Kyle Fletcher’s Barbecue & Catering – Gastonia, NC

July 7, 2014June 28, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Kyle Fletcher’s Barbecue & Catering
Date: 6/14/14
Address: 4507 Wilkinson Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056
Order: Small barbecue plate with hush puppies, slaw, baked beans, fries, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: ~$8

First off, I’d like to apologize to Speedy for going to Kyle Fletcher’s without him. Ever since they beat one of our favorites, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, in the championship round of the Charlotte Observer’s Best Barbecue in the Charlotte Area bracket year, we had discussed checking it out together. Unfortunately (for Speedy, not me), for Father’s Day Mrs. Monk decided to surprise me with a quick barbecue tour of Gastonia for lunch. So you see it was out of my hands.

The parking lot to Kyle Fletcher’s is a bit of a maze to negotiate, but we were able to find a spot without too much hassle (leaving would be a little trickier). We arrived at 11am on a Saturday, with the smokers are going full blast at the rear of the building, creating a smoky haze in the parking lot. So far so good.

Skipping ahead a little bit, you will see below that I gave the atmosphere 1 hog. That is because I am an NC State fan, and the walls and tables in Kyle Fletcher’s look like Dean Smith and Charles Kuralt collectively threw up on them (i.e. they are covered with UNC memorabilia). The only reason why I didn’t give it 0 hogs was because they did have one NC State baseball jersey on the wall towards the back.

We were able to sit right away but had we arrived 30-45 minutes later we would have been waiting for a table. There were also quite a bit of pick up orders that day. Based on what I saw, the Gastonia locals certainly seem to love this place.

Which is why it was a little unfortunate that while the pork was smoky with a good amount of bark mixed in, I found it to be a bit dry. Using the table dip – a reddish vinegar concoction which I understand is neither an eastern nor Lexington style dip – helped but the texture a bit was still a bit dry nonetheless.

At this point, I must mention that the portions here were huge. Both Mrs. Monk and I got a small plate while we ordered a kids meal for the Monk-ette. Well, as it turns out, the small plates (served in cardboard trays) were really large and the kids plates are average size. I can only imagine the size of the large plate and the giants who must eat them. It was a great value for the money, that’s for sure.

Each plate also comes with hush puppies, slaw, and fries. All were the definition of average, and none particularly stood out except maybe the hush puppies. Still, it was a lot of food for the money.

It would be an understatement to say that I expected more from Kyle Fletcher’s. I can’t see how this place was named the winner of the Barbecue Bracket by the Charlotte Observer panel of judges, unless those folks had a vastly different experience than I did. In fact, Speedy, I would gladly check this place out again with you just to see if this visit could have been an anomaly. That is, if you aren’t still holding a grudge.

-Monk

(For another review of Kyle Fletcher’s, check out Big Wayner BBQ)

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 1 hog
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 Hogs

Southport Smoke House – Southport, NC

June 13, 2014July 31, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Southport Smoke House
Date: 5/22/14
Address: 1102 N Howe St, Southport, NC 28461
Order: Lunch portion pork and brisket, small red slaw, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $14.51

Like Duke’s Old South BBQ in Leland, Southport Smoke House is another joint by the coast that is cooking over wood. Based on what I’ve read online, it looked fairly promising so we took the ferry from Fort Fisher across the Cape Fear River to Southport so I could check it out for myself (Mrs. Monk opted not to have barbecue for the second day in a row – pfft).

On the website for the restaurant, it claims to have “the finest wood smoked bbq this side of Texas” which is just a weird thing to say in North Carolina. But the restaurant definitely does have a Texas bent to it – in addition to pulled pork it has brisket, sausage (labeled as “Kreuz” in the restaurant so possibly shipped in from Lockhart), and ribs on the menu.

Had the sausage not already sold out (at 12:30 on a Thursday, which is kind of impressive), I would have gotten it as well as pork and brisket for my lunch that day. Instead, I stuck with just pork and brisket and although they don’t have a combo plate, the lady who took my order suggested I just get lunch portions of the two meats. Done.

I could taste the hickory wood smoke in the pork, particularly the bark, but it was a tad bit dry. Southport Smoke House has several house sauces available (with a sign promising more to come), so I tried the pork with Lexington (of course), Eastern, and “NC Tangy.” The Lexington sauce came off best for me, with the Eastern coming second, and the NC Tangy barely registering. Whatever the case, although the pork had good smoke it definitely needed some sauce, whichever one the eater may have preferred.

