2 hogs

Lechon Latin BBQ Has the Latin Flavors but is Lacking Any Smoke

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Name: Lechon Latin BBQ and Bar
Date: 9/8/24
Address: 5959 Triangle Town Blvd Ste. 2121, Raleigh, NC 27616
Order: Lechon with crispy skin, Argentine Sausage, elite, plaintains (link)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Sometimes in the barbecue game, it’s a matter of having the right expectations. While I had heard of Lechon Latin BBQ since it opened two years ago in the somewhat forgotten Triangle Town Center mall in North Raleigh, I hadn’t really done much research before I made a recent visit while in town for the weekend.

Despite landing on Eater Carolinas’ 11 Best Barbecue Restaurants in the Triangle list from 2023, had I done a little more due diligence, I’m not sure I would have made the trip. I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, and it seems as if the Latin flavors are appreciated by folks who apparently have come from hours away to eat there. I will note that this did not seem to be the case on this Sunday, however, with the restaurant just a third full.

The lechon, or pulled pork, had a distinct lack of smoke and was a touch on the greasy side. And the crispy skin (also known as cuero) wasn’t all that crispy. My hunch is that located in the giant carcass of a suburban strip mall, this was roasted pork cooked in an oven.

The Argentine sausages were on the dry side and rather unremarkable. The plantains and elote salad were better than the meats but didn’t nearly make up for the meal.

While I can appreciate the different flavors, simply put I wouldn’t call this place a barbecue restaurant. Lechon Latin BBQ and Bar is for those who crave the Peruvian, Argentinian, Cuban, and Latin flavors, and I’m happy they have a place like this. Unfortunately, speaking as a fan of barbecue, it misses the mark.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Sausage – 2 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 2 hogs

At Puckett’s Restaurant, go for the live music but not the barbecue

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Name: Puckett’s Restaurant
Date: 7/19/24
Address: 2 W Aquarium Way Chattanooga, TN 37402
Order: Puckett’s BBQ Platter, smoked sausage and cheese plate (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Puckett’s Restaurant is a Tennessee-based chain that started in Franklin in 2004. They are a southern restaurant that serves barbecue and is also known for their live music at each of their restaurants, and in particular the downtown Nashville location which has a large stage and capacity for up to 150 seated guests in the Music City.

In the past 20 years it has expanded to eight total restaurants, with most being in the middle and central part of the Volunteer State, with the exception being located in Cullman, Alabama about 60 miles south of the Alabama-Tennessee border.

Nearly 10 years ago the Chattanooga location of Puckett’s was the fourth to open, located in the Riverfront District near the Tennessee Aquarium. It is actually the largest location of any of the eight Puckett’s.

On our visit, the Monk family was seated at a four top near the stage, where a lady duo played some fun bluegrass covers. I ordered a Tennessee whiskey cocktail and Mrs. Monk ordered a Mexican Mule and we were off to a great start.

From there, we ordered a Smoked Sausage and Cheese plate for an appetizer. Mrs. Monk and I were hoping it was along the lines of a Memphis-style meat and cheese plate that we learned about from our current neighbors in Charlotte who used to live in Memphis. Unfortunately, the cheese was sliced instead of cubed and the pickles were chips instead of spears. Not to mention there was only three pickle chips. So it was all wrong for me. The red flags began to show themselves.

The Puckett’s BBQ Platter with pulled pork and brisket was my choice and while all of our food came out nice and quick, I quickly found myself disappointed. Of the two meats, the pulled pork was the better of the two but did not have much of a hint of smoke and was on the dry side. And each of table sauces were thicker, molasses-based sauces so neither were going to be of much help there.

The brisket was partially sliced and partially chopped. Or more accurately, the chopped bits were likely collected from some of the scraps of the slices from the cutting board. And they were even drier than the pork. I found it to be disappointing and mostly inedible.

The sides of sweet potato fries, baked beans, and cole slaw were nothing to write home about.

