Produced by the Visit KC tourism organization, here’s a slickly-produced, short video on the history of KC barbecue.
Barbecue is a way of life in Kansas City. From “slow and low” to sweet and sassy, follow your nose and see what’s cooking in the ‘cue capital of the world. For even more barbecue suggestions, go to http://www.VisitKC.com.
–Monk
– Now open as of this past Monday:
Excited to be officially OPEN TODAY at our New Location at the @CrossHillMarket in Columbia SC – Come get it! pic.twitter.com/SDqtJUohBQ
— Midwood Smokehouse (@MidwoodBBQ) January 11, 2016
– Some jerk stole Ashley Christensen’s smoker (a gift from Nick Pihakis) and here’s how to spot it if you happen to come across one similar
This one has bright red, heavy steel latches on the front that my uncle Marty fabricated and installed after the cooker arrived and we discovered that the existing latches were a little light duty for the hard-core nature of the cooker.
It has a large handle on one side that allows a single person to flip a 200-pound pig (which comes in handy in the middle of the night when all of your whiskey-drinking “assisting” pals have passed out in lawn chairs by the fire barrel). It also has a wood compartment on the trailer, sick-shiny chrome rims, and three chimneys.
– Marie, Let’s Eat! visits Peak Brothers Bar-B-Q in Waverly, KY and has his favorite meal of his Kentucky trip
– In praise of barbecue chicken, the so-called “second fiddle of the barbecue world”, by Robert Moss
– The Panthers are selling a 15-1 burger topped with 15 oz of pulled pork for $15.01 at this weekend’s game (h/t)
– You can earn $1000 and help Home Team BBQ of Charleston by finding and turning in a missing notebook with key information on their upcoming location
$1000 REWARD FOR THE RETURN OF THIS NOTEBOOK. I WILL WRITE A CHECK. PLEASE RETWEET. WOULD BE MUCH OBLIGED. pic.twitter.com/PXJNeGbbet
— Home Team BBQ (@htbbq) January 11, 2016
– Daniel Vaughn’s best Texas barbecue bites in 2015
Our best TX BBQ bites of 2015. https://t.co/6ohNH9iaza pic.twitter.com/xVC8uiHqae
— TMBBQ (@tmbbq) January 1, 2016
– Upcoming Durham restaurant openings include Picnic, a “modern take on barbecue joint” set to open in early February as well as a “biscuit and barbecue concept” at the American Tobacco Complex
– Franklin Barbecue is on this list of Austin restaurants that are opting out of open carry; on the other end of the spectrum, Brooks Place in Houston is giving open carry patrons 25% off
– Midwood Smokehouse is one of the restaurants who have expanded from the uptown area to the ‘burbs
– Duh:
If you love @skylightinn barbecue, you’re going to love Sam Jones’ new restaurant. https://t.co/R5nMEFLhmV pic.twitter.com/HYZnBIBpW0
— Garden & Gun (@gardenandgunmag) January 4, 2016
– The year in Kansas City barbecue
– Rodney Scott gives thanks
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the rebuilding of my BBQ pit room! Its been a great year and you all made it possible!
— Rodney Scott (@rodneyscottbbq) December 31, 2015
Name: Treehouse Whiskey and Fork
Date: 12/22/15
Address: 4423 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Order: Large plate (pork, brisket, ribs, sausage) with coleslaw, tater tots, and jalapeno cheddar biscuit; smoked backyard wings, skillet cornbread, and buffalo shrimp; 5 beers (link)
Price: $72 (for 3)
Monk: Happy Birthday, Speedy!
Speedy: Thanks, bro.
Monk: So on the night of his actual birthday, Speedy chose Treehouse Whiskey & Fork, a Charlotte restaurant in SouthPark of which I was unaware of just how much a barbecue joint it actually was – it describes itself on its website as “a new take on BBQ and New American Style cooking”.
Speedy: I had been a couple times before, but hadn’t really had the barbecue, so thought this was a good time to bring Monk (and friend of the blog Susong) in for reinforcements. Little did I know, we’d have an additional soldier on our squad, but more on that later. Anyway, the atmosphere at Treehouse is really great – even down to the tree literally in the middle of the restaurant. A large bar, good beer and whiskey selection, and large outdoor patio make this a great place for grabbing drinks with friends. But is it a good place for ‘cue?
Monk: Somehow, I missed the tree in the middle of the restaurant. As for the food, the pork was not bad, with smokey pieces of bark mixed in with mostly moist pork. Not bad, but maybe a little on the bland side. The brisket, on the other hand, didn’t have the fat properly rendered and was poorly smoked. Just bad.
Speedy: The ribs were definitely baby backs, and a little on the small side. They were slathered in sauce and a little overcooked, making it hard to get a good bite. They did have a decent flavor, but not the best ribs in my opinion. The sausage had good flavor, but not enough snap to the casing. The flavor made up for that, though, and I’d order the sausage again. The wings were pretty good. In Charlotte, it’s pretty rare to find smoked wings instead of fried, so I really appreciate them when I can get them. These weren’t the best smoked wings, but worth re-ordering. While not barbecue, the buffalo shrimp were awesome.
Monk: The large plate came with a jalapeno cheddar biscuit but we ordered some skillet cornbread in order to get that fix. The tots and the slaw that came with the meal were standard, and of course Speedy stayed away from the mayo slaw.
Speedy: OK – enough ‘cue talk. Now we need to tell you about the Mont-dawg. The Mont-dawg was a super drunk golfer who was there with some friends after a round of golf earlier that day. He took a liking to our group, buying us a round of Fireball shots. However, he REALLY took a liking to a group of 16-year old girls sitting near us. While he didn’t buy them shots, he did ask them if they’d be willing to babysit his three kids. Mont-dawg also successfully guessed Monk’s real name, got left by his friends, ran off a waitress, refused us buying him a shot (because “y’all – I make a ton of money.”) I wish I could remember all the rest of the Mont-dawg quotes, but alas, there was too much. But big shout out to the Mont-dawg, wherever you are. This one’s for you…
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs (specifically because of Mont-dawg; your mileage may vary)
Pork – 3 hogs
Brisket – 1.5 hogs
Ribs – 2 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Wings – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs
