3 hogs

The Q Shack – Charlotte, NC

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Name: The Q Shack
Date: 4/24/15
Address: 10822 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28277
Order: Two meat combo plate with pulled pork and brisket, slaw, hush puppies, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $18

Monk: Seeing as how Speedy’s had subpar experiences at the The Q Shack in Raleigh (actually, “subpar” would be putting it lightly) as well as the sort-of-affiliated The Original Q Shack in Durham, I figured if the Barbecue Bros were going to review The Q Shack location in south Charlotte then I would be the one checking it out. So, being the team player that I am I did exactly that.

The Q Shack is a fast casual chain tucked into an upscale strip mall. You wait in line, order at the slicer, and then pay for your food and drink before seating yourself. And the smoker is presumably a gasser, due to the supposed county fire codes and whatnot. So I pretty much knew not to expect an old-timey joint

I checked Speedy’s review of the Raleigh location before ordering and based on it was set to order the beef sausage along with the pork, but when I stepped up to the counter I saw a surprisingly decent looking cut of brisket and audibled to that. It had a nice looking bark and appeared to be pretty moist. And the pork, despite being taken from a steam tray, looked decent too. Unless something went drastically wrong between the cashier and taking my seat, this looked to be more promising than Speedy’s experiences.

And I can report that what I did have was indeed pretty decent. The brisket’s bark was nice and peppery and there was a mixture of lean and fatty in each quarter-inch slice. Gotta say, not bad brisket for a gasser. The moist pork had decent bark mixed into its coarse chop. I added a little NC vinegar sauce just to check it out, and it added a nice tang. All in all, I’d have to rate both meats as above average.

Speedy: I’m flabbergasted by this. I just can’t imagine that this is true. We all know my feelings on NC brisket, much less The Q Shack. This could put a serious rift in our relationship, Monk.

Monk: Hey, good decent barbecue is decent barbecue. As for sides I had white slaw and double hushpuppies, and both were just fine. I don’t know if it will be enough to convince Speedy to try this location…

Speedy: It isn’t.

Monk: …but all in all my lunch was pretty good. With the above average meat and NC beers from NoDa and Highland among others available for $4, I could see The Q Shack definitely working in a pinch.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
The Q Shack on Urbanspoon

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Sauceman’s BBQ & Grill – Charlotte, NC (RE-REVIEW)

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Name: Sauceman’s BBQ & Grill
Date: 4/3/15
Address: 228 West Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Order: Monk:Two-meat sampler with pork and brisket, Texas toast, red slaw, mac and cheese, Cheerwine; Speedy: Two-meat sampler with pork and ½ rack of ribs, hush puppies, and red slaw  (link to menu)
Price: Monk: $18; Speedy: $16

Monk: Well, Speedy and I tried going to Old Hickory House one last time but on the Friday before it closed at its current location for good they had sold out by 11:45am. Speedy and I still wanted barbecue so we decided to try Sauceman’s again. I had noted in our previous review almost two years ago that I was curious how their (somewhat) dry pork would fare during the lunch hour. So here we were, ready to give it another go.

Speedy: As I thought Sauceman’s was kind of average in our first review, I hadn’t made a point to get back. However, I’d always thought that in theory, it should be very good – as they don’t seem to cut any corners. I also really like the menu – I think it has everything a good ‘cue joint should. One complaint from last time was that they had no combo platters. This has been remedied, so Monk and I were able to each order two meats.

Sauceman’s cooks its pork Lexington style, but it doesn’t seem to be served that way. Lexington ‘cue is chopped much finer and sauced while chopping. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. So while the pork does have good flavor (I could use more bark), it just tastes dry. Adding some of the dip from the table helps some, but I think Sauceman’s could help itself out by adding dip to it’s saucing process.

Monk: I couldn’t agree more. For a so-called Lexington-style joint it just doesn’t come across in the pork for the reasons Speedy mentions above.

As for the brisket slices, they contained both the flat as well as the point and predictably the point was fattier and moist while the flat was slightly dry due to being overcooked. The slices did have a nice, peppery bark that provided a pop of smoke and flavor, however. We actually didn’t try the brisket last time around (and now Speedy has apparently sworn off all brisket in NC) but I’d say it was a passable version of a central Texas-style brisket.

Speedy: I stand by my decision not to try the brisket. I don’t feel like I missed anything. Brisket, I miss you, but I’ll see you soon on my next trip to Texas.

I remembered the ribs being good and I was pleased with them again. In the two years since we were last at Sauceman’s, I’ve drifted a bit towards drier ribs, so I thought these may have been slightly oversauced, but that’s nitpicking. They were cooked almost perfectly and had great flavor. While eating these ribs, I thought to myself that I might be eating the best rib in Charlotte. After thinking that through, I’m not sure I can confidently make that declaration, but they definitely have to be in the conversation.

Monk: We do need to come up with our best in each meat for Charlotte, but that’s a discussion for another day…

Sauceman’s does have a red slaw which we always love to see, and a decent version at that. I was a dummy and forgot to replace the Texas toast that comes with the with hush puppies. And the mac and cheese was solid but very creamy and almost too heavy for a nice spring day on the patio.

