Monk: Ant’s BBQ Cookout makes a stop at Dampf Good BBQ in Cary, NC, one of the best Texas-style barbecue joints according to Daniel Vaughn, to live a day in the life of Nick Dampf.
Description: Dampf Good BBQ in Cary, NC may be new, but their food is 100% classic Central Texas Barbecue. Follow a day in the life of Pitmaster Nick and his family as they work together to run a BBQ restaurant while having fun along the way.
Monk: The Semifinalist Nominations for this year’s edition of the James Beard Awards came out last week, and several barbecue restaurants were nominated in various categories.
Congrats to Robbie Robinson of City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia (aka “West Coalumbia”) for his Best Chef Southeast Nomination. He is the second pitmaster in South Carolina after Rodney Scott to get a semifinalist nomination.
Outside of the southeast, Texas dominated the rest of the semifinalist nominations for barbecue.
In the Outstanding Chef category, David Kirkland and Ernest Servantes of Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, TX got a nomination. Daniel Vaughn believes this is a first time a pitmaster has been nominated in that category.
Barbs-B-Q in Lockhart got a nomination for Best New Restaurant:
Convenience West in Marfa was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant:
In Best Chef Texas, Geoff Ellis of Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen in Austin, Andrew Ho, Andrew Samia, and Sean Wen of Curry Boys BBQ in San Antonio, and Arnulfo Sánchez III of Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Que in Grapevine were all nominated.
In Best Chef Southwest, Tabb Singleton of Phat Tabb’s BBQ in Idabel, OK was also nominated.
Congrats to all of the nominees! Finalist nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 3, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Name: Old Hampton Store & Barbeque
Date: 12/3/23
Location: 77 Ruffin Street, Linville, NC 28646
Order: Pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw
Pricing: $$
Monk: Old Hampton Store & Barbeque (plus a grist mill!) is an old-time mountain country store in Linville in Avery County which is the middle of Christmas tree farm country in NC. After having tried some unique but delicious barbecue at Ridgewood Barbecue, could I possibly get lucky again with another mountain barbecue joint? For those unaware, while there is no true “mountain-style” barbecue in NC, restaurants tend to over sauce their (at many times) gas-assisted pork.
Thankfully, I arrived to find that is not the case with Old Hampton Store, and neat stacks of hickory wood are strewn about the property which also includes an art gallery on the property. Inside the main building with the restaurant, an old-time general store (think a non-corporate Cracker Barrel) is flanked by a small bar and a barbecue counter with a seating area. In that seating area is a small stage, since Old Hampton Store regularly hosts live music; unfortunately nothing on this Sunday afternoon.
My order was simple with a barbecue sandwich with a side of coleslaw. The hickory-smoked pork had a nice smokiness to it, and the bun was of a higher quality than a grocery store bread. A very tasty sandwich, indeed. Now that I’m confident in the quality, next time through I’ll be more adventurous and get some of the smoked wings or homemade pork skins with pimento cheese.
The Monk family had actually tried to visit Old Hampton Store & Barbeque a few years back after hiking nearby Grandfather Mountain, but this family-owned business does close at some point in December until late January or February. So be sure to check ahead if you are planning a visit. I hope to be back, and maybe even catch some live bluegrass.
Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 Hogs
Pork – 4 Hogs
Sides – 3.5 Hogs
Overall – 4 Hogs
Monk: The Friday’s Forever YouTube channel explores the Old Hampton Store & Barbeque as well as the art gallery on the property in this first person video. The barbecue portion of the video starts at 9:05.
Description: IN THIS EPISODE → Join us on this journey through the Old Hampton Store & BBQ and discover why it’s such a special place. Whether you’re a history buff, a foodie, or a music lover, the Old Hampton Store & BBQ has something for everyone. Don’t miss out on the delicious food, historic charm, and lively entertainment of this unique destination in Linville NC!