Buxton Hall Barbecue – Asheville, NC

November 30, 2015November 29, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Buxton Hall Barbecue
Date: 11/14/15
Address: 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Order: Burnt ends sandwich, slaw and collard, side of pulled pork, RC Cola (link to menu)
Price: ~$20

Recently, I found myself driving through Asheville, which was a great opportunity to visit the newly opened Buxton Hall. Monk and I are on record as big fans of 12 Bones in Asheville (review of Arden location here), but I can’t say I’ve had great whole hog in the city (or even the western part of the state in general). I was hopeful that that would change with this place.

Upon entering, I was super impressed with the Buxton Hall atmosphere. It truly is a huge mess hall, with pretty awesome decor and tons of large tables. Being that I was riding solo, I bellied up to the bar instead of opting for a table for one. As I like to do at ‘cue joints, I quickly ordered a Cheerwine only to be told that there was no Cheerwine to be had but that they’d happily pour me an RC Cola. Since I was on my way to Tennessee, it seemed like an appropriate substitute.

I was all ready to order some glorious whole hog when the bartender threw me a curveball. Today, for the first time, Buxton Hall was serving a burnt end sandwich. It was something I just had to try. However, I made sure to specify that I needed some pulled pork on the side as well – I wasn’t leaving without sampling the top dish. To top it off, I ordered some (vinegar based) slaw and collards.

The food came out quickly and I dug in. The burnt ends were different than those I’d had before. They were almost sliced instead of chunked and tasted more like a sirloin than a brisket. It was slathered in a sweet sauce that complimented the meat well. It was very good – just different than I was expecting. The pulled pork was very good – tender with a kiss of smoke. I did add some vinegar sauce to get a little more tang, but still pretty good. The slaw was fine, but the collards were absolutely top notch. They are a can’t miss.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend a stop in at Buxton Hall Barbecue if looking for ‘cue Asheville. I certainly plan to go back.

–Speedy

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Burnt Ends – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Friday Find: Carolina Hash

November 27, 2015December 2, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

A clip from a documentary from Stan Woodward on creating barbecue hash, the SC barbecue specialty that very few in NC have actually heard of.

–Monk

Linkdown: 11/25/15

November 25, 2015December 2, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

– CNN calls the combination of barbecue and football a “rapturous experience” and calls out places in some rivalry games this coming weekend including Allen & Son, Stamey’s, and Raleigh’s The Pit

– “Dipped” chicken is available at some some barbecue restaurants in NC including Bar-B-Q King in Charlotte and Lancaster’s BBQ in Mooresville and Huntersville

North Carolina’s answer to Nashville hot chicken: https://t.co/smwLOKekjQ pic.twitter.com/wlKuon96y2

— Garden & Gun (@gardenandgunmag) November 20, 2015

– Missed this a few weeks back but Southern Foodways weighed in on Calvin Trillin’s New Yorker article on NC barbecue

– We’ll lay off him since the Panthers are 10-0 and he only joined the team in week 4, but Jared Allen favors KC barbecue over NC

CM: You played in Kansas City for a while. Let’s talk barbecue.
JA: I know Charlotte’s probably going to hate me for this, hands down I think Kansas City has the best barbecue in the world. They have a variety. You can go to Arthur Bryant’s up there and get kind of the Carolina style, the more vinegar-y, and I’m not huge on the vinegar. Although it is nice because it’s not as smoky, but for some reason when I think I’m going to get barbecue, I plan on being really miserably full at the end of it. You know? [Editor’s note: The Panthers are 9-0. Nobody here can hate you. Unless you talk smack about Price’s.]

The good part out here is that I’m not miserably full. It’s not that heavy; it’s a lighter barbecue. But yeah, barbecue is great.

– In “so what” news, eastern NC barbecue is ruled healthier than its Lexington counterpart

– Making the South Carolina specialty

The lost art of making barbecue hash: https://t.co/j3NDOHwM0o pic.twitter.com/AkLjpAwysB

— Garden & Gun (@gardenandgunmag) November 23, 2015

Southside Market & Barbeque – Elgin, TX

November 23, 2015November 23, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Southside Market & Barbeque
Date: 10/24/15
Address: 1212 Hwy 290 E, Elgin, TX 78621
Order: Southside Combo Plate (Brisket & Sausage with Slaw and Mac & Cheese), 1 Slammer, Drink (link to menu)
Price: $17.00

The calendar said it was October and the car seat in the back said I was a dad, so I was required to take the obligatory trip to a pumpkin patch. Mrs. Rudy said buying a pumpkin at the grocery store was completely out of the question and that we must drive out to the country to get one. However she sold me with the idea of being able to go to Southside Market & Barbeque in Elgin, which is right outside of Austin.

Southside markets themselves as the oldest barbecue joint in Texas. It has a tremendous amount of history and has a great reputation. They ship sausages and other meats all over the country, so I was excited to try their barbecue. In my opinion, the reputation far exceeded what I actually experienced.

When you walk in, it feels very much like they are trying to get as many people through as possible. While that may mean more profit and more people eat their food, it also probably means that they do not have a huge focus on quality. There are two lines for barbecue and two enormous dining rooms for eating. Southside also feels very commercialized, with lots of options to buy their shirts, hats, sauces, rubs, and really anything you want with “Southside Market & Barbeque” printed on it. The two positives for their atmosphere, and why I rated it highly, was because of pallets of wood outside (showing that they are cooking over wood) and they have a very nice meat market/butcher there where you can go and get your own meat to cook at home. If I were wanting to cook my own brisket, ribs, or sausage, this is absolutely the place that I would go.

I ordered the Southside Combo Plate, which came with brisket and sausage, plus 2 sides. The brisket had almost no seasoning, there was a little bit of a smoke ring, but no bark and no flavor. The fat was not well rendered, which led me to believe it had been cooked much earlier and had just been sitting there staying warm for a while. Very disappointing. The sausage was better, but not by much. I believe they make their sausage in house, so there are some points for that. It had flavor from the meat, but was nothing great.

As far as sides, I got the slaw (non-mayo based for Speedy) and mac and cheese. They were probably the best part of the meal, but it was an easy hurdle to cover. I thought the mac and cheese was the best, but it’s hard to mess that up.

The last thing I tried was a special that they were advertising on the menu called “the Slammer”. It was a sausage, stuffed with cheese and a jalapeno, wrapped in bacon and smoked. They clearly had my attention. When it came, it was much like the brisket – room temperature and uninspiring. The cheese was hard and not melted while the bacon was not crisp at all, as if it had been cooked many hours earlier and left to sit. I am shocked that someone could mess up something that’s only ingredients are bacon, sausage, cheese, and jalapeno, but Southside Market managed to do just that.

I was completely looking forward to getting out to Elgin and trying Southside Market & Barbeque, however when you eat barbecue and the pumpkin patch is the highlight of the day, that’s not a good sign for the barbecue joint. Overall I’m glad I tried it and can mark it off the list, but I’m more happy that I didn’t make a special trip out just for it.

–Rudy

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 2 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Slammer – 2 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs