4 hogs

Old Etowah Smokehouse – Etowah, NC

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Name: Old Etowah Smokehouse
Date: 9/17/16
Address: 6577 Brevard Rd, Etowah, NC 28729
Order: Three meat plate with pulled pork, brisket, and sausage with slaw, collards, and barbecue hash; hush puppy basket,  (link to menu)
Price: $21.50

Monk: When I met Elliot Moss of Asheville’s Buxton Hall Barbecue back in June, he recommended I check out Old Etowah Smokehouse started by a buddy of his Mike Moore, co-founder of Blind Pig Supper Club and former owner of Seven Sows. Etowah is a small mountain community about 15 minutes west of Hendersonville, which is itself about 30 minutes from Asheville. On a recent apple picking day trip in the mountains (#dadlife), this allowed me a good opportunity to continue my mini quest to try all of the new wave whole hog joints in NC. This makes 3 of 4 including aforementioned Buxton Hall and Picnic.

As I understand it, Old Etowah Smokehouse took over a location that used to house another barbecue spot called The Barbecue Shack. They’ve since added a patio around the side that overlooks a golf course. And on a mid-September Saturday, the shaded patio provided a nice spot to eat. One quirk is that if you are eating on the patio, you actually order at the hostess station and it is brought out to the patio – as opposed to ordering via a waitress at the table if you sit inside the main dining area. There’s also a buffet, which makes a third way of ordering.

I ordered a 3 meat platter with pork, brisket, and sausage (didn’t plan to, but accidentally ordered “the Texas trinity”) because Mrs. Monk wasn’t going for the deluxe combo that would have added chicken and ribs. The pulled pork was very well smoked and moist. I tried the Eastern sauce and it definitely enhanced the meat like a good sauce should.

The brisket was a mix of fatty and lean (no choice given when ordering) and had a good peppery bark. It was a very good approximation of central Texas style and I’d say above average for a brisket in NC. I’m unsure of the origins of the sausage and whether it’s imported from Texas or made in house, but it was fine but maybe slightly dry.

As a starter, we ordered a hush puppy basket and lo and behold, it actually comes with a side of melted pimento cheese. I had never seen this before and I gotta tell you, I didn’t mind it. Though I still probably prefer honey butter or served just plain, I’m glad I tried it. The collards were Mrs. Monk approved and the only miss of the meal for me was the barbecue hash. The flavor of the gravy had a slightly burnt taste that was a bit off-putting. Perhaps it was an off day for the hash.

While overall I enjoyed the meal at Old Etowah Smokehouse and the direction they’re going in since opening in just June, of the new wave of whole hog joints I’d rank it behind Buxton Hall but ahead of Picnic. Sam Jones BBQ, you’re up next hopefully soon.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

3 meat platter
Another view of tray
Hush puppy basket with pimento cheese
Hush puppy + pimento cheese
Menu board
This way to patio bar
Patio
Old Etowah Smokehouse

Luella’s Barbecue – Asheville, NC

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Name: Luella’s Bar-B-Que
Date: 6/26/16
Address: 501 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804
Order: Chopped Plate with Fries, Slaw and Hushpuppies, Cheerwine (link to menu)

Speedy: A day after visiting Buxton Hall, I decided to have a treat yo’ self meal at another ‘cue joint, so I texted Monk to see where he thought I should go. He mentioned that he’d wanted to try Luella’s for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to it, so I undertook the task. Walking in, Luella’s has ample seating and a nice, long bar, as well as some outdoor seating. Overall, it seemed like a great place to have a meal.

The menu advertises the chopped pork BBQ as eastern style, so that was my order, along with fries, slaw, and hushpuppies. The food came out quickly and I dug in.

The pork was, simply, divine. It had great smoke flavor, lots of bark, and was cooked and chopped perfectly. I think it could have used a little more tang, but I’m definitely splitting hairs. When compared to Buxton Hall, this pork had more bark and smoke, but was just a little behind in terms of tenderness and tang. Knowing Monk, I think he’d disagree, but I’d have to give Luella’s a very slight edge. But you can’t go wrong either way.

The sides were also good. The vinegar based slaw was enjoyable, even if it didn’t quite stack up to the Lexington style barbecue slaw. And the hush puppies were no slouch either.

Monk:  Before Buxton Hall and even Etowah Smokehouse came along, Luella’s had been on my radar. So that’s great to hear that it worked out for you. I mean, 4 hogs? That’s high praise.

Speedy: Overall, I only had time for a quick meal at Luella’s, but I’ll definitely return. I hate that I didn’t get a chance to try any of the other meats, but this is definitely a place worth visiting.

(For another review of Luella’s Bar-B-Que, check out Marie, Let’s Eat!)

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs
Luella's Bar-B-Que Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Black’s Barbecue – Austin, TX

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Name: Black’s Barbecue (Austin)
Date: 5/23/16
Address: 3110 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705
Order: 2 Meat Sandwich, Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes, Tea  (Link To Menu)
Price: $14.19

Rudy: It had been a long time since I had done a review and I had been wanting to try the Black’s Austin location. Speedy and I had visited the original Lockhart location a couple of years ago but since then they had opened a new place near the University of Texas campus. I thought lunch would be a great chance to check it out. It is located in a strip-mall type building, but does have a parking lot next door, which allowed for easy access. The Austin location is much smaller than the Lockhart one, but I thought it was much nicer and had gotten rid of the cafeteria-style set up that they have in Lockhart.  They also have a small patio outside for dining.

Monk: Was getting rid of the cafeteria-style set up a good thing or nah?