Next time I’m near one of the other seven locations of Puckett’s Restaurant in and around Middle Tennessee, if I do make my way inside I’m skipping their barbecue and going for their southern food fare while I enjoy live music.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 2 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 2 hogs

Opt for the Asian Fusion Rather than Traditional Barbecue at Seoul Food Meat Company

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Name: Seoul Food Meat Company Mill District
Date: 10/7/23
Address: 421 E 26th St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Order: Hickory pulled pork, brisket, beef rib bao bun slider, baked ram and cheese, doenjang collard greens, fries (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Seoul Food Meat Company opened their second Charlotte location in the “Mill District” near NoDa and Optimist Park roughly one year ago in October 2022. That location in a former industrial part of town allows them to spread out a little more than their original South End spot, and they’ve taken advantage with a huge patio that includes a splash pad, playground, and dog park in addition to their large restaurant that includes 5 karaoke rooms.

On a nice day, its certainly a destination-type place where families, dog owners, and childless millennials and zoomers can spend multiple hours. That is certainly the hopes of the owners, between Seoul Food and the Urban District Market food hall just across the greenway.

In terms of the barbecue, I found both my pulled pork and the brisket lacking. The pork had some smoke on it but did not taste fresh. But even with its shortcomings, it was far more palatable than the brisket.

The brisket was covered in a ton of their house barbecue sauce, which I would describe as an Asian fusion barbecue sauce. This covers up the poor trim job of the brisket, and if you flip over the slices of meat you’ll see that a good portion of each slice is unrendered fat. Quite unappetizing.

The Asian fusion dishes I tried were more successful than the barbecue. The beef rib bao bun slider was again slathered with the house barbecue sauce but was a satisfying bite. The baked ram n’ cheese is a ramen noodle take on mac n’ cheese and while the youngest Monkette did not take to it (no huge surprise there) I ate it up.

The collards were labeled as “doenjang” which apparently is “a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine.” That did not come through in the bland, nearly flavorless collards.

If I’m back at Seoul Food Meat Company Mill District enjoying a nice day on their patio, I’ll be leaving the barbecue dishes alone and exploring more of the Asian fusion in the forms of the bao buns, Korean fried wings, or tacos.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 1 hog
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 2 hogs

Lancaster’s Bar-B-Que – Huntersville, NC

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Name: Lancaster’s Bar-B-Que
Date: 7/14/22
Address: 9230 Beatties Ford Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078
Order: Eastern style BBQ pork and sliced brisket with slaw, Brunswick stew and hush puppies (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: My Charlotte revisit continues this week with Lancaster’s Bar-B-Que in Huntersville. Lancaster’s first location is 20 miles away in Mooresville (aka “Race City USA”) where the original was opened in 1986 but before being moved to the current location in 1992. This Huntersville location opened in 2006 in the historic Puckett’s Gas Station & General Store. With the original location having opened in 1986, I believe that makes it one of the oldest barbecue restaurants in the Charlotte area along with Bubba’s Barbecue which also opened in 1986 in the old Bill Spoon’s Barbecue location before moving to its current location on Sunset Road.

I made my first visit back since 2014, and it appears they toned down the NASCAR decor as part of a 2014 facelift some time after my visit.

As for the barbecue, it was lean, not smoky, and coarsely chopped. It had some pepper flakes but no vinegar unless you add in the vinegar pepper table sauce. Does that make it eastern style as they advertise? They certainly don’t smoke a whole hog and they cook on a gasser with added wood according to my trusty NC BBQ Map (RIP EDIA Maps, the maker of it) .

I did order a second meat on this day and since fried chicken would have taken 30 minutes to fry (per the waitress), I bravely tried their brisket. It came out thinly sliced, finished on the grill, and doused in a sweet sauce. No bueno.

The hush puppies came in a manageable number in small cardboard tray and was easily the best part of the meal. The Brunswick stew was tasty although I have a hankering that veggies were frozen. The mustard slaw was reminiscent of Bill Spoon’s Barbecue.

I should also mention that Lancaster’s had some controversy in 2018 when they were sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) because of alleged racial discrimination against a former employee. That employee worked at the Mooresville location but I haven’t found any resolution to that case in my research.

So where does that leave Lancaster’s Bar-B-Que? The rest of the menu is very much a Southern food restaurant with wings, burgers, fish camp fare like fried fish and shrimp, and on that criteria perhaps its more successful. In terms of barbecue, between its lackluster cue and potentially problematic workplace issues you can continue to look elsewhere.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 1.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 2 Hogs