Carolina Bar-B-Que

Linkdown: The Belated April Edition

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Photo taken by Joshua Boucher jboucher@thestate.com

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Earlier this month, the James Beard Award finalists were announced. However, unlike in year’s past, the barbecue nominees were limited to just a couple of chefs in two separate categories – Best Chef: California and Best Chef: Southeast. Curiously, no Texas pitmasters received finalist nominations after Fasicka and Patrick Hicks at Smoke’N Ash BBQ in Arlington and Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin were named semifinalists in January.

For the second year in a row, Robbie Robinson of City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia was nominated for Best Chef: Southeast. This is a major achievement and when he was named semifinalist in January it is believed that he is only the second barbecue pitmaster to be nominated for the same Chef category more than once. Surely, he is in even more limited company when it comes to finalist nominations. Additionally in Best Chef: California, Daniel Castillo of Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano was the other barbecue pitmaster nominated.

Robinson has received some well deserved local press in recent weeks:


The final winners in the restaurant and chef Awards categories will be celebrated on Monday, June 16, during a gala ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Good luck to all the finalists.

Native News

This Saturday, the BBQ Fest on the Neuse in Kinston is attempting to set a Guinness World Record for most barbecue sandwiches sold in 8 hours

Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue in Waynesville is having their grand opening celebration on May 31st featuring a whole hog pig pickin’ and live music

A second Lawrence Barbecue in Cary and a steak restaurant from Christopher Prieto in Durham are two of the most anticipated restaurants opening this year in the Carolinas this spring

Non-Native News

ICYMI, Elliott’s Barbecue opened in Florence earlier this month

Carolina Bar-B-Que in New Ellenton, SC is under new ownership and not only surviving, but thriving

Heirloom Market BBQ is still an essential restaurant in Atlanta

Some fire merch from Peg Leg Porker

Also ICYMI:

So you’ve made it to the Masters; should you get the barbecue sandwich?

Linkdown: 7/26/17

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– Congrats to Carolina Bar-B-Que in Statesville on being open for 32 years!

– Jon G’s BBQ (our current Charlotte #1) is moving up in the world with their spiffy new trailer

– As previously announced, the next location of Midwood Smokehouse will be in Birkdale Village in Huntersville in the old Smoke location

– John Lewis names his pitmasters of the future in Tasting Table

– Tasting Table had their list of America’s Top 11 BBQ Joints from an article back in May, which I don’t believe I saw until now

– Is it ever too hot to eat barbecue? Never.

– Atlanta’s gotten a 4 Rivers Smokehouse (the first outside of Florida) in its burgeoning westside

– A GQ feature on the Austin barbecue scene

– AV Club’s Supper Club explores Alabama’s white sauce, “smoked chicken’s best friend”

– The best barbecue sides in Austin

– Filing this away for future reference…

Carolina Bar-B-Q – Statesville, NC

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IMG_5447
Name: Carolina Bar-B-Q
Date: 7/19/16
Address: 213 Salisbury Rd, Statesville, NC 28677
Order: Regular chopped barbecue pork dinner with baked beans, barbecue slaw, hush puppies, and Cheerwine (link to menu)
Price: $11

Monk: About 3 years BBB (before barbecue blog) – that’s 7 years ago in layman’s speak – I tried Carolina Bar-B-Q on a lark while heading back to Charlotte from a day tubing on the New River. I don’t recall a ton about the meal other than generally liking it but the presence of it on the NC Historic Barbecue Trail has made it a target for a revisit on our neverending quest to try all of the joints on the trail.

Only about a mile off I-77 in Statesville (about an hour north of Charlotte), its hard to miss the joint. The building was opened by owners Gene and Linda Medlin in 1985 and has a  huge green roof and “CAROLINA BAR-B-Q” prominently displayed in white block letters.

Carolina Bar-B-Q is a Lexington-style joint (Statesville is about 40 due west of Lexington), and thus smokes pork shoulders before mixing a dip prior to serving. It’s offered either chopped or sliced and while I liked the chopped it is a little lean and lacks much fat or gristle mixed in. The lack of fat or gristle is a complaint apparently shared by Charles Kuralt calling it “too refined,” but a small note at the register says it’s available on request. I do wish it was noted on the menu itself, so that I would know to ask for it when placing my order. There wasn’t a lot of bark mixed in either but at this point I should know to ask for outside brown at a Lexington-style joint. Rookie mistake.

Speedy: Monk, Monk – you never learn! But a little bark mixed in, whether requested or not, is a sign of a truly superior ‘cue joint. Not including it in a standard order shouldn’t be excused.

Monk: You do get a choice of coleslaw or barbecue slaw, and the barbecue slaw was a pretty standard version. The beans were passable, though they did remind me of Bush’s from a can. The hush puppies were perfectly fried and the best of the sides.

Speedy: True Lexington style joints don’t even offer coleslaw. Just sayin’…

Monk: Fair point. Carolina Bar-B-Q is a barbecue joint reminiscent of a few we’ve tried on the NC Historic Barbecue Trail – solid but unspectacular. All in all, I’d say its still worth a stop for sure.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
Carolina Bar-B-Q Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
Carolina Bar-B-Q

Carolina Bar-B-Q chopped pork dinner combo
Carolina Bar-B-Q sauces
Carolina Bar-B-Q condiments
Carolina Bar-B-Q menu
Carolina Bar-B-Q interior
Carolina Bar-B-Q exterior

Linkdown: 4/23/14

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– Giving a whole other meaning to barbecue hash, the owner/operator of Smokey’s BBQ in Dallas, NC charged for selling marijuana in and around his restaurant

– The NCAA recently allowed unlimited snacks for “student-athletes” and this article runs down the best advantages gained by schools due to local cuisine (many of which are not coincidentally barbecue)

NC State: The Wolfpack will attempt to turn the ACC’s best prospects away from Tallahassee by offering unlimited whole hog barbecue and vinegar-based sauce from The Pit in Raleigh. The toughest recruiting battles on Tobacco Road will be between NC State and North Carolina, which will attempt to lure recruits with fried chicken-and-cheddar biscuits from Chapel Hill’s Time-Out (available 24 hours a day, of course).

– A Barbecue Bros hometown joint gets a shout out from The Great NC BBQ Map

– Is Durham becoming a barbecue mecca? BBQ Jew thinks so.

– The Barbecue Bros tend to stay out of political debates and focus on barbecue, but this final paragraph in a story about last night’s debate of GOP candidates for Senate in NC caught our eye

In a lightning round at the end of the debate, the candidates were asked to pick their favorite style of North Carolina barbecue. Three picked Lexington, which is built around a vinegar-based red sauce.

“I love it all,” said Tillis, smiling coyly.

– The latest stops on Marie, Let’s Eat!’s epic NC barbecue road trip finds him in Hill’s Lexington Barbecue in Winston-Salem, Deano’s in Mocksville, and Carolina Bar-B-Q in Statesville; gotta say I’ve definitely enjoyed reading about Grant’s NC travels (barbecue-related and not) the past few weeks