barbeque

Hubba Hubba Smokehouse – Flat Rock, NC

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Name: Hubba Hubba Smokehouse
Date: 5/27/21
Address: 2724 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, NC 28731
Order: Indecision plate (pork + brisket), collard greens, sautéed slaw, cornbread (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Speedy: I had heard about Hubba Hubba Smokehouse a few years ago and had always wanted to go, but due to seasonal opening and limited hours, along with being tucked away in Flat Rock, NC, I hadn’t had the chance to make it over. However, the recent retirement and move of Mama and Papa Speedy to just 20 miles away afforded me the opportunity on my latest visit.

Monk: Hopefully you heard about them when I visited a couple years ago and also when we profiled their pitmaster Spencer Purcell. But you may have also heard of them from their addition to the Historic NC Barbecue Trail a few years back.

Speedy: Hubba Hubba is tucked away in a small plaza off Greenville Highway, along with a couple of other food establishments. The building itself is a small brick building that holds the smokehouse and kitchen, with all of their seating outside. I went to the counter and placed my order, then found a seat in the courtyard.

My name was called in short order and it was time to dig in. I judge any NC barbecue restaurant on the pulled pork, and Hubba Hubba passed that test with flying colors. The pork was tender, smoky, and moist. I didn’t add any of the sauces available, but I do think the vinegar sauce would have added a little tang (they also have a NC sweet and a mustard sauce). While I prefer finer chopped pork (Lexington style), overall, I enjoyed this pulled pork quite a lot, and will order again. 

Monk: I tried the pork with their vinegar sauce just a week earlier myself while passing through on my way to Brevard, and it was definitely a great combo.

Speedy: There have been a few places in the Carolinas doing Texas-style brisket, but Hubba Hubba’s is different. It does not have the same richness and peppery bark, but still has good peppery taste. For one bite, I prefer the Texas-style, but also there was not the same gut-bomb feeling after eating. I think this brisket is better suited for a sandwich, but still solid, if not spectacular. 

Monk: Agreed that they aren’t trying to replicate a central Texas-style brisket, but I also dug what they are doing.

Speedy: I usually just gloss over sides both when eating and reviewing barbecue restaurants, but every once in a while, there’s a side that’s just so good that it deserves some extra attention. The collard greens fit that bill. They were fresh, tangy, and delicious, with bits of pork included. Overall, these were among the very best collards I’ve had and a must order.

The sautéed slaw was not my favorite, as I like the contrast of crisp and crunchy slaw in a barbecue meal, so I’d probably skip those next time. However, pitmaster Spencer was nice enough to bring me a side of a new menu item – the Brunswick stew. According to Spencer, this will be added to the menu soon, and that’s something I’m happy about. The stew was a little sweeter than I’m used to in a Brunswick stew, but very flavorful. Another very solid item.

Monk: Looking back, I’m surprised we didn’t order the collards on my previous visit but I’ll have to get them next time along with that delicious-sounding Brunswick stew.

Speedy: Overall, Hubba Hubba Smokehouse is one of the better barbecue meals that I’ve had in Western NC. I’m glad to finally have the opportunity to check it out and hope to be back soon.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Pork – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Friday Find: City Limits Barbeque on Kevin’s BBQ Joints

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Monk: Earlier this year, Robbie Robinson from City Limits Barbeque sat down for a rather lengthy interview with Kevin’s BBQ Joints. Robbie has a different perspective as a CPA who does barbecue as his side hustle, but has some interesting insights. City Limits Barbeque has been on my list for years and someday soon I hope to be able to make the trip down to Columbia for a service.

Description: In this episode I chat with Robbie Robinson from City Limits Barbeque in Columbia, South Carolina.
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Barbecue Bros Book Club: “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott and Lolis Eric Elie

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Not that we’re anywhere close to being qualified enough to evaluate books but more so as a public service announcement we will periodically discuss barbecue and barbecue-related books.

Monk: Two of the most highly anticipated barbecue books of the year came out within a few weeks of each other, with “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott and Lolis Eric Elie coming out first on March 16 followed by Adrian Miller’s “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” on April 27.

The first half of Rodney’s book is all memoir, recounting his origins in tiny Hemingway, SC working at Scott’s Bar-B-Que the family barbecue restaurant and convenience store. The story of how he got from there to co-owning Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ in Charleston, Birmingham, and Atlanta (with two more Alabama locations planned just this year) is fairly well worn territory if you’ve heard an interview or watched Netflix’s “Chef’s Table: BBQ.” What’s not as familiar or well-known is Scott’s current family dynamic, particularly with his father Roosevelt “Rosie” Scott.

In sometimes painful detail, Scott and Elie describe how the breakdown of their relationship started with some mistrust as a result of Scott’s budding barbecue celebrity. Even though all of his work and travel was on behalf of the family business, false accusations and rumors began to circulate in their small town. And that ultimately led to a severing of his relationship with his father and Scott departing for Charleston and starting his budding barbecue restaurant empire. His current relationship with both his father and mother is nonexistent as of the writing of this book and the press tours he’s done this spring.

The book is written in Scott’s voice, which can surely be attributed to Elie’s help. Scott’s mantra is “Every Day is a Good Day” and that blue skies philosophy is clear when reading his writing. A cookbook written by Scott himself was surely a draw, but adding in an accomplished writer such as Elie only added to the appeal. Lolis wrote a seminal text in “Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country” back in 2005, a book that has been on my radar for quite some time.

The second half of the book is all recipes, starting with how to set up and smoke a whole hog on a cinder block pit in great detail (similar to what Sam Jones and Elliot Moss described in their respective books). From there, it’s all Scott’s menu and point of view, informed by his Pee Dee South Carolina origins.

While Adrian Miller’s “Black Smoke” traced the history and contributions of African Americans to barbecue’s history, Scott’s book actually makes some history of its own, being the first barbecue book by a black pitmaster/chef ever (think about that). “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” is a must read barbecue book that gives you just as much insight into the man behind the barbecue empire as well as his food.

Friday Find: “Pitt County Brew and ‘Cue Trail”

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Monk: Pitt County, NC is home to several classic NC barbecue joints including B’s Barbecue in Greenville as well as Skylight Inn and Bum’s Restaurant in Ayden plus newer ones like Sam Jones BBQ in Winterville. Throw a few breweries in the mix and baby, you got a stew goin’. NC Weekend checked it out 2 years ago when it started and reported back.

Description: Lovers of barbecue and beer can have a field day in Pitt County where you can follow a brew and ‘cue trail, get your tickets stamped, and have a whole lot of fun.