Charlotte

Linkdown: 1/6/16

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– Daniel Vaughn’s best Texas barbecue bites in 2015

– Upcoming Durham restaurant openings include Picnic, a “modern take on barbecue joint” set to open in early February as well as a “biscuit and barbecue concept” at the American Tobacco Complex

– Franklin Barbecue is on this list of Austin restaurants that are opting out of open carry; on the other end of the spectrum, Brooks Place in Houston is giving open carry patrons 25% off

– Midwood Smokehouse is one of the restaurants who have expanded from the uptown area to the ‘burbs

– Duh:

– The year in Kansas City barbecue

– Rodney Scott gives thanks

Treehouse Whiskey and Fork – Charlotte, NC

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Name: Treehouse Whiskey and Fork
Date: 12/22/15
Address: 4423 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
Order: Large plate (pork, brisket, ribs, sausage) with coleslaw, tater tots, and jalapeno cheddar biscuit; smoked backyard wings, skillet cornbread, and buffalo shrimp; 5 beers (link)
Price: $72 (for 3)

Monk: Happy Birthday, Speedy!

Speedy: Thanks, bro.

Monk: So on the night of his actual birthday, Speedy chose Treehouse Whiskey & Fork, a Charlotte restaurant in SouthPark of which I was unaware of just how much a barbecue joint it actually was – it describes itself on its website as “a new take on BBQ and New American Style cooking”.

Speedy: I had been a couple times before, but hadn’t really had the barbecue, so thought this was a good time to bring Monk (and friend of the blog Susong) in for reinforcements. Little did I know, we’d have an additional soldier on our squad, but more on that later. Anyway, the atmosphere at Treehouse is really great – even down to the tree literally in the middle of the restaurant. A large bar, good beer and whiskey selection, and large outdoor patio make this a great place for grabbing drinks with friends. But is it a good place for ‘cue?

Monk: Somehow, I missed the tree in the middle of the restaurant. As for the food, the pork was not bad, with smokey pieces of bark mixed in with mostly moist pork. Not bad, but maybe a little on the bland side. The brisket, on the other hand, didn’t have the fat properly rendered and was poorly smoked. Just bad.

Speedy: The ribs were definitely baby backs, and a little on the small side. They were slathered in sauce and a little overcooked, making it hard to get a good bite. They did have a decent flavor, but not the best ribs in my opinion. The sausage had good flavor, but not enough snap to the casing. The flavor made up for that, though, and I’d order the sausage again. The wings were pretty good. In Charlotte, it’s pretty rare to find smoked wings instead of fried, so I really appreciate them when I can get them. These weren’t the best smoked wings, but worth re-ordering. While not barbecue, the buffalo shrimp were awesome.

Monk: The large plate came with a jalapeno cheddar biscuit but we ordered some skillet cornbread in order to get that fix. The tots and the slaw that came with the meal were standard, and of course Speedy stayed away from the mayo slaw.

Speedy: OK – enough ‘cue talk. Now we need to tell you about the Mont-dawg. The Mont-dawg was a super drunk golfer who was there with some friends after a round of golf earlier that day. He took a liking to our group, buying us a round of Fireball shots. However, he REALLY took a liking to a group of 16-year old girls sitting near us. While he didn’t buy them shots, he did ask them if they’d be willing to babysit his three kids. Mont-dawg also successfully guessed Monk’s real name, got left by his friends, ran off a waitress, refused us buying him a shot (because “y’all – I make a ton of money.”) I wish I could remember all the rest of the Mont-dawg quotes, but alas, there was too much. But big shout out to the Mont-dawg, wherever you are. This one’s for you…

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs (specifically because of Mont-dawg; your mileage may vary)
Pork – 3 hogs
Brisket – 1.5 hogs
Ribs – 2 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Wings – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs
Treehouse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Linkdown: 12/30/15

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– Robert Moss finishes up 2015 with two posts: Barbecue is Celebration Food and 2015 in Review

As is often the case with food origin myths, these tales get things exactly backwards. Barbecue did not originate as a way to transform cheap cuts of meat into something palatable. Instead, it started as a way to cook all of the cuts of meat at one time, for barbecue originally was a form of whole animal cookery.

