Linkdown: 2/24/21

Featured

After a few weeks in soft open mode, Sam Jones BBQ’s downtown Raleigh location has finally opened; the latest opening towards Raleigh staking its claim as a modern barbecue capital. Next up in some order is Ed Mitchell’s The Preserve, Wyatt’s Barbecue (from the team behind Picnic in Durham), Lawrence Barbecue, and Longleaf Swine. More coverage on Sam Jones BBQ can be found in this article from industry trade publication QSR Magazine.

In the next few months, a visit to Raleigh will certainly be called for, as our Capital brethren continue to beat out the Queen City in barbecue openings. Step up your game, Charlotte!

Native News

Robert Moss explores the origin stories of 5 southern sauces, including Scott’s Barbecue Sauce from Goldsboro which is available across the US thanks to its distribution via Wal-Mart

Moss went into even more detail in his weekly Cue Sheet newsletter

Jon G’s has your St. Patty’s Day dinner plans solved as they will be slinging cue from their food truck at Waxhaw Taphouse

Non-Native News

Sad news out of Memphis’s Rendezvous

“Black Smoke” author Adrian Miller will be on an online Zoom interview this Friday (2/26) with Delaware Libraries that is free to the public

La Barbecue is moving, and will have a lot more space to work with at their new location

Goldee’s Barbecue in Forth Worth gets some love from the Dallas Morning News

RIP to a Kansas City barbecue legend, L.C. Richardson

Robert Sietsema’s top pastrami in NYC may surprise you, as it comes from a barbecue joint and beats out the world famous Katz’s Deli

Just gonna leave this here

Linkdown: 2/10/21

Featured

Lewis Barbecue officially announces their second restaurant in Greenville, taking over the space previously occupied by Tommy’s Country Ham House. So for folks in the Charlotte area (i.e. me), Lewis’ central Texas-style brisket, hot guts, sausage will be about half the distance you previously had to travel to Charleston. And this is a very good thing. Lewis Barbecue Greenville will open sometime in early 2022.

In addition to the Lewis Barbecue expansion news, it was recently announced that his Juan Luis Tex-Mex concept will take over the former Workshop food hall in Charleston. It was an original food stall tenant at the food hall but recently the trailer had been parked in the courtyard at Lewis Barbecue. Based on these recent moves, Lewis is certainly building the foundation for a food empire in South Carolina.

Native News

A sneak peak inside the recently opened Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh

Spectrum News’ Eating Local series kicks off with a stop at Bar-B-Q Center, where if you haven’t yet been you are doing it wrong according to their employees

Non-Native News

Munchie’s Live BBQ in Orlando was originally started by Chef Alfred Mann, who originally learned from a man named Gene Daniels who cooked NC barbecue

“Under this partnership structure, Mighty Quinn’s licenses Otto’s Tacos name and fulfills orders from it’s kitchen. Customers then receive their digital order from Otto’s Tacos using first- or third-party platforms.”

10 must-read cookbooks by Black authors to buy right now including upcoming barbecue books from Rodney Scott and Adrian Miller, according to the Austin American-Statesman

Texas Monthly interviews Kevin Bludso, who is ready to mentor the next generation of black pitmasters

Linkdown: 1/27/21

Featured

Kingsford Charcoal has announced the “Preserve the Pit” Fellowship to celebrate the Black contribution to barbecue and help aspiring pitmasters through a monetary grant and a hands-on mentorship. That mentorship will be provided by several notable barbecue personalities and pitmasters: Kevin Bludso of Bludso’s BBQ in Compton as well as Netflix’s American Barbecue Showdown, Rashad Jones of Big Lee’s BBQ, Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque, Devita Davison of the non-profit FoodLab, Amy Mills of 17th Street Barbecue, and Dr. Howard Conyers of PBS’s Nourish.

It’s fantastic to see Kingsford celebrate Black barbecue and put their money where their mouth is with this fellowship investing in the future of it. I look forward to seeing who makes the class of 2021 and what they do with this great opportunity. Applications are due by March 1 and the inaugural class of fellows will be announced in April.

Native News

A sneak peak of Lawrence Barbecue’s setup in Boxyard RTP

Ed Mitchell will be appearing on this panel alongside Dr. Howard Conyers and “Black Smoke” Adrian Miller on February 10

The owner of Shaw’s Barbecue House in Williamston recently saved a longtime customer from choking

The Pit in Raleigh will offer to-go cocktails through the end of January

Kinston’s Kings Restaurant was selected to participate on a rib cookoff for the Drew Barrymore Show; last year King’s sold almost 2 tons worth of ribs

Hmm, now what could we do with a feral hog?!?!

Non-Native News

Stay with me here: Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall will offer “Chucktown-style” barbecue in South Jersey; the owner Charles Soreth was inspired by his trip to Charleston for his Chucktown BBQ pop-up, but no word on what exactly “Chucktown” style is

Brooklyn barbecue restaurants taking part in NYC’s Restaurant Week To Go

How craft barbecue and craft chocolate intersect at Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue

Sweet kicks

Linkdown: 1/12/21

Featured

A couple of big barbecue books are now available for pre-order. “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott and Lolis Eric Elie will be released on March 16 and Adrian Miller’s “Black Smoke” from UNC Press will be out on April 27. Both are available for preorder now here and here, and I can’t wait to read both of them to get different perspectives on barbecue. I strongly encourage you to do the same. -Monk

Native News

Congrats to RayNathan’s in Gastonia on celebrating 2 years open as of this past Sunday

Wyatt’s Barbecue is one of Eater Carolinas’ 17 most anticipated restaurants in 2021

Non-Native News

More on the passing of the legendary Mike Mills

CM Smokehouse from Cade Mercer gives South Austin a new and promising food truck option

Texas Monthly makes the case for a barbecue tour of the Texoma region north of Dallas

Robert Sietsema recently posted this photo of Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ from happier times