Speedy: Overall, I think a two year hiatus to Sauceman’s may have been a bit too long. It’s a good restaurant and it deserves patronage, particularly in the summer when the awesome patio is usable.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

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Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack – Belmont, NC

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Name: Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack
Date: 3/25/15
Address: 403 E Catawba St Ste 200, Belmont, NC 28012
Order: “Pul’d” pork sandwich with BBQ slaw, hush puppies, and Sun Drop (link to menu)
Price: $9.50

Monk: Belmont is a small town situated just off of I-85 between Charlotte and Gastonia that is mostly known for being the home of Belmont Abbey College, a small Catholic college. I haven’t really spent much time that way but last year a promising looking barbecue spot called Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack opened up. Being that Belmont is actually a little bit closer to where we currently live than barbecue restaurants in Fort Mill, Concord, or Kannapolis (since I’ve exhausted most Charlotte options), I decided to check it out.

I quite like the space that Peace -N- Hominy occupies at the rear of an older building that also houses Belmont’s Drug Store. It’s a smaller space and there aren’t but a handful of tables available in the main dining area (which were all full that day during lunch), so I headed back to the barstool seating against a wall just off the open kitchen.

Peace -N- Hominy state on the menu that they smoke their pork for 13 hours with apple-wood and hickory but from what I could tell, they do their smoking with a gasser. Which you could taste in the dry and coarsely pulled pork I had on my sandwich. The chunks that did have some bark were a notch above the other pieces but on the whole it was crying out for one of their table sauces (available in hot, vinegar, and mustard).

Speedy: Which sauce did you try? Did it help?

Monk: I tried the vinegar sauce, which helped a bit in terms of dryness. Another thing that helped was the barbecue slaw on the sandwich itself. One suggestion, though – they should put the slaw on top of the pork (as most places do) so that by the time I receive the sandwich the bottom half of the bun isn’t soaked through due to the weight of the meat sitting on top of the slaw. This resulted in me having a somewhat hard time eating the sandwich without it falling apart.

The hush puppies come lightly dusted with what I believe is cinnamon sugar and is almost more dessert than savory side. Nonetheless, they are quite good despite being somewhat inconsistent – some were a little more underdone than others.

And a note about the paper straws they utilized. Props to Peace -N- Hominy for refusing to use styrofoam products – I wish more restaurants would do this – but a paper straw is where I draw the line. Its just not natural to sip through a straw that is slowly disintegrating and breaking down with every sip. I try not to hyperbolize too much (I usually leave that to Speedy), but a paper straw truly is the devil’s instrument.

Speedy: I have no idea what you’re talking about…

Monk: Sure you don’t, Speedy… 

In addition to having a pretty good name, Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack is a decent little barbecue joint. They are unfortunately at a bit of a disadvantage by not using a wood burning smoker from the get-go but are worth checking out in Belmont.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
Peace -n- Hominy Q Shack on Urbanspoon

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Mac’s Speed Shop – Charlotte, NC (Steele Creek)

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Name: Mac’s Speed Shop (Steele Creek)
Date: 1/25/15
Address: 2414 Sandy Porter Rd., Charlotte, NC 28273
Order: Small pork platter with collards and cole slaw (hush puppies included) (link to menu)
Price: $11

Speedy and I have previously lamented Mac’s Speed Shop and how far it had fallen off in our eyes since we first started going there in 2005. This might have something to do with the fact that they’ve gone full franchise, with five locations in the Carolinas from Charlotte to Fayetteville and even Greenville, SC. Franchising can sometimes have the effect of lowering quality across the board, and I’ve felt that to be the case for Mac’s. But hey, when you’re in Fort Mill on a Sunday and have been given the green light for barbecue you take what’s nearby and open at 11am.

Seeing as this was Sunday morning and Speedy and I had just met with the Marie, Let’s Eat! crew at Midwood Smokehouse the night before, I opted for just the pork platter (also, Mrs. Monk wasn’t interested in splitting the combo platter with me). The pulled pork comes pre-sauced with their Carolina BBQ sauce and while it is tender and moist, it isn’t very smokey. Particularly when I compare it to the wood smoked barbecue at Midwood Smokehouse the night before. But, other than the noticeable lack of smoke, the pork was still decently tasty in its own right.

I’ve mentioned before, but I love the hush puppies that Mac’s serves with the side of honey butter on the side. Plus, the hush puppies themselves were hot and fresh out of the fryer. Seeing as how this was two meals of barbecue in two for me, I went with the slightly healthier choices of slaw and collards. The slaw is a mayo and vinegar concoction and is really pretty good. The collards had real nice flavor and when I wasn’t able to finish much of mine Mrs. Monk was more than happy to have them boxed up for leftovers.

As I read back on our review of the original location of Mac’s Speed Shop, I can’t help but feel as if we may have been a touch harsh (though I do remember the brisket being as bad as we rated it). I will say that this location is very reminiscent of the original South Blvd location and that means plenty of tv’s, a good beer list, and a nice looking outdoor patio (not that anyone was out there on a sunny but chilly January morning). On this visit and at this location, I have rated it just a tad higher than our review of South Boulevard. However, you could still do a fair amount better in Charlotte for barbecue and unfortunately it’s not nearly as good as it used to be.

–Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3 Hogs
Mac's Speed Shop BBQ on Urbanspoon

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