping in short order for a full re-review.
Have you checked out Sweet Lew’s BBQ lately? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Monk: Most of the first quarter of 2023 was on the quieter side in the land of Charlotte barbecue. It was not until the end of March where a new restaurant was announced (the promising-looking Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly) or a restaurant announced closure (the land around BBQ King off Wilkinson Boulevard was put up for sale for $4.2M). Will that be a sign of things picking up – hopefully more on the positive side of things? I’ll be keeping my eye out over the next few months.
January
1/9 – Gastonia’s Ray Nathan‘s celebrated their 4 year anniversary in early January
1/27 – The stacked pitmaster lineup for the second Carolina BBQ festival from Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ is announced
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