Monk: Deborah Holt Noel visits two Lexington barbecue mainstays at Lexington Barbecue and The Barbecue Center in this short video for NC Weekend.
barbeque
Linkdown: 10/4/23 – The Texas BBQ Bubble About to Burst? Edition
Featured
Monk: Is the Texas barbecue bubble about to burst? Daniel Vaughn reports slowdowns at a few barbecue joints in Texas due in part to the sheer number of joints that have opened in recent years, the intense heat wave that rocked Texas over the summer, and the skyrocketing price of brisket.
As a result, joints are struggling to make the economics work and are trying to lure casual customers in with lower cost items or specials.
From an outsider’s perspective it does seem as if the growth was unsustainable but despite that, Vaughn lists his reasons why he thinks the barbecue bubble isn’t quite yet about to burst. A fascinating read.
Native News
GGCC Smokehouse, an all-wood smoked barbecue food truck, is in the final four of the CharlotteFive Reader’s Choice Poll
The Lexington Barbecue Festival is featured in CLTure’s fall festival guide
Don’t forget you can take the train to the Barbecue Festival
I wonder if you will see any of these shirts at the festival…
A short video on Cook Out on Insider Food
Smoked chicken and dumplings at Pik N Pig
ICYMI, The Smoke Sheet recently profiled Morris Barbeque in Hookerton
Non-Native News
Congrats to Chef J BBQ for being named #1 barbecue in Kansas City; that’s high praise!
Zavala’s Barbecue is voted best brisket in Dallas
The town of Spring is home to Corkscrew BBQ
Also ICYMI, John Tanner dropped his best barbecue places in DC list
Now that’s a great barbecue sign
How The Shed Is Making Award-Winning BBQ in Southern Mississippi
Monk: The Shed has always been a family operation, originally built on a “shoestring budget without the shoestrings” approach by siblings Brooke Lewis and Brad Orrison. But they’ll be the first ones to tell you, as they’ve grown the business in the past 23 years to a destination joint on over 30 acres that includes a full-time saucery business, they could not do it without their killer staff.
If you’re not familiar with The Shed, they put a Mississippi spin on barbecue which means brown sugar in the rubs and smoking over pecan wood. And it also means smoking pork butts with a rub of just minced garlic, , which this North Carolina guy can confirm is unique. Whatever it is, they must be doing something right as they’ve won countless awards including two Memphis in May World Grand Championships.
Description: Siblings Brad Orrison and Brooke Lewis run The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint as well as The Saucery in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where they specialize in crafting high-quality Southern-style barbecue. With the help of their team, they make ribs, brisket, and more for the restaurant and ship their sauces across the country.
Biscuits Brisket & Beer is the Barbecue Option in High Point’s First Food Hall
Name: Biscuits Brisket & Beer
Date: 8/27/23
Address: 275 N Elm St, High Point, NC 27262
Order: Big Gull – 1/4 lb brisket, 1/4 lb turkey, 1 link beef sausage, 1 buttermilk biscuit, 1 biscuit topping (link to menu)
Pricing: $$
Monk: High Point has a food hall now. For those not in the know, a food hall is basically a fancy food court with food truck pricing but without the need to brave the elements while eating. Of the handful of current stalls at the Stock + Grain, Biscuits Brisket & Beer specializes in brisket, biscuits, and yep, you guessed it…beer (it’s not just a clever name).
Let’s start with the brisket. It was decently smoked with a nice bark on what is certainly a gasser smoker. The fat cap could have used a bit of trimming, and it also may not have been the freshest brisket.
But they do have other options – I tried turkey and sausage as part of the “Big Gull” platter. The turkey was tasty enough and not dried out. The sausage was almost certainly not made in house but was also decent. At this point, I would classify all of the meats as “fine but not outstanding.”
As for the biscuit, it was a little bit underwhelming considering its in the name. I would have not been surprised had it come out of a can, and fans of biscuits in High Point should stick with The Biscuit Factory or even Biscuitville. The fried green tomato was tasty enough but were fried from frozen along with a batch of french fries. However, when I put the fried green tomato inside of the biscuit, I wasn’t complaining.
As for the beer, this was on a Sunday morning meal so I didn’t try any but it looked like they had a good selection of local craft cans.
High Point has a few newer barbecue options between Biscuits Brisket & Beer and Sweet Old Bill’s as well as the superior Black Powder Smokehouse in nearby Jamestown. Brisket Biscuit & Beer is a decent option when you’re with a group who can’t decide what they want and go to a food hall, but it wouldn’t be the first option in town for my money.
Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Brisket – 2.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs
