brisket

City Limits Barbeque has my favorite bite of the year

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Name: City Limits Barbeque
Date: 6/14/25
Address: 1119 Methodist Park Rd, West Columbia, SC 29170
Order: Quarter pound brisket, half pound chopped pork, chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins,1 mild sausage link, hash and rice, sweet beans, collards, shells and cheese, jalappeno pimento cheese (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Have you been to a James Beard-nominated barbecue joint? There are only but a few of those around, so chances are you might not have. How about one that’s been nominated as a semifinalist twice in two years, believed to be the only joint to have that distinction? Well if you’ve been to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC, you can say that you have. It may also hold the distinction to be perhaps the only James Beard nominee to display their nomination next to a loaf of Wonder Bread:

My visit to City Limits had been years in planning before I finally made the trip. I had previously met owner and pitmaster Robbie Robinson through Garren Kirkman of Jon G’s but had only tried his food once before: his barbecue hash over Carolina Gold rice at last year’s Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte. It was one of my favorite bites of the festival and on this day was a close second to my favorite bite of the day and possibly the year.

Speaking of which, the chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins mixed in holds that particular distinction. Robinson smokes pork shoulders as well as pork bellies over direct heat with just a salt rub and chops them together. You can choose whether to have the skins mixed in or not, but I beg you to please get the crispy skins mixed in. It’s then placed upon a nice hefty bun that can withstand the generous portion and you won’t be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t.

In addition to being a James Beard nominee, City Limits also has the distinction of being one of the top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of the state of Texas according to Texas Monthly. I tried a slice of the fatty brisket and while Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the look of the slice I got when I spoke with him at the register, it was more than solid. Being a Texas-style joint, there were a couple of house made sausages on the menu, and I went with the mild hot link which was above average like the brisket. A few days later, I put these two leftovers together into a fold over on a piece of white bread with a dill pickle and had a great snack.

All of the sides at City Limits are scratch made, and there wasn’t a miss in any of the ones I selected: sweet (pinto) beans, shells and cheese, and collards which were Mrs. Monk-approved. I can’t forget to mention the jalapeno pimento cheese, which we saved to eat a few days later during our week at the beach.

Robinson likes to say that it’s better than the pimento cheese at the Masters, and after visiting myself earlier in the year for the first time I can’t disagree. My only complaint was that I didn’t buy a bigger tub of it; it’s a must get.

Unfortunately, Robbie and team (all of which were able to attend the awards ceremony in Chicago with him in person) did not take home the award for Best Chef: Southeast last Monday; instead it went to Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville. However in this case it’s not cliche to say that it’s an honor just to be nominated; particularly when its twice in two years.

If you get there during or just prior to the lunch rush at City Limits Barbeque, be prepared for roughly a two hour wait; that was our experience getting there at 10:30am Saturday before an 11am open. Another potential approach would be to wait until 2 or 3pm once the rush has died down. You may risk some items being sold out, but this past weekend I saw someone was still able to nab a beef rib so you never know.

In any case, don’t be a dummy like me and delay your visit to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 5 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Barbecue Hash – 5 hogs
Sides – 5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs

How does Owens and Hull compare to the best Texas barbecue I’ve tried this year?

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Name: Owens and Hull
Date: 5/3/25
Address: 6255 Riverview Rd SE Building 4000 STE 100, Smyrna, GA 30126
Order: Whole beef cheek, half pound brisket, half pound turkey, cole slaw, cheese grits, mac and cheese, collards (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Gymnastics travels for the eldest Monkette recently brought us to the greater Atlanta area so the wheels started spinning when it came to a potential barbecue stop. Should I revisit the awesome Heirloom Market which I’ve only been to once but loved? Or take the family to the ever dependable Fox Bros? Perhaps revisit DAS BBQ or try and hit one of the old school spots still running like Old Brick Pit or Old Hickory House?

But referencing the United States of Texas Barbecue list of the best Texas barbecue outside of the state from last year, I realized there was a name I wasn’t familiar with at the number 3 spot located in the town of Smyrna outside of Atlanta: Owens and Hull. My plans were made.

After our gymnastics obligations were fulfilled, we made our way towards a newish mixed-use development in a an industrial area along the Chatahoochee River northwest of Atlanta proper. Owens and Hull is the brainchild of owners Robert Owens and Bryan Hull who rebranded what was formerly a Grand Champion BBQ (a restaurant that Owens owned) a few years back when Hull came on board. I can’t speak to the smoker setup before the switch but now they now have two rather large Primitive Pits offsets in the parking lot. By all accounts, the change in focus to Texas barbecue with Georgia wood and ingredients seems to be working.

The first thing that caught my eye was that they had beef cheek on the menu, an automatic order whenever I see it, and it was the standout of the proteins I tried that day and comparable to the beef cheek I had at Palmira Barbecue (#1 on the United States of Texas Barbecue list). My hope is that more places get on the beef cheeks train.

The brisket, a Friday and Saturday only offering, was not too far behind the beef cheek. Without asking, I was provided a mix of fatty and lean along with some burnt ends. This was probably the best of the true central Texas-style briskets I’ve tried in Atlanta over the years.

I opted for turkey instead of another protein like ribs or sausage, and boy was I glad that I did. Not only did it give me a respite from the heavier, fattier beef offerings but on its own merits it was rather good. Moist and juicy with a nice peppery bark, this was one of the better turkeys I’ve tried recently.