The brisket was sliced (or chopped if you prefer) to order and had a slight smoke ring as well as a decent tug to it. It also wasn’t completely overdone, so it had that going for it. The restaurant had only been up and running for a little over a month at the point where I visited, but both the brisket and the pork showed a fair amount of promise.

The red slaw was a decent Lexington imitation and not too much more to be said about it. Southport Smoke House doesn’t offer hush puppies, which again is a more Texas way of doing things, and instead each dish came with a couple slices of Sunbeam sliced bread. I think its a shame they don’t offer hush puppies and I’d love to see them on the menu eventually.

Southport Smoke House only opened back on April 18 and I would imagine that they are in some ways still working out the kinks. However, like the pork and brisket, the restaurant itself shows a lot of promise and I’d love to check this place out in another 6 months or year once they really get going. Definitely a joint worth keeping an eye on.

-Monk

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

Duke’s Old South BBQ – Leland, NC

May 26, 2014July 31, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Duke’s Old South BBQ
Date: 5/17/14
Address: 318 Village Rd NE, Leland, NC 28451
Order: Plate special with barbecue, baked beans, brunswick stew, hush puppies, pickles, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $7.50

Just across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington lies the town of Leland. The coast~~al plain~~ of NC isn’t really known for having great barbecue, but Duke’s Old South BBQ is trying to do things the right way, cooking their ‘cue over hickory and charcoal.

Duke’s marks yet another first for me in my barbecue travels – the barbecue buffet. Normally, this would make me skeptical about the barbecue, assuming it had been sitting in a steam tray for hours and getting an iffy texture in the process. On this particular trip, the stream tray ended up claiming victim to half of my order.

The barbecue had a slight touch of smoke but the lacked chunks of bark I like to see. It was also a little on the dry side and needed some of the side sauce. Duke’s Old South offers three sauces – sweet, mild, and spicy – and I opted for spicy, an eastern NC-style vinegar-based sauce. Each table also has Texas Pete, so I used that as well. Overall, the barbecue wasn’t half bad once aided by these sauces.

The sides were another matter. I went for brunswick stew and baked beans and while I didn’t have many complaints with either, they didn’t knock my socks off. My wife got mac and cheese, and it was dry and crusty from sitting in the steam tray too long. The hush puppies had an odd taste to them, reminiscent more of a seafood hush puppy than a barbecue one. Each plate also comes with a choice of dill or sweet pickles, which seems a little weird for a NC barbecue place.

The dining area is basically a large rectangular room with cafeteria-style seating and fluorescent lights. To be honest, it could use some work in terms of atmosphere or ambiance, although the bluegrass/country music playing over the speakers helped a little.

Duke’s Old South BBQ does have some nice things going for it, mainly in terms of the barbecue itself. If it stepped up its game in terms of sides and atmosphere, it could be a hidden jewel. As it stands, its just a nice little joint with a few flaws just off NC-74 heading into Wilmington.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 Hogs

Bar-B-Q King – Charlotte, NC

May 19, 2014August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Bar-B-Q King
Date: 5/16/14
Address: 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Order: Bar-B-Q plate with cole slaw, hush puppies, and Sundrop (link to menu)
Price: $10.95

Bar-B-King is a drive-in on Wilkinson Blvd in West Charlotte and you’ve passed it if you have ever headed to or from the airport. Having myself lived in Charlotte for over 9 years, I must have passed it a hundred times. They’ve been there since 1959 serving barbecue (among other items such as burgers, hot dogs, and fried seafood). Admittedly, it’s been a few years (probably even more than that) since I’ve been to a drive-in, but I enjoyed the heck out of this experience.

The barbecue comes pre-sauced and isn’t all that smokey. The sauce slathered on top is slightly tangy, thick red sauce. I probably would have preferred it on the side, but I understand that the meat isn’t spiced or rubbed (h/t Marie, Let’s Eat!) so it might have been a little plain without it.

The hush puppies were huge and I dug them quite a bit, even though I couldn’t finish the generous portion they gave. The slaw is white and came with a pickle on top.

After my meal, I stepped out of my car and took a few photos (as I do), and the carhop noticed and invited me inside to take a few more photos. And the guys inside couldn’t have been nicer, allowing me to take a few photos and even a couple graciously posing for me.

Bar-B-Q King isn’t essential if you are looking for Charlotte’s best barbecue, but it’s a neat drive-in experience that is worth checking out before the drive-in itself possibly becomes extinct in the coming years.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 Hogs