Good news: the Annual Mallard Creek Barbecue returns for its 93rd iteration on Thursday, October 24! And after a couple years hiatus, dine-in eating returns! Mark your calendars.
Native News
File under “things you love to see”: Old Colony Smokehouse in Edenton has added whole hog barbecue to its daily menu
Speaking of whole hog, the Carolina Barbecue Festival is hosting a new fall event: the Fall Pig Pickin’ will take place on Sunday, October 6th from 12-4
Monk: Team applications for Memphis in May are officially open for next year’s festival which will take place in Liberty Park
This of course is after a new, upstart festival has been announced to be held at (plot twist) Tom Lee Park, where Memphis in May had traditionally been held. Forward Momentum are the organizers behind the rival festival which will be held at the same time as Memphis in May, and Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porkers is on board to compete, even going so far as to say “BBQ in Memphis belongs on the river, and with Forward Momentum, we now have the means and resources to make it happen.”
As for me? If I make either festival it will surely be Memphis in May at Liberty Park.
Finally, in perhaps somewhat related news, the CEO of Memphis in May is retiring at the end of January.
Native News
Congrats to Raleigh’s The Pit, which will celebrate 15 years open this weekend
Phar Mill Brewing and BBQ’s downtown Concord location is now closed to the public and they will focus on the original Harrisburg location going forward
Can’t wait to see this new Jon G’s design on a t-shirt
FoodieScore checks back in with Johnny Ray’s Smokehouse in Fallston
A free gift with purchase from Concord’s SnS Grills
Speaking of gifts, this shirt from House of Swank is a little too reductive terms of barbecue ideology, but I appreciate it nonetheless
Non-Native News
FatStack Smokers, who relocated from California to Texas and has been accused of taking customers’ money without providing actual smokers, has closed up shop
FatStack Smokers, which recently moved operations from L.A. to Houston, appears to have closed up shop with a long list of pre-paid orders unfulfilled (per Redditt & FB user page). The owner previously addressed troubles on YouTube. h/t @KevinsBBQJointshttps://t.co/xkfeJICgpY
Speaking of Houston, here’s J.C. Reid’s top 30 barbecue restaurants list for the city
Here's a new barbecue list, if you're interested. 30 of Houston's top barbecue joints as of late 2023, my latest for the @HoustonChron (gift link). https://t.co/WgCB1XAh5j
One more from J.C. Reid on how brisket makes a Philly cheesesteak even better
Brisket makes everything better, right? It certainly makes classic sandwiches like a Philly cheesesteak better, at least in this Texan's opinion. My latest for the @houstonchron. (free link) #houbbq@RoegelsBarbecuehttps://t.co/NZfZ8lqNF6
Big Dave’s BBQ makes this Eater Essentials list for Greenville, SC
A review of a new type of grill brush
Talk about a #woodpilewednesday
If my measurements are correct and an orange cone is 28 inches tall, I think we are looking at around 16 feet of oak stacked painstakingly by the folks at California Firewood Sales. pic.twitter.com/JVYFiI3zA8
Monk: Queen City Nerve goes deep on the roots of the newly opened Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly. While I haven’t made it out there myself (and couldn’t make the media opening due to family commitments), I do plan to make the trip very soon. After reading this article about the barbecue restaurant/fish camp/brewery, I’m even more excited.
With their opening along the banks of Dutchman's Creek in Mount Holly two weeks ago, Firehawk Brewpub is a space that looks to prioritize community, workers … and damn good beer, barbecue and fish camp. https://t.co/nDbmfjj63s
Dana Hanson is a Meat Scientist at NC State and runs their annual barbecue camp, modeled after Texas A&M
There’s no shortage of barbecue experts in North Carolina, but only one hosts the NC State BBQ Camp. That’s Dana Hanson, an NC State Extension meat science specialist who humbly refers to himself as “the meat guy.” https://t.co/SkYWURvY4g
Monk: The biggest news from a mostly quiet past three months was the reopening of Bubba’s Barbecue in north Charlotte after 2+ years closure due to the pandemic. It technically opened over the summer, but that was a quiet reopening and it wasn’t publicized until October.
As noted in the article linked below, the restaurant first opened in 1963 as Jackson and Spoon’s Barbecue (later just Spoon’s Barbecue) on South Boulevard. In 1987, owner Ralph Miller purchased the restaurant and the original recipes. He later renamed the restaurant Bubba’s Barbecue and moved it to Sunset Road, where it has been serving Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue since 1994.
I’ll have a report back in a few weeks, but in the meantime it’s good to have a classic barbecue restaurant back in operation.
October
10/7 Bubba’s Barbecue quietly reopened over the summer, reports the Charlotte Observer
Bubba’s Barbecue closed at the beginning of the pandemic. It serves slow-cooked Eastern NC-style barbecue, with brisket, ribs and sides. https://t.co/kd8Dd1BPfP
10/18 Local coverage from WSOC TV on Phar Mill Brewing & BBQ‘s expansion into Concord
10/23 Courtney’s BBQ in nearby Clover opened a brewery that is open every day the restaurant is
November
11/7 The Smoke Pit wins Best Soup for its Smoked Chicken and Dumplings in the 17th Annual Soup Sampling by Cabarrus County’s Meals on Wheels
11/17 Jon G’s Barbecue collaborated with Virtuoso Bread in Waxhaw by smoking a bag of rye berries for 4 hours “in a way that the flavor would come out gentle and not too intrusive”
11/30 The NC F&B Podcast publishes its podcast visit to Jon G’s Barbecue
December
12/19 Midwood Smokehouse’s Raleigh location (opening this month) will have some different items than their current stores, including what looks to be a crunchwrap-type item
12/28 Mac’s Speed Shop has new menu items until the end of February, including this beef rib
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