Monk: The latest from Eater’s Smoke Point visits the up and coming Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque in Wolfforth outside of Lubbock. In this video, pitmaster Arnis Robbins walks us through his team’s process for brisket trimming, hatch chile roasting, sausage making, and rib cooking.
Description: Just outside Lubbock, Texas, Arnis Robbins serves some of the best barbecue in the state at Evie Mae’s, with dishes like pork ribs, green chile cheese sausage, brisket, and more.
Monk: A few highlights from this past weekend’s Southern Foodways Alliance Fall Symposium where the focus was on barbecue: “questions about what barbecue is, who makes it, and how the craft is changing. From sliced beef brisket to pulled pork, from tacos to fire-roasted vegetables, barbecue speaks to the past, present, and future of the South and to the stories of pitmasters—the places they work, the smoke they conjure, and the sauces they stir.”
Texas Monthly Taco Editor Gustavo Arellano was a day one speaker and compared southern barbecue to Mexican barbacoa:
George and David Barber of Fresh Air Barbecue in Jackson, Georgia were named this year’s recipient of the Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award
Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor of Atlanta’s Heirloom Market Bar-B-Que treated folks to a Korean-inspired barbecue dinner Friday night
On day two, Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn explained why Texas-style barbecue is becoming the predominant style, both across the US and abroad
Food critic Hanna Raskin on the intersection of barbecue and alcohol
Soul Food Scholar Adrian Miller emceed the weekend with stories of black pitmasters
Finally, Helen Turner of Helen’s Bar-B-Q in Brownsville, TN was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lexington Barbecue Festival made a triumphant return after taking the last two years off
The Shepard Barbecue episode of Diners, Drive-In’s, and Dives will air on Friday, November 4 at 9pm ET on Food Network
Dampf Good Barbecue has opened for regular hours at Phillis Farm of Cary; they will be serving their Texas-style barbecue Thursdays through Saturdays from 11am-6pm
The Southern Smoke festival raised a whopping $1.6M this past weekend
The McRib Farewell Tour? Maybe not…
Monk: The most recent update to the Charlotte Big Board was all the way back in 2019 (and is long overdue), but for this list I wanted to broaden my horizons a little bit. Look for future lists for the Research Triangle and eventually eastern North Carolina.
In alphabetical order:
The Barbecue Center is in my top 5 (maybe top 3) of barbecue joints in NC. 900 N Main St, Lexington, NC 27292 facebook.com/barbecuecenter
Link to review
At 50 years young, Bar-B-Q King continues to feed it’s community while also making itself worthy of a barbecue pilgrimage for any serious barbecue fan. 2613 E Main St, Lincolnton, NC 28092 barbqkingnc.com
Link to review
With Rick’s Smokehouse closing earlier this year, Backcountry Barbecue takes the mantle of most underrated barbecue in Lexington. 4014 Linwood-Southmont Rd, Lexington, NC 27295 facebook.com/Backcountry-Barbeque
Link to review
Barbecue Saturdays in Peachland are a barbecue experience without parallel in North Carolina. Grab a crew, a cooler of beer, and some tailgate chairs and make a half day (or more) of it. 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133 jongsbarbecue.com
Link to review
My first, my last, my everything. 100 Smokehouse Ln, Lexington, NC 27295 lexbbq.com
Link to review
On many days Red Bridges could be considered my favorite barbecue joint in North Carolina. 2000 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby, NC 28150 bridgesbbq.com
Link to review
Sweet Lew’s is located in an old service station in Charlotte (check), cooks over wood (check), and has a mission to serve it’s community beyond simply barbecue (check). It’s worthy of our support, and the food is dang good too. 923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 sweetlewsbbq.com
Link to review
Others receiving votes: The Smoke Pit (multiple locations), Speedy’s Barbecue (Lexington), Whispering Pines (Albemarle), Noble Smoke (Charlotte)
Who did I miss? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
Monk: Friend of the blog Ryan Cooper from The Smoke Sheet co-hosted the inaugural Party in the Pit (alongside Chef Terra Whipple of Chef J BBQ), which recently brought together folks from the barbecue community to celebrate Kansas City barbecue. A full write-up was featured in this week’s Smoke Sheet newsletter.
Description: Jordan Turner captured this video of the inaugural Party in the Pit, which brought together the BBQ community in a celebration of Kansas City BBQ. The exclusive event highlighted barbecue from 18 of the city’s top pitmasters, who shared a variety of delicious dishes with attendees, while Bull Creek Distillery served their award-winning spirits. That evening, local artist Philip Bergantine created a portrait of Henry Perry, the father of Kansas City BBQ, which was presented to Perry’s granddaughter Bernetta McKindra. The event was organized by Terra Whipple of Chef J BBQ and The Smoke Sheet’s Ryan Cooper.