barbecue

Linkdown: 3/30/16

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– Voting ends tomorrow for Thrillist’s America’s Best BBQ Bracket (vote for Red Bridges!)

– The fast casual concept of Midwood Smokehouse, named Midwood Smokeshack, will open its first location in Matthews

– Charlotte Observer food writer Kathleen Purvis has 5 styles of brisket to try around Charlotte, including the smoked version at Sauceman’s

– Purvis also explores the black/white cornbread divide; loyal readers will know which side I fall on

– Yet another NC barbecue roadtrip list

-The Indy Week out of NC’s triangle has a feature on Picnic:

– Speaking of which, Picnic is now open on Sundays

– Fox Bros. in Atlanta is expanding with a barbecue kiosk at the up-and-coming Armour Yards

– Robert Moss takes a quick trip to Houston and focuses on the boudin sausage

– Red Clay Soul has a Georgia Mild BBQ Sauce Bracket

– The origin story of Heirloom Market’s spicy korean barbecue sandwich

 

Friday Find: Bob Garner Visits Sam Jones BBQ

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On a recent NC Weekend, Bob Garner (North Carolina’s “barbecue man”) visits Sam Jones BBQ and also tries the new Our State BBQ NC app (our post on it here). According to Bob, the surroundings may be different but the barbecue is “right where it’s always been” (referring to Sam Jones also being the pitmaster at Skylight Inn). But a major difference is Sam is also doing spare ribs, turkey, and chicken at his new place along with multiple side options and beer. And according to Bob, he is “blending the best of what’s old and what’s new.” I really need an excuse to make it out east soon.

Linkdown: 3/23/16

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– North Carolina, y’all:

– Midwood Smokehouse is opening its 3rd Charlotte-area location at the Park Road Shopping Center later this year

– A new barbecue and music venue called Raleigh Roadhouse sets its grand opening April 1-2 in Raleigh on Glenwood Avenue

– John Shelton Reed’s upcoming Barbecue book is included in this rundown of upcoming books

– Grant visits Archer’s BBQ in Knoxville, a small regional chain

– Daniel Vaughn visits The Beast, a Texas-style joint in Paris, and is pleasantly surprised

– The Central Carolina BBQ Academy has begun meeting in Dunn at the old Harnett High School (for now)

In a small, smoky room of a long-closed school, Gregory Hamm is teaching heresy. His disciples, long familiar with the eastern Carolina dogma of barbecue, are being taught that there’s more to perfect pork than vinegar.

– Hugh Mangum of Mighty Quinn’s has Houston roots

– Southern chefs (and a couple barbecue men) ponder whats next for southern food

Friday Find: Our State Magazine’s NC BBQ App

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In conjunction with their February Barbecue Issue, Our State Magazine also released a free app for the iOS and Android mobile platforms. It’s a fairly simplistic app aimed to help users find a barbecue restaurant or event/festival in North Carolina.

Restaurants
The only difference in functionality between the Near Me, Style, Featured, Winners, and BBQ Trail sections is if you are looking for a breakdown by style, there is a screen to choose before taking the user to a listing of restaurants.

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Otherwise, its a listing of restaurants by different criteria: location, whether its been featured in the magazine, if its won awards in state or national competitions,  or whether its listed on the NC Barbecue Society’s Historic Barbecue Trail (our reviews here).

Near Me
Featured
Winners
BBQ Trail

Tapping on a restaurant will take you to more detailed information with address,  description (if available), hours, phone, and website.

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Events
The events section simply lists the barbecue festivals that happen around the state and can be sorted alphabetically, randomly, by distance, or by date, as well as shown on a map. You can then tap to find more information on the festival including dates, cost, address, and a short description.

Conclusion
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t call the Our State BBQ NC app essential. While it is a nicely designed and attractive-looking app, it’s functionality is fairly basic and straightforward. However, the price is nice (on the house) and between this and The Great NC BBQ Map, you should be able to locate a restaurant should you find yourself in an unfamiliar part of NC looking for barbecue.

Download in the App Store or on Google Play.

–Monk