A couple of big barbecue books are now available for pre-order. “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott and Lolis Eric Elie will be released on March 16 and Adrian Miller’s “Black Smoke” from UNC Press will be out on April 27. Both are available for preorder now here and here, and I can’t wait to read both of them to get different perspectives on barbecue. I strongly encourage you to do the same. -Monk
“Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” by Adrian Miller @soulfoodscholar is available now for preorder wherever books are sold (on sale April 27th) https://t.co/4KZr3y8hKt
You might not associate Illinois with BBQ but 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro was certifiably 100-Mile-BBQ-worthy — a place you’d drive two hours to experience. RIP Mike Mills, its genial owner and pitmaster. An Illinois culinary legend in every sense. https://t.co/Oi3qQk07se
CM Smokehouse from Cade Mercer gives South Austin a new and promising food truck option
Cade Mercer (formerly of Guess) is slinging BBQ in South Austin at his own truck CM Smokehouse. The usual suspects with a brisket melt and baby back “wings.” The fried ribs are addictive. pic.twitter.com/FBtgkKEKMa
Texas Monthly makes the case for a barbecue tour of the Texoma region north of Dallas
From brown gravy sauce to pecan pie with brisket, joints from Denison to Gainesville provide lots of solid (and surprising) options. https://t.co/FwENaSzUk7
My new year’s resolution: I will finally do pork steak’s in my backyard. Mark my word. Now, just to find a local grocery or butcher shop that has them or will cut them for me. -Monk
Apple City BBQ in Taylorsville introduces a few new menu items for 2021 that have a local bent to them: their hot links will be sourced from Chapman Cattle Company in Alexander County and their grits will be stone ground the old fashioned way at Linney’s Water Mill
Non-Native News
RIP to Mike Mills of 17th Street Barbecue, simply known as “The Legend”
Ribs n Reds is NC-born Chef Bryce Shuman’s pivot to barbecue
With his delivery-only pop-up, Ribs n Reds, Bryce Shuman offers spareribs and fried chicken that are exquisitely rendered while retaining a familiar, unpretentious quality. https://t.co/nJTOhWO4AS
Kevin’s BBQ Joints with a couple of recent posts about the knives and sharpeners that barbecue joints use
Want to know what your knives your favorite BBQ joints are using? I talked to 82 spots(with more to be added) to see what they use for trimming, slicing, etc.https://t.co/J8QZ3v9BDW
NEW: As a logical follow-up to my article on knives, I asked 134 BBQ joints what sharpeners and/or honing tools they use at their restaurants. The responses are at times creative, clever, and altogether very informative.https://t.co/GxnW0s2Znz
Eater Atlanta’s Mike Jordan speaks to a number of Atlanta-area pitmasters to get their take on “Georgia-style” barbecue, with the consensus that there is a style, but that you have to get out of Atlanta to try it and its not quite up there with the other “major” styles of barbecue.
A handful of Georgia pitmasters consider what makes their state’s smoked meat traditions unique https://t.co/WAkK0fFcUW
The question of “what even is Georgia barbecue” seems to come up every few years and while I’m far from an expert when it comes the Peach State, I follow the lead of people who know more than me. Robert Moss notes in his latest issue of The Cue Sheet that Jordan didn’t quite venture far enough outside of Atlanta to get a true sense of Georgia-style barbecue. That is, chopped barbecue sandwiches, Brunswick stew, cole slaw, and sometimes a regional dish called chicken mull from the Athens area.
Finally, to get an even more impassioned defense of Georgia barbecue, I highly recommend you read our friend Grant’s missive from a few years back over at Marie, Let’s Eat. Grant knows more about Georgia barbecue than just about anyone out there, having done the legwork to travel to the farthest corners of the state in search of true barbecue. When it comes to Georgia barbecue, heed his word. In particular, he urges you to explore the Athens area:
What you might want to do is start in Athens, because some of the best barbecue in the country can be found here. Not too many people pish-poshed this notion, but a couple did, so let me be very clear: I think that Memphis is one of this country’s best barbecue cities. It’s home to Payne’s, Leonard’s, and the Bar-B-Q Shop, and they’re all amazing, and there are at least a dozen other darn good places there. I agree that Lexington NC is certainly one as well. I have only been here three very short times, but I’ve had four downright excellent meals and would love to return for a very long trip. I’m perfectly prepared to accept that Lockhart TX is one. It is unlikely that I will visit anytime soon, but I can believe the hype I hear. Its advocates are reliable correspondents. Kansas City, quite probably. Calvin Trillin believes in Arthur Bryant’s, and if you haven’t figured out how much debt I owe Trillin, you’re not paying attention.
So I’m not dismissing any other city when I say that the Athens area deserves to be given the same accolades. There’s room for it as well. I’ll say that the triangle formed by Zeb’s in Danielsville, Paul’s in Lexington, and Hot Thomas in Watkinsville is the region that I mean, and those three remarkably good restaurants are all in my top twenty somewhere. (They’re actually not in my top ten, about which more in a moment.) The photos accompanying this story come from our last weekend in Georgia before the move. We revisited Paul’s and Hot Thomas, along with Bill’s, which is just across the Clarke County line, outside of Hull, and Scott’s & BJ’s, the only one of these four with an actual Athens address.
(Not so) coincidentally, here’s Eater Atlanta’s list of best barbecue restaurants in the area they rolled out along with the “What is Georgia Barbecue?” article.
Here are 22 barbecue restaurants around Atlanta to consider for smoked meats, mac and cheese, and collards https://t.co/AWL7pu1CIc
Adding Perry’s Pig Pickin’ BBQ in Mint Hill to my list
You've heard of Perry's at SouthPark. But have you heard of Perry's of Mint Hill? 1 of the 4 Perry brothers chose not to go into the jewelry business and instead runs a convenience store that sells bait, BBQ and cigarettes. @CristinaBolling with the story. https://t.co/DRzQCikCFk
How to make John Lewis’ green chile barbecue sauce at home, courtesy of Eater
Helen’s Bar-B-Que, by John T. Edge
3-4 times a year, I drive to see Helen Turner of Helen's Bar-B-Que in Brownsville, Tennessee. Really proud to see my piece about her is still on the wall — https://t.co/drb0KKoIMgpic.twitter.com/1yi35Hk5tA
In North Carolina, barbecue is a thing we eat, not a thing we do, except when it comes to chicken. We turn right around and use the same term to describe grilled chicken coated in sticky sauce at a cookout. So barbecue chicken with Cheerwine? Why not? https://t.co/U9wZlBxXCJ
Speaking of Cheerwine: Cheerwine Lager from New Sarum Brewing
THE WAIT IS OVER. you asked we listened. available 6.19.20 at 2pm! first come first serve! 2 6-packs per person limit! exclusive taproom can release! last run of 2020 until the next @DrinkCheerwine festival! trust is this is gonna be gone in the blink of an eye! pic.twitter.com/JpL3jTtiQQ
— New Sarum Brewing (@NewSarumBrewing) June 15, 2020
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.