Henry’s Smokehouse – Greenville, SC

October 12, 2015October 13, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Henry’s Smokehouse
Date: 9/26/15
Address: 1842 Woodruff Rd, Greenville, SC 29607
Order: Pulled pork and rib combo, fries (link to menu)
Price: $10

Speedy: Long ago, in my pre-Barbecue Bros days, I used to do quite a bit of work in Greenville, SC – a very fine city. One of my go-to lunch spots was Henry’s Smokehouse on Wade Hampton Blvd. Despite being a classic SC joint, I remembered it fondly, so when I stumbled upon the Woodruff Road location, I knew I had to try it.

Monk: Like Speedy, I too had spent a fair amount of my pre-Barbecue Bros days in Greenville but sadly had not checked out Henry’s. I’m sure I was never very far from either location, since I spent a lot of time on or near both Wade Hampton and Woodruff Road.

Speedy: This location looks quite different than the Wade Hampton locale. And by that I mean it looks clean and modern. Maybe that takes away some of the mystique for some but overall, I liked this location better.

I remember loving Henry’s ribs while not being too enamored with the pork, but a $10 combo meal made the choice to get both pretty easy. And because I didn’t feel like even pretending to be healthy, I just went with a double portion of fries.

Well, turns out the pork was even better than I remembered. Tender with nice spots bits of brown thrown in, I did add a little bit of sauce for flavor (they have both mustard and a spicy vinegar/tomato sauce; I obviously went with the latter). I was definitely glad I ordered it again, and would recommend it. It’s not the best I’ve ever had but it was good, especially for South Carolina (burn).

Monk: …sick burn. So the pork was dry with optional table sauces? How does the spicy vinegar tomato compare to a NC sauce?

Speedy: Not dry really – I just wanted a little more flavor. And the sauce is a little spicier and sweeter, but lacks the tang that I like.

The ribs were what I thought they were, which is a good thing. Meaty and perfectly seasoned. My only complaint is that this batch was a tad overdone, but not so much as to ruin them – the bone did not fall out. They’re served wet, but not overly sauced. Henry’s is definitely a great place for ribs.

Monk: Speedy, Mrs. Monk, and I almost went to Henry’s on our way back from Atlanta a few months ago before ultimately deciding not to. Based on Speedy’s review, I hope to make it to either location next time.

Speedy: Overall, Henry’s Smokehouse is a solid old-timey joint. You pretty much know what you’re getting coming in and I’d recommend it to anyone passing through.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Sides – N/A
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew – Austin, TX (RE-REVIEW)

August 17, 2015August 31, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew
Date: 8/5/15
Address: 6610 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78757 (Link to menu)
Order: ½ pound of smoked prime rib, 1 jalapeno cheddar sausage, side of potato salad and creamy cole slaw.
Price: $17.00

Rudy: Speedy and I had previously visited Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew but they were advertising their smoked prime rib, which they only offer on Wednesdays, and the idea of barbecue smoked and flavored prime rib drew me in. I won’t go into a full review, since Speedy and I already covered most of it, which hasn’t changed.

I opted for the meat and two sides combo, plus added a jalapeno cheddar sausage. I had big expectations for the prime rib, and was pretty much let down. Maybe the piece I had was overcooked for my liking, but I expected so much more. The outside had a little bit of flavor, but the smoke and seasonings never made it inside the meat, leaving the bulk of the meat pretty flavorless. The outside bites were fine, but did not make up for the lack of taste on the inside.

The sausage, same as last time, was grea Juicy and plenty of flavor, and sure made me glad that I added it to my order. The potato salad was really good and worth getting in the future. However, I was not a big fan of the creamy cole slaw. That is not that big of a problem, because Stiles, unlike many Texas barbecue restaurants, offers multiple side order options other than just beans. So there are plenty of other options to choose from in the future.

Stiles Switch is still a very good and above average barbecue place (as noted by their top 50 ranking by Texas Monthly) but in the future I will stick to their brisket, sausage, and their beef ribs.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4.5 hogs (half hog bump for the free beer)
Prime Rib – 2.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Micklethwait Craft Meats – Austin, TX

July 6, 2015July 17, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Micklethwait Craft Meats
Date: 6/12/15
Location: 1309 Rosewood Ave, Austin, TX 78702
Order: 1/2 Lb Moist Brisket, 1 Beef Rib, 1 side of jalapeno cheese grits, Tea (link to menu)
Bill: $32

Rudy: With a light day and some free time, I decided to make my way to Micklethwait Craft Meats, a barbecue food trailer that has received lots of high praise over the last couple of years. It has made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live the past two years when he has brought his show to South By Southwest, plus numerous other write-ups. Plus, Mrs. Rudy had given me a gift card for my birthday, so I really had no excuse not to try it out for the first time.

Monk: Wow, good job by Mrs. Rudy. She really knows the way to her man’s heart.

Rudy: I showed up shortly before they opened for lunch and found a small line, but nothing too bad. That seems to be what is to be expected at most of the good barbecue places now in Austin. However, once the line started moving, it took forever! This is my biggest complaint with Micklethwait, the speed at which everything seemed to move. It took about an hour to move through the 15 or so people in front of me in line (add to that fact, you are standing in the heat the entire time you wait). That might not be that bad if it weren’t for the fact that it took 15 minutes after ordering for your food to be ready. Most places cut the meat when you order and hand it directly to you, but not here. I don’t know if it is due to the lack of space or help, but La Barbecue has a similar setup and ran like a well-oiled machine compared to Micklethwait.

