Monk: Most of the first quarter of 2023 was on the quieter side in the land of Charlotte barbecue. It was not until the end of March where a new restaurant was announced (the promising-looking Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly) or a restaurant announced closure (the land around BBQ King off Wilkinson Boulevard was put up for sale for $4.2M). Will that be a sign of things picking up – hopefully more on the positive side of things? I’ll be keeping my eye out over the next few months.
January
1/9 – Gastonia’s Ray Nathan‘s celebrated their 4 year anniversary in early January
1/27 – The stacked pitmaster lineup for the second Carolina BBQ festival from Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ is announced
February
2/8 – Actor Eric Wareheim recently filmed at Jon G’s Barbecue for an upcoming project; Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue was also in the house
2/25 – Robert Moss reports that the chopped pork trailer that sometimes resides outside Jon G’s Barbecue is “absolutely splendid”
2/28 – Big Tiny’s BBQ in Mooresville gets the Only in NC treatment
March
3/7 – Midwood Smokehouse is doing their spin on birria tacos with pork
3/14 – Noble Smoke‘s Optimist Hall location celebrated one year open in March
3/16 – Firehawk Brewpub, a brewpub with a True ‘Cue barbecue joint attached, is announced to be coming to Mount Holly in early April
3/18 – Fumar comes back from an extended hiatus
3/21 – The land where BBQ King in Charlotte sits is up for sale for $4.2M