Rudy: I like it much better without the sides sitting out in the open. It also looks more like a restaurant and not a cafeteria. In the past I had always gotten larger plates with a few sides and couple different meats in order to complete a full review. This time I wasn’t as hungry, so I opted for just a sandwich and side. I selected their two-meat sandwich with moist brisket and Jalapeno-Cheddar sausage and a side of their mashed sweet potatoes. This was a great choice because it allowed me to try two different meats, but wasn’t overkill.  

Monk: Let me just remind you that I’ve previously gotten flack for only getting a sandwich but I’m with you – don’t go crazy if you aren’t looking for a full platter (particularly in the middle of the day).

Rudy: Normally when you get a brisket sandwich, it is chopped brisket mixed with sauce (which Black’s does offer) but that was not the case this time. Instead, it was a couple of full slices of brisket on the bun with the sausage ring on top. And it was amazing, because the fat from the brisket was soaked up by the bun, giving it a rich moist taste. The spice from the jalapenos also gave the sandwich some great flavor.  The brisket was the same great brisket you are accustomed to getting from Black’s, as was the sausage.  

Monk: This sandwich sounds like the turducken of barbecue, and I correct me if I am wrong but this is the first time something like this has been reviewed for the blog.

Rudy: I think it is, but if other places offer it instead of the chopped brisket, it may be the way to go in the future. Though if I had it to do again, I would not have ordered the sausage on the sandwich because the casing of the sausage was too much of a change in texture from the brisket. Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was great, I just didn’t like the softness of the fatty brisket set against the snap of the casing in each bite.  

The sweet potatoes were amazing. Very creamy and sweet with the marshmallow on top of them. They looked to have a many other good options for sides for future trips to Black’s Barbecue, which I will be making.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 Hogs
Brisket – 4 Hogs
Sausage – 4 Hogs
Side – 4 Hogs
Overall – 4 Hogs
Black's Barbeque Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
Black's BBQ

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The Smoke Pit – Concord, NC (RE-REVIEW)

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Name: The Smoke Pit
Date: 1/30/16
Address: 796 Concord Pkwy N, Concord, NC 28027
Order: Pork, brisket, ribs, and sausage combo with bbq slaw, fries, cornbread, and drinks (link)
Price: $23.95

Monk: After a very promising initial impression of The Smoke Pit, I knew I had to revisit with Speedy to get his take and confirm just how good it was – or at least how good I thought it was. Also, with him there it would allow us to order a 4 meat combo and try more meats without me having leftovers for the next week. Luckily, Speedy was getting his car serviced in Concord so we had the perfect opportunity. Spoiler alert – it was better than the last time.

Speedy: I’m a skeptic at heart, so even though Monk and I have pretty much the similar taste in a lot of things (barbecue, music, women – what up Mrs. Monk?), I had to try the Smoke Pit for myself to see what the fuss was about. First things first, the Smoke Pit is attached to a butcher shop – a great sign if I’ve ever seen one. Secondly, it’s just a classic ‘cue joint where you wait your turn, order, sit down, and wait for someone to bring the food to you. The menu is solid, but with so many meats, can they all be good? Time to find out.

Monk: The large portion of chopped pork was just as smokey and moist as I had recalled from my first visit in November. It was nice to see that consistency didn’t seem to be an issue here. The sausage, a meat I had not tried yet, was a house made sausage that had good flavor but which I found to be a little dry. I’m certainly no expert when it comes to sausage, but perhaps it needed some more fat as part of the grind? Still, while it was the least successful of the meats on that day, it was still above average.

Speedy: The ribs were ordered dry, but came out glazed, but not overly sauced by any means. The big, meaty spare ribs were cooked well and had a nice bit and good flavor. I thought they could’ve stood to be seasoned a bit more and I always prefer St. Louis cut when I’m eating spare ribs, but overall, these were pretty good. I can’t say the same for the brisket, though, because it was incredible. My disdain for NC brisket is well documented, so my expectations were pretty low, but one bite of the moist, flavorful meat changed everything. The brisket had the perfect amount of bark, was not too fatty, but not too lean either. And there was just enough smoke on the meat to let you know it was there without overpowering the flavor. I won’t go so far as to say this is the best brisket I’ve ever had, but I’d stack it up with most any Texas joint I’ve been to and it far outshines anything I’ve had east of the Mississippi. While the other meats were in the solid to good range, I can guarantee that I’ll never visit the Smoke Pit without getting an order of that brisket. My mouth is literally watering as I type this.

Monk: After my first visit and subsequent photos on Facebook, the manager/owner Joey said to let him know next time we were in, so we asked for him at the register and towards the end of our meal he came out to chat and give us a tour of the facilities. He first walked us back to the two Southern Pride smokers (a third is on the way to handle additional capacity) and let us know that they smoke 24 hours a day to handle demand. On one smoker they would sell out around 2pm while now with two they are able to make it until about 6pm. The Southern Prides are rotisserie smokers that allows them to smoke using a variant of hickory wood (I forget exactly which). He then let us peek our heads next door into the butcher shop (which he also owns) and the walk-in freezer filled with the thousands of pounds of meat that they will finish smoking that day (they will be expanding the walk-in soon to handle capacity)

Speedy: I will say that Monk was wrong about one thing – we still left with a week’s worth of leftovers. In the case of The Smoke Pit, that turned out to be a good thing.

Speedy post script: I needed to add here that I had also had a co-worker sing the praises of the Smoke Pit. Since I threw him under the bus a bit in a review a few years ago, I needed to say D – you totally redeemed yourself! Looks like you’ve been in the South long enough that your ‘cue recommendations need to be taken seriously.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs
The Smoke Pit Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
The Smoke Pit

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