Even though it is a food trailer, Micklethwait has picnic tables with permanent shade constructed over it. That definitely helps with the heat while you are eating. When my food arrived, I was very hungry and ready to dive right in. First was the brisket, and it did not disappoint. It had a great bark with lots of smoke, but the meat was very juicy and tender. It pulled apart easily without a need for utensils. They offered a sauce on the side, which added to the meat, but was not needed.

In order to not have a meal of meat on meat, I next moved to the jalapeno cheddar grits. These were fantastic. They had a great jalapeno flavor and tasted of smoke, but the heat was not overwhelming. I think they were the star of the meal. They were so thick that I didn’t eat all of them for fear of filling up too much on sides.

Lastly, I moved to the beef rib. I had not ordered a beef rib in a long time, usually opting for sausage instead, and usually because of price and the sheer size of the ribs. But Micklethwait has had good reviews of their beef ribs, so I decided to give it a shot. This was a mistake. The flavoring was good, which is the reason for it getting 3 hogs, but it was way too fatty. They had also either not let the fat render long enough, or had let it sit and reset, because there were large sections of hard fat throughout the rib. You can tell from the picture that there is a big ribbon of fat that is not rendered running through the middle.

Monk: Yeesh, that is not so appetizing. So, question, upon finishing your meal, did you have any regrets in having waited so long? And where would you rank them in the Austin barbecue hierarchy. Clearly, it does not seem to be at the same level of Franklin or La Barbecue.

Rudy: The wait seemed long for how long the actual line was. And their efficiency seemed poor, especially for a place that has been established for a couple of years. One of the positives for Micklethwait is that they are open until 6:00, so you can get barbecue later in the day than some of the other places that are only open until they sell out, which is normally early. However, they do sell out of some of their meats early in the day, so they might not have everything available later. The overall quality was not on par with Franklin or La Barbecue, but the brisket and sides were still better than most places.

Overall, the barbecue was good at Micklethwait, and merits a return visit, especially because they have such good reviews elsewhere (maybe I just got a bad rib). However, I think next time I will get more brisket and try some of their artisan sausages. I also hope that their service is able to speed up, or it might not be a great option going forward no matter how short the lines could be.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Beef Rib – 3 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Peg Leg Porker – Nashville, TN

April 6, 2015April 5, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / 4 Comments

Name: Peg Leg Porker
Date: 3/20/15
Address: 903 Gleaves St., Nashville, TN
Order: Peg Leg Hot wings, ½ rack ribs (dry), Brunswick stew, fries (link to menu)
Price: ~$20

Speedy: I recently took a trip to Nashville to see the greatest band of all-time, The Beach Boys, live at one of the greatest music venues ever, the Ryman. My bud Drew is well aware of my love of ‘cue, so wanted to take me to a new place that has become his favorite joint in town – Peg Leg Porker.

Monk: Beach Boys and barbecue? Talk about “good vibrations” am I right?

Speedy: *Face palm* We arrived on Friday night to a sizable crowd. Peg leg has a decent sized dining room and a large bar. There’s a counter for ordering, and you just sit wherever you can find a seat, which was more difficult than anticipated as there was a pretty big line ahead of us. I really liked the atmosphere – it’s not a typical old-timey joint by any means, but it doesn’t have any pretentiousness about it. I really dug it.

Monk: If there’s anything that Speedy won’t stand for, its pretentiousness. Looking at you, Panera.

Speedy: I had trouble deciding what to order, but ultimately went with the dry ribs (I always prefer dry, given the option) and the smoked wings, as I knew I would be able to snake some pulled pork from someone else in our party.

After getting the meal, I first tried a bit of pork. I was pretty pleased. It’s no secret that I prefer chopped to pulled, and I would like to have seen a little bit more bark in there, but the smoke flavor was evident. I think it could’ve used a little tang from a vinegar based dip, but that may just be my North Carolina roots talking.

Monk: So did the pork have a particular style in the cut of meat and/or sauce? Tennessee is definitely a pork state but I’m curious if it was whole hog or shoulders and if it was sauced any.

Speedy: You know, Monk, unfortunately, I didn’t get to interview the pitmaster, but it did seem like pulled shoulder meat to me. It came unsauced, but there was a spicy and regular red sauce available. I tried the spicy and it was decent.

The ribs were really good. They had the right amount of dry rub – accentuating but not eliminating the flavor of the meat. They were cooked perfectly – tender without falling of the bone. The ribs were certainly the star of the show.

Monk: So would you call this a good version of the Memphis-style rib?

Speedy: Yes, absolutely. I think it can be difficult to have dry ribs not taste like dry meat, but here, the meat was tender and juicy, even though it wasn’t saucy.

The wings were also really good. They were served as full wings, smoked and tossed in hot buffalo sauce. I was really happy with that, as I get annoyed when barbecue joints serve fried wings.

Peg Leg gets a small bonus in terms of sides for offering Brunswick stew, which was very good. But those points are subsequently lost due to the lack of hushpuppies. And of course, they had white slaw instead of red, which I didn’t touch.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Peg Leg Porker. It’s the best ‘cue I’ve had in Nashville, which, unfortunately doesn’t say much, despite Travel & Leisure’s ludicrous article. However, I expect that this is not my last trip to Peg Leg Porker.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Wings – 3.5 hog
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3.5 Hogs