3 hogs

Alston Bridges Barbecue – Shelby, NC

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Name: Alston Bridges Barbecue
Date: 5/17/13
Location: 620 E. Grover St, Shelby, NC 28150
Order: Large chopped barbecue plate (with red slaw, hush puppies), Sun Drop
Bill: ~$9

If I am heading to Asheville or western North Carolina, it is almost required that I stop at Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge off Highway 74 in Shelby. If pressed, I would probably say that it is probably my second favorite barbecue joint ever (behind only Lexington #1). However, if you tell someone who grew up in Shelby (such as my father-in-law) that you went to “Bridges Barbecue” then you will likely get the question “Which one?” Because you see, there are actually two barbecue joints in Shelby that contain the name “Bridges” in its name – Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge and Alston Bridges Barbecue. While there is no relation between the families behind the two restaurants, each founder did learn their craft under the legendary Warner Stamey:

“This is another Shelby/Warner Stamey story. It seems that while Warner Stamey was in Shelby, he not only taught Alston Bridges the fine art of slow cooking pork shoulders over hickory coals, but he imparted these skills to another Bridges as well. After his tutelage with Warner Stamey, Red Bridges (no relation to Alston) established his legendary barbecue restaurant in 1946.”

It was in pursuit of finally tasting the difference between the two joints that I ventured with my wife on a slight detour on our way to Bryson City, NC to check out Alston Bridges this past Friday. While I say “slight” detour, it turns out that despite Alston Bridges only being a few miles into town all told this took us off track by about 45 minutes.

As we stepped into the modest brick building, we were greeted by a “Please Seat Yourself” sign and took a table in the large (but appropriately dated and shabby) dining room in the back of the building. The order was easy – chopped pork plates for both – plus Sun Drop in a bottle. Fun fact: Sun Drop was first bottled in nearby Gastonia.

Of course the food came quickly and certainly looked the part of Piedmont-style barbecue – chopped finely with a red sauce, red slaw, and hush puppies. But sadly, it just didn’t hit the right notes for me. The pork was chopped finely and had nice pieces of bark mixed in but was only average – the pork could have had more smoke and the sauce seemed to occupy a territory that was neither sweet nor vinegary, just bland. The hush puppies were more bitter than sweet, and I like my hush puppies to be sweet. The red slaw was passable but had a pickle on top (a first for me), which seemed a little weird. All told, it was an average meal. I’m sure there are locals that would fight me over this conclusion, but both my wife and I left a little disappointed that we didn’t stop at Bridges Barbecue Lodge instead. Update: I do want to add that the service was outstanding and everyone was extremely nice. 

I did snap some photos on my way out of the smokehouse and wood pile out back so its at least assuring that they do cook it the right way (even if its not for me) (Update 2: A commentor below pointed out that Alston Bridges has actually switched to gas cookers and the woodpile is just for show). While it’s too bad that the barbecue wasn’t better, at least this clears things up nicely for me. On future trips to western NC, I don’t have to worry about spending extra time and gas to mix in visits to Alston Bridges; instead I’ll just stay on 74 and stop at Red Bridges as per usual. In the battle of Bridges barbecue joints in Shelby, Red defeats Alston easily.

-Monk

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

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Blackstrap BBQ – Montreal, Quebec

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Name: Blackstrap BBQ
Date: 2/13/13
Location: 4436 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC, Canada
Order: Brisket place with a side of pork. Coleslaw, fries (link to menu)
Bill: CAD 15

Growing up in the south, I had never really associated Montreal with good barbecue. Actually, I had never really associated it with anything other than snotty french people. But I’d like to go on record and say I was wrong. I learned on one of my first trips to Montreal about the famous smoked meat, which I’ve grown to really love. So when one of my co-workers told me about Blackstrap BBQ and swore by it, I decided it was worth giving a try. I’m glad I did.

Blackstrap is about 3 miles (excuse me – 5 kilometers) from downtown Montreal in an area of town that I’m not at all familiar with. It’s relatively easy to get to via the rail system, so I was excited to check it out.

Upon entering, you see the order counter and a small dining room. You can also see part of the kitchen (but not the smoker) where the food is prepared. I was happy to find out that the cashier spoke english completely fluently (you never know up there), so I inquired of her what she thought I should order. She quickly responded that I should get a brisket plate with a side of pork, so who was I to argue? She also recommended the fried mac and cheese, but due to my intolerance of dairy, I opted for the fries. The meal also came with slaw. As an aside, slaw in Montreal is a frequent side dish and it is ALWAYS vinegar based and awesome.

