Linkdown: 5/18/16

– Per Raleigh Eats, Ed Mitchell’s Que is returning, this time to the Brier Creek neighborhood in Raleigh

– Southern Smoke BBQ in Garland is one of 6 Farm-to-Table Restaurants in Eastern NC to Try This Summer

Matthew and Jessica work with farms in their area and around the state to source the best and freshest seasonal ingredients for their businesses. Matthew works with a young farmer named Caleb Johnson, a graduate of North Carolina State University, and his farm: AJ Family Farms. He will check in with Caleb regularly to see what’s in season, and come up with dishes based on the weather. “I buy whatever he’s got,” Matthew says of Caleb’s farm. “Last week he had beautiful green tomatoes, so we did a corn and green tomato succotash over grits. That’s kind of my approach.”

– John Shelton Reed thinks NC needs a new holiday commemorating the Wilmington Barbecue of 1766

– Mac’s Speed Shop in Charlotte may be expanding its original South End location

– Brisket +Tacos = Crazy Delicious

An excerpt from Rien Fertel’s new book “The One True Barbecue” on Ricky Scott

– Speaking of Fertel’s new book, Rodney Scott is bringing his whole hog to Charleston’s Butcher & Bee for a book signing

– However, not all reactions to “The One True Barbecue” have been positive; Ed Mitchell and Wilber Shirley each took exception to how there were portrayed negatively in the book but not interviewed for it

– Buxton Hall Barbecue is throwing a 5 course dinner with whiskey, beer, and barbecue:

Linkdown: 4/19/16

Eastern NC barbecue is coming to Etowah in Western NC from one of the guys behind the Bling Pig Supper Club in Asheville

– Whereas Elliott Moss was the first to bring whole hog barbecue to the area so here’s a profile from Food Republic

– The final stops for Grant on his barbecue tour of (mostly North) Carolina barbecue joints: a Lexington Barbecue redux, Richard’s in Salisbury, and Mike & Jeff’s BBQ Diner in Greenville

– B’s BBQ and Lexington Barbecue make this list of 25 Restaurants You Have To Visit In North Carolina Before You Die

– The BBQ on the Bluff competition is this weekend in Fair Bluff, NC

– Would NC uniting under a mustard-based barbecue sauce lead to the immediate repeal of HB#2? Charlotte Magazine thinks so in this tongue-in-cheek article

– Some are even getting their own Heinz barbecue sauce…

Buxton Hall Barbecue – Asheville, NC

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Name
: Buxton Hall Barbecue
Date: 11/14/15
Address: 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Order: Burnt ends sandwich, slaw and collard, side of pulled pork, RC Cola (link to menu)
Price: ~$20

Recently, I found myself driving through Asheville, which was a great opportunity to visit the newly opened Buxton Hall. Monk and I are on record as big fans of 12 Bones in Asheville (review of Arden location here), but I can’t say I’ve had great whole hog in the city (or even the western part of the state in general). I was hopeful that that would change with this place.

Upon entering, I was super impressed with the Buxton Hall atmosphere. It truly is a huge mess hall, with pretty awesome decor and tons of large tables. Being that I was riding solo, I bellied up to the bar instead of opting for a table for one. As I like to do at ‘cue joints, I quickly ordered a Cheerwine only to be told that there was no Cheerwine to be had but that they’d happily pour me an RC Cola. Since I was on my way to Tennessee, it seemed like an appropriate substitute.

I was all ready to order some glorious whole hog when the bartender threw me a curveball. Today, for the first time, Buxton Hall was serving a burnt end sandwich. It was something I just had to try. However, I made sure to specify that I needed some pulled pork on the side as well – I wasn’t leaving without sampling the top dish. To top it off, I ordered some (vinegar based) slaw and collards.

The food came out quickly and I dug in. The burnt ends were different than those I’d had before. They were almost sliced instead of chunked and tasted more like a sirloin than a brisket. It was slathered in a sweet sauce that complimented the meat well. It was very good – just different than I was expecting. The pulled pork was very good – tender with a kiss of smoke. I did add some vinegar sauce to get a little more tang, but still pretty good. The slaw was fine, but the collards were absolutely top notch. They are a can’t miss.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend a stop in at Buxton Hall Barbecue if looking for ‘cue Asheville. I certainly plan to go back.

Speedy

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Burnt Ends – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs
Buxton Hall Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Linkdown: 10/7/15

-Buxton Hall is now open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner

– Wilmington’s got a new eastern, whole hog barbecue food cart that hopes to turn into a brick and mortar place

– Queen City Q remains busy – in addition to their Matthews location opening up in the summer and announcing a partnership for the Hornets, they are eyeing a third location in Concord

– An article on food trucks in Gaston County features Ranucci’s Big Butt BBQ

– John Mueller’s barbecue pit was stolen

– In what I hope becomes a new trend, Melvin’s Barbecue in Charleston returns to all wood smoking

– The Simpsons did it: a barbecue episode (they apparently did their homework too)