I did also get to try the pork from the sandwich of the youngest Monkette and it had a nice, smokey bark and was well smoked. As for the sides, the collards passed the Mrs. Monk test and the smoked macaroni was a winner.

For Owens and Hull, the more I think about it post-visit the more I am impressed. My initial impression was that the beef cheek was the standout by far but in hindsight the brisket and especially the turkey weren’t really all that far behind it. I really need to get back to Heirloom Market for a revisit soon (sadly that didn’t happen on this trip) to compare but for me, these two sit alone in the top tier of Atlanta barbecue (that I’ve tried).

As for how it compares to other places I’ve recently visited that are also on the United States of Texas Barbecue list like Matt’s BBQ in Portland, Shotgun Willie’s in Nashville, or Dampf Good BBQ in Cary? For me, its comparable with Dampf Good but a notch above Matt’s and Shotgun Willie’s. Certainly some of the best barbecue I’ve tried in 2025.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Beef Cheek – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Turkey – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

It’s not just a name at Dampf Good BBQ in Cary

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Name: Dampf Good BBQ
Date: 2/7/25
Address: 6800 Good Hope Church Rd, Cary, NC 27519
Order: Texas Trinity: 1 pound brisket, 1 pound ribs, 2 sausages, with three sides plus a smoked brisket burger (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Another week, another top 50 Texas joint (outside of Texas). Dampf Good BBQ in Cary has been on my wish list for a few years now, but when I’m in Raleigh they tend to be either closed when I come in town for the Hopscotch Music Festival the week after Labor Day or I am otherwise occupied with a State football game and tailgating in preparation for what is certain to be mediocre football.

That changed this most recent trip while I was in town attending two nights of American Aquarium’s Roadtrip to Raleigh three night stand at The Lincoln Theater. I roped two friends of the blog Smorgan and Bill Fleming into coming with me for a late Friday lunch, both to enjoy the nice day but also so I could order more food.

Brothers Nick and Bryce Dampf have set up their food trailer and offset smokers on the grounds of Phillip Farms, and its a pretty sweet setup for a non-brick and mortar with not only the trailer and smokers under permanent metal awnings but also some of the seating for the guests. Phillips Farm is a 100+ year old farm in Cary that in recent decades has expanded to become more of a community gathering spot that hosts a farmers market and  family fun park in the spring, a seven acre corn maze, sunflower field, and Haunted Farm in the fall, and a Christmas tree farm and Winter Wonderland in the winter. While this was my first time visiting, I’ll keep my eye on it next time I’m in town with the full Monk family.

Much to my happy surprise, it was a relatively short line of maybe 6 parties in front of us at 12:30 for Friday lunch, though the line did grow quite a bit as we sat down to eat. Me and the boys waited in line maybe 10-15 minutes before we stepped up to make our order.

As the sole Barbecue Bro present, I offered to handle the ordering for the group and once that duty was agreed upon I was instantly drawn to the Texas Trinity Plate: one pound of brisket, one pound of spare ribs, two sausages, and three sides; I selected smoked mac and cheese, elote, and coleslaw. And then, because I was feeling frisky, I added a smoked brisket burger on top of our order.

The pork spare ribs were my favorite of the three meats, and the half rack was smoked nicely with a glaze that had a hint of sweetness. Altogether, a good balance between the sweetness of the glaze and the savory of the pepper-based rub. The ribs themselves were cooked perfectly and had a great bite to them. 

We got slices of both fatty and lean for our pound of brisket, and I had a slight preference of the lean between the two though both had the peppery bark you would expect from a top tier brisket while still having the proper amount of salt. We opted for one of each each of the sausages – polish and pepper muenster. Both were very solid.

I’ve buried the lede a little bit here, and the smoked brisket burger may have been the best part of the lunch. I split the burger (which I ordered all the way with cheese, pickles, and mayo on a potato bun) into quarters and both Smorgan and Bill were instantly huge fans. Greedily, I opted for the final quarter after a few minutes when no one was so bold as to take it.

I liked the smokiness of the mac and cheese, while not being overly smokey. The elote corn salad and the cole slaw offered a nice contrast to the fattiness of the meats. All very good sides.

For fans of Texas-style barbecue in the Triangle, I can’t recommend Dampf Good Barbecue enough. Along with Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, Sam Jones and Longleaf Swine in Raleigh, and Lawrence Barbecue in Durham, the Triangle has some pretty heavy hitters when it comes to new school barbecue. I must say, I’m a little bit jealous down here in Charlotte.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Burger – 5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

Trying the Michelin star-winning barbecue joints in Texas (and 13 more)

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Monk: In the following video, YouTuber Joshua Weissman is joined by private chef/Instagram star (and new Texas resident) Olivia Tiedemann on a journey to try the best barbecue in Texas, all of which are on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list and four of which received Michelin stars last year (CorkScrew BBQ in Spring and Interstellar Barbecue, La Barbecue, and LeRoy and Lewis in Austin).

Joshua and Olivia visit 17 joints in total and rated each one and slotted them onto a big board as they go for both brisket and sides. Starting in Houston, they then make their way to Austin before heading Central Texas, the panhandle, and eventually DFW. Your favorite barbecue editor even makes an appearance at the end of the video.

What was their favorite and did it match up with Texas Monthly’s #1? Check the video to find out.