Some photos from the 12th Annual Plaza Midwood Pig Pick’n yesterday on July 4th, where we stopped in briefly on our way to watch the fireworks uptown. I didn’t get any pig from former Charlotte Observer reporter/columnist Dan the Pig Man‘s food truck but everything smelled quite good and there was a sizable line the entire time we were there. Maybe next year…
-Monk
Name: Smoke & Go Bar-B-Que
Date: 5/10/13
Location: Food Truck Friday at South End
Order: Chopped pork plate with green beans and cole slaw (link to menu)
Bill: $8.78
Every Friday during the warm months, the South End neighborhood in Charlotte hosts a well-attended food truck rally. This is a family friendly event (which is apparently something I have to be concerned with for the foreseeable future now) that is free and usually draws the bigger food trucks in the Charlotte area. The crowd usually consists of a mix of families, yuppies, hipsters, and foodies who bring YOB, blankets, and tailgate chairs for what turns out to be a nice, leisurely night. The last time we went was about a year ago, but this past Friday night we arrived to find that the crowd had more than doubled in size, possibly even tripled.
As we set our blanket down, I noticed a distinct smell of smoke in the air. In addition to the usual taco, grilled cheese, and cupcakes trucks there sat a Smoke & Go Bar-B-Que truck out of Charlotte, NC. The Barbecue Bros had yet to review a barbecue food truck since we started this blog about a year ago, and this one had the shortest line so this was more or less the easiest decision I made that night.
Smoke & Go serves several food items on a given night, including chicken wings, chopped chicken, ribs (both pork and beef), hot dogs, burgers, turkey legs, and fish. Naturally, I went for the chopped pork plate and chose green beans and coleslaw (sadly, white slaw – despite them telling me red). The plate also came with a bun and some sauce. Less than a minute after ordering, they handed me a tray with my food.
The first thing I noticed was that the finely chopped pork had a lot of bark mixed in and that it smelled fantastic. I spooned some onto the bun with some sauce and it made for a really tasty sandwich. Surprisingly, the pork wasn’t dry, which was a concern I would have had with barbecue from a food truck that had presumably been cooked much earlier that day and would have been sitting in some sort of heated pan for most of the day to keep it warm. While the sauce worked nicely with the sandwich, it was a thicker sweet and tangy sauce that I usually don’t prefer on my pork. I did eat some without the sauce and as I mentioned earlier, the pork was moist on its own.
The sides were average – the green beans were fine but were not baked and could have been straight out of a can for all I know. And the slaw was white, as I mentioned above. I admit that I froze up a little at the front of the ordering line and probably could have done a little better with my side choices.
I hadn’t necessarily planned on eating barbecue from a food truck that night, but the situation kind of made the decision for me. And it worked out for the most part – if it tells you anything, Mrs. Monk also got her own chopped pork plate after me.
-Monk
Ratings:
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
From Charlotte Restaurant Traffic on March 13:
Our friend and colleague Patty Dowdy with National Restaurant Properties has just placed Moe’s Original BBQ in the former Pure Taqueria location in Matthews. We loved Pure but thought Matthews was an odd location. Moe’s on the other hand looks to be a perfect fit. They are based out of Colorado and this will be the 2nd North Carolina location, the other is in Ashville.
Based on their Facebook page, they are shooting for a late May opening so despite my slight skepticism (being a chain and all) I may be looking to check it out in just a few weeks.
Update: Here is a press release.
-Monk
Kyle Fletcher’s in Gaston County defeated Red Bridge’s of Shelby in the Charlotte Observer Tournament of Food: Barbecue edition. Prior to the finale, Fletcher’s beat Bill Spoon’s in the semi’s, with Bridge’s taking out Bobbee-O’s.
I will reserve judgement on Kyle Fletcher’s until I actually taste it, but I will be expecting big things if it beat out Red Bridge’s.
It’s not exactly Lexington, not quite Eastern; it’s its own thing – and a remarkably successful one we’d be proud to feed visitors.
“I’ve been twice now,” says Purvis, “and both times, I found myself surprised and delighted – and wondered why I don’t hear more talk about this place among the barbecue fanatics.”
Kyle Fletcher’s, you have officially been added to the list. and I look forward to checking you out.
-Monk