When I went to sit down, I was excited to see a wood pile, making me suspect a stick-burning smoker. I was also excited to see one of the workers slicing the beef brisket in a meat slicer. I prefer brisket to be sliced, but for some reason have been getting pulled or chopped brisket when I’ve ordered it lately.

I sat down and the food was brought out shortly. I must say, I was pretty pleased. The brisket was tender with just the right amount of tug. The pork was also tender and had a bit of bark in it, which is how I like it. I will say that both meats seemed to have been prepared without excessive rub or sauce, which is nice, but I did find it necessary to apply some of the sauce provided on the table. I used the spicy sauce, which was vinegar based and seemed to have a good bit of red pepper. The mild sauce was more ketchup-y and probably a little sweet for my liking.

The slaw also was good and the fries were fine, but it really was the brisket that stole the show for me. This is likely because I rarely get good brisket in NC, while the pork (which I did enjoy) wasn’t really anything that I couldn’t find in a dozen places back home.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. If you ever find yourself in Montreal and are homesick for some good southern barbecue, you could do worse than going to check out Blackstrap BBQ.

-Speedy

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

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Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint – Nolensville, TN

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Name: Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Date: 9/28/12
Location: 7238 Nolensville Road, Nolensville, TN
Order: ½ rack of ribs – dry with fries and cornbread, 2 pulled pork sliders, 1 brisket slider (link to menu)
Bill: $12 (ribs/sides), $5 (3 sliders)

Speedy: From September 2009 – March 2010, I spent nearly every week flying to Nashville for work. I had been to the city once before, but only for a wedding, so I didn’t get to explore the city much. I was pleasantly surprised when it became my pseudo-home for six months, as it’s a great city with a lot more going for it than the honky tonks (which themselves are pretty darn fun under the right circumstances). What I didn’t find in the city, however, was good barbecue. Given the city’s proximity to Memphis (where I had been once previously and sampled some fantastic ribs at Rendezvous), I was shocked that I couldn’t seem to find some decent ‘cue anywhere. I tried all the downtown spots, and a couple outside of downtown, but to no avail. During that time, I never made it to (or even heard of) Martin’s.

My friend and host for the weekend, Drew, wanted to get my opinion on Martin’s, a place he had been a few times and enjoyed. Martin’s is not convenient to downtown Nashville – it actually resides about 20 minutes away in Nolensville – so it was a bit of a hike to get there. We went at lunch time on Friday, and when we arrived, there wasn’t much of a crowd. The restaurant has a great ambiance, as it has wood counters and tables, a screened-in porch, and has a bit of an old school feel. However, it also has several nice TVs with sports playing and a bar with 5-6 beers on tap. AKA the best of both worlds.

Monk: Some people say that it’s not a barbecue joint worth visiting if it serves alcohol. Maybe I see the point they are trying to make, but mostly I just think these people are dumb.

Speedy: At Martin’s, you order at the counter, choose a table, and food is brought to you once it was prepared. I liked what I saw on the menu, and wanted to sample the ribs, pork, and brisket, so I ordered a half rack and three sliders. The ribs were offered either wet or dry, and I ordered dry, making the assumption that the Memphis-style ribs would shine here. I think this was a mistake, but more on that later. The ribs came with two sides, and I ordered fries and the cornbread. I asked what color the slaw was and the cashier told me it was white, but that it was cream, not mayo, based. I have an intolerance of all things lactose, so I passed on the slaw.

Monk: What exactly does she mean by cream? Like half and half? Heavy cream? Whatever the case, that sounds awful.

Speedy: Drew and I sat down just as a whole hog was brought into a pit in the middle of the restaurant to be prepped for cooking. It was actually pretty neat getting to see the workers split the pig and trim off some of the fat to prepare for cooking. I’ve never smoked a whole hog before, so I was pretty excited to see some of the prep.

Monk: Now that sounds cool. Fortuitous timing on your part.

Rudy: I once saw a place wheeling whole dead pigs inside in grocery carts.  I figured that place was pretty fresh. And it was a bit freaky to see.

Speedy: Funny you mentioned that – someone called trying to buy a whole pig while we were there and, after much discussion, the guy prepping the pig decided it was illegal for them to sell uncooked meat. Not sure if that’s accurate or if it’s just a Tennessee law, but there you have it.

Anyway, the food was promptly brought out to our table. The portion size for the half-rack of ribs meal was pretty big – certainly enough for an entire meal. The ribs themselves were absolutely covered in dry rub. It was very clear that rub was dumped on the ribs before, during, and after smoking. While I like a good rub as much as anyone, it was clearly overdone here. The overwhelming flavor of the rub took away from the taste of the pork, and you could barely taste what type of meat you were eating. The ribs were pretty tender, but could have been more so. I was very disappointed to see that the membrane from the back of the rib had not been removed prior to smoking. This, to me, seems like an amateur mistake, and could account for some of the lack of tenderness. Drew informed me that the wet ribs were much better, and I have to believe this to be true, because the dry ribs were just not good.