In the 19th century, barbecues were large-scale outdoor events, and local farmers donated valuable livestock for the occasion—pigs, cows, sheep, goats, or whatever else they had on hand. On the Fourth of July in the antebellum South, long before refrigeration and reliable supplies of ice, fresh meat didn’t stay fresh for very long. The animals were typically taken to the site of the barbecue and slaughtered right there by the pits.

– Marie, Let’s Eat! spends some time in Kentucky: Thomason’s Barbecue in Henderson and Ole South Bar-B-Q in Owensboro

– Steve Raichlen recaps his 2015 in barbecue

– Congratulations to Midwood Smokehouse, who comes in at #32 in Charlotte Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants in Charlotte

Charlotte Barbecue Joint Big Board – December 2015

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The Smoke Pit – Concord, NC
Tray from The Smoke Pit
Killer Q
Killer Q
Ballantyne location of Midwood Smokehouse

Since our last big board in January, a few new notable joints have popped up (particularly The Smoke Pit at #4 and the second location of Midwood Smokehouse at #2), a few have closed (including  longtime north Charlotte joint Old Hickory House, #9 on our list), and we even debuted our Austin version of the list. In terms of future 2016 reviews, the trend appears to be towards food trucks and upscale barbecue restaurant concepts, save for maybe something like Glenn’s Again in Kannapolis.

What other Charlotte area joints should we check out? Feel free to weigh in on your favorite in the comments and if you present a strong enough case we will try to head there next. I recently checked out The Smoke Pit based on reader feedback and loved it, so we do try to take feedback seriously when we can.

-Monk

  1. Boone’s Bar-B-Que Kitchen (food truck)
  2. Midwood Smokehouse (Ballantyne) new
  3. Midwood Smokehouse (original review)
  4. The Smoke Pit new
  5. Queen City Q
  6. Sauceman’s (original review)
  7. Bill Spoon’s Barbecue (original review)
  8. Kyle Fletcher’s Barbecue & Catering
  9. Old Hickory House CLOSED April 2015
  10. The Improper Pig
  11. Killer Q new
  12. Elwood’s Barbecue & Burger Bar CLOSED September 2015
  13. Bar-B-Q King
  14. 521 BBQ and Grill (Tega Cay)
  15. 521 BBQ and Grill (Indian Land)
  16. Mac’s Speed Shop (Steele Creek) new
  17. Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q (Concord) 
  18. The Q Shack new
  19. Smoke & Go Bar-B-Que (food truck)
  20. Smoke Modern Barbeque (Huntersville) new
  21. Mac’s Speed Shop
  22. R&R Bar-B-Que (Concord)
  23. Lancaster’s BBQ (Huntersville)
  24. Lancasters’s BBQ (Mooresville)
  25. Rock Store Bar-B-Q (Stallings)
  26. Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que (food truck) new
  27. Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que (original review)
  28. McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon
  29. Brooks’ Sandwich House
  30. Rock Store Bar-B-Q (Mint Hill)
  31. Bobbee-O’s BBQ
  32. Farmer’s BBQ
  33. Bubba’s Barbecue 
  34. JJR’s BBQ Shack
  35. Ranucci’s Big Butt BBQ new
  36. The Dixie Pig (Rock Hill) new
  37. City Smoke
  38. OooWee BBQ (food truck)
  39. Carolina Ribs on the Run (Mooresville) CLOSED July 2014
  40. R.O.’s Bar-B-Que

Still to review: Dan the Pig Man (food truck), Q2U, Fort Mill BBQ Co, Bodrick’s BBQ, Glenn’s Again (Kannapolis), Slow Smokin’ BBQ (food truck), Smokey J’s BBQ (food truck), Treehouse Whiskey and Fork, Smoke Modern Barbeque (Stonecrest), Seoul Food Meat Market (coming soon), Unnamed Jim  Noble barbecue restaurant (coming soon), Midwood Shackhouse (coming soon), Unnamed Martin Sprock Mediterranean smokehouse (coming  soon)

Previous Big Boards: January 2015, May 2014, December 2013, July 2013