Monk: I do have to think that if the wet ribs were prepared in the same way as the dry, just with the addition of sauce then they sound like they wouldn’t have been too great either.

Speedy: The sliders were much better. They are served on small buns with only a dab of sweet, tomato based sauce. I actually didn’t think the sauce worked that well with the pork, but there was so little on there, it was hard to notice. The pork would’ve been better if you slapped some vinegar or Lexington style sauce on it, but it was good as it was. The brisket was slightly better. It was served chopped and with the same sauce, but the sauce seemed to work better than the beef. The brisket slider was probably my favorite part of the meal.

Monk: There goes chopped brisket again. I still feel like that is heresy in some way.

Rudy: I agree. I’m starting to see it more here in Texas than I had before. Typically it is served on sandwiches. It just tastes like a fancy Sloppy Joe to me.  

Speedy: The fries were fine, and the cornbread was good, though it looked more like a pancake than bread.

All in all, I did enjoy my experience at Martin’s. I was greatly disappointed in the ribs, but would definitely like to give it another try to check out the sauced ribs. And if those aren’t any good, pork/brisket sliders, beer, and sports are a great consolation.

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

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Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint on Urbanspoon

Schwartz’s Hebrew Deli – Montreal, Quebec

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Name: Schwartz’s Hebrew Deli
Date: 8/15/12
Location: 3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec
Order: Large smoked meat plate, slaw, fries (link to menu)
Bill: $19.75 CAD 

Recently, I spent a week up in Montreal for work. As I was asking some of my co-workers (who are local) where I should eat, I was told by my co-worker Richard that I absolutely must go try Schwartz’s. I have previously taken Richard to Henry’s in Greenville on one of his trips to the States, so he knew about my obsession with barbecue. Apparently, Montreal is famous for smoked meat. After a little research (ahem, wikipedia), I learned that smoked meat is actually beef brisket cured in a manner similar to pastrami or corned beef.

Richard explained some of the Schwartz’s backstory to me: it’s a famous restaurant that’s been around since the 20’s, and it’s a bit of a hole in the wall. (It already sounds like my kind of place.) It sits in a very popular section of town where real-estate is pretty pricey. Earlier this year, Celine Dion bought the restaurant (for an alleged $10M), apparently to make sure no one tore it down to put in a more lucrative restaurant. After hearing all this, I was definitely excited to go check it out.

Our group went directly after work in order to avoid a line, which apparently forms nearly every evening. When we arrived, we were seated immediately, and a server came to take our order instantly. Schwartz’s has an atmosphere of an old-time diner, albeit with a large meat case upfront. The menu basically consists of steak or smoked meat, and everyone in our group ordered the smoked meat. When ordering, you are given the choice of fatty meat, lean, or medium. Based on Richard’s recommendation, we all went with the medium meat. Being bold as I am, I ordered the large plate, which came with bread as well. I was told it would make about 2.5 sandwiches, but that turned out to be a very conservative estimate. Others in our group ordered either the small plate or a sandwich. I also ordered slaw and fries to accompany my meal. (The joys of being on an expense account means no skimping on dinner.)

The food came out promptly and I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of food. My meal alone could have easily fed two and maybe three. I first sampled the meat without any type of sauce, and I was pretty impressed. It was tender and tasty, but definitely tasted more of corned beef than a traditional texas beef brisket. Still, it was very tasty and great in sandwiches. There was a barbecue sauce on the table, which was actually kind of similar to A1, and I thought it went well with the meat. Overall, I was very pleased with the smoked meat.

What made me even happier, however, was the slaw. I ordered slaw three times when I was in Montreal, and each time, I was delivered vinegar based slaw. Schwartz’s was the best slaw I had, and definitely reminded me of eastern NC barbecue slaw. Definitely a fantastic surprise on the trip.

Due to the volume of food I was given, I was unable to finish my meal. When I declined a to-go box, the server asked if I was sure and informed me that the meat was good for two days without refrigeration; I suppose due to the curing process. I declined anyway since I was flying home the next day, but it’s nice to know the option was available.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend going to Schwartz’s for a good meal, and I think I will probably go back next time I’m in the city. I certainly wouldn’t call it barbecue, but it was the closest thing I saw in Montreal. I do think it’s a little bit overpriced, but c’est la vie in Montreal.

-Speedy

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2.5 hogs
Smoked meat  – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

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Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen on Urbanspoon