Linkdown: 8/28/13

August 28, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

– In case you missed it, here is Food & Wine’s list of “Best BBQ Cities” which includes Western NC (Lexington and surrounding area) as well as Eastern NC (Raleigh and surrounding area)

In Lexington proper, off Highway 29-70, no-frills Lexington Barbecue has pitmasters who expertly smoke pork shoulder and little else; in Greensboro, Stamey’s Old Fashioned Barbecue makes the best sandwich in town, topped with a pleasantly vinegary slaw and served on paper plates.

– So there’s this: Dallas, TX-based barbecue chain Dickey’s is opening their first Charlotte area restaurant and 15th overall in NC

– ”How much barbecue can Wells Fargo finance?” They have expanded into agricultural lending in eastern NC by adding a team of agricultural lenders in cities like Greenville, Goldsboro, Kinston, Rocky Mount and several others

– The Wine & Swine festival in Corolla makes Our State magazine’s 5 Things Every North Carolinian Should Do In September list

– Speaking of wine, Our State magazine has a wine pairing guide that focuses on the two styles of NC barbecue

– Jester King Brewery and The Salt Lick have collaborated on a pecan wood smoked saison beer called “Censored,” so named because the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission wouldn’t allow them to use The Salt Lick’s name due to some weird restriction which is too bad since the original logo was kind of bad ass:

(image via)

– And finally, with football season about to start, Queen City Q just announced its food truck plans for the season

Hit the Q Truck located in #Panthers Lair before all home games. #cltfood http://t.co/kSw99S9Dvi pic.twitter.com/hvDoQHkLFx

— Queen City Q (@theQclt)

August 27, 2013

Jack Cobb & Son – Farmville, NC

July 13, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Jack Cobb & Son Barbecue Place
Date: 6/23/13
Location: 3883 South Main Street, Farmville, NC
Order: Combo plate with chopped barbecue, chicken leg, slaw, collards, and hush puppies
Bill: $10.75

Speedy: So the whole extended Speedy clan decided to go out to the Outer Banks for a week of vacation, giving me a great excuse to visit the eastern part of NC and check out some eastern NC barbecue. I used the NC Barbecue Trail as my guide to help me pick where to eat.

Monk: Good call…we have to get to our goal of reviewing every stop on the trail before the end of 2013 somehow.

Speedy: First off, let me say this – Farmville is in the middle of nowhere.

Monk: Wait, you’re telling me a town called “Farmville” isn’t in the middle of a bustling urban metropolis? Shocking.

Speedy: And Jack Cobb and Son fits the bill of a place you’d expect to see in the middle of nowhere. The building is on a large plot of land and appears a bit run down. You can see the smokehouse in the back, which didn’t appear to be running when I arrived (around 1 pm). Walking in to the building, I got sort of a school cafeteria feel. You place your order at the counter and your meal is spooned from large vats of pork/slaw/etc. I imagine the food was prepared early that morning, but I don’t have anything to base that off of. As I said, the smokehouse was not going when I was there.

Monk: Based on the speed with how most barbecue joints serve up their food, I imagine this happens behind the scenes in the kitchen but its a little odd for it to be right in front of you.

Speedy: The first thing I noticed when driving up and walking in is that there’s nowhere to eat. Despite being on a decent size plot of land and in a big building, Jack Cobb is strictly take out. As I was a few hours from my destination – this posed a problem. I initially tried to eat on a tree stump in front of the building, but when it started raining, I ended up eating in my car. I don’t understand why a few tables couldn’t be set up inside or some picnic tables set up outside. This bothered me greatly – probably more than it should have.

Monk: I can understand why you were annoyed since the situations combined to kind of put you out, but are you seriously going to ding a take-out only place for being what it probably always has been? Wait, I know the answer to this…

Speedy: Monk, it’s my review and I’ll rate how I want to. Anyhow, I decided to get a combo plate so I could sample both the pork and the chicken. It came with hushpuppies and two sides, which I chose slaw and collards. Normally, I wouldn’t bother with ordering chicken as well, but the combo plate gives you a choice of breast or leg (I chose leg), so I was more intrigued than if it were just pulled or chopped chicken.

Monk: Bold strategy, Speedy. I think this is the first time I can remember either of us ordering chicken from a barbecue joint in North Carolina that wasn’t chicken wings. Let’s see if it pays off…

Speedy: The food was served quickly, in large portions, and very reasonably priced (note: the barbecue sandwich is only $3). I first dug into the pork, which was very good. It was eastern style, chopped well, was tender, moist, and with good flavor. Definitely the highlight of the meal. The plate came with a small side of extra vinegar based sauce, but I didn’t really need it.

Monk: So far, so good…

Speedy: The chicken was incredibly tender – maybe even too much so. When I picked up the chicken leg, all of the meat literally came off the bone. I was a little disappointed in the flavor. The chicken didn’t seem flavored at all and was just OK. Definitely could’ve used some seasoning or rub. The slaw was vinegary, but lacked the tang that I like and the collards were somewhat flavorless.

Monk: And there it is…this kind of reinforces my thought to just plainly avoid ordering barbecue chicken whatsoever.

Speedy: All in all, I enjoyed the pork, but not really the rest of the food or the experience. And while the pork was very good, it still lacked behind Lexington #1 or Allen & Son. Based on the location, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Jack Cobb.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 0 hogs (yes – 0 hogs!)
Pork – 4 hogs
Chicken – 2 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs (all because of the pork)

Wilber’s Barbecue – Goldsboro, NC

May 31, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Wilber’s Barbecue
Date: 5/24/13
Location: 4172 U.S. 70, Goldsboro, NC 27534
Order: Chopped barbecue pork plate with coleslaw, potato salad, and hush puppies, sweet tea (link to menu)
Bill: ~$10

In addition to being a must-stop if you heading east on Highway 70 towards the beach, Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro, NC is a pretty celebrated barbecue joint in its own right. It’s the type of place where presidents tend to stop by and rub shoulders with the locals if they are campaigning in the area (both Presidents Clinton and HW Bush were known to frequent). Heck, supposedly you might even hear folks refer to eastern NC barbecue as “Wilber’s barbecue.” Wilber Shirley began smoking whole hog over hardwood coals in 1962 and my understanding is that it continues in the exact same way today as it did 51 years ago. So yeah, it was a no-brainer for my wife, baby, and I to stop here on our way to Atlantic Beach this past Memorial Day weekend.

Wilber’s is located in a plain rectangular brick building situated right off of Highway 70, with the smokehouse where they smoke the whole hog for 12 hours over hickory and oak logs located behind it. Sadly, as we pulled into the parking lot at dinner time there wasn’t any smoke going. But I did confirm after our meal that there were stacks of logs out back, presumably waiting for smoking early the next day.

As soon as we sat ourselves, we were immediately presented with a basket of hush puppies – always a good sign. There was also a pitcher of sweet tea already on our table, so our visit started off very strongly. Wilber’s serves barbecue chicken and several seafood items, but neither my wife nor I messed with that and ordered a barbecue plate that came with slaw and potato salad.

The chopped pork had visible red pepper flakes and a pleasant aroma of smoke. And it was very good, albeit a little too coarsely chopped for my liking. But still, the texture and taste was outstanding. There are two table sauces – a Wilber’s and a vinegar sauce (both vinegar-based with I believe one being milder in terms of spice). I tried both and while both accentuated the pork I didn’t have a favorite.

The hush puppies (or “bread” as the waitress referred to them when asking if we wanted another basket) were golden brown, oblong-shaped, and great tasting (though not quite as sweet as I would prefer). The slaw was mayonnaise-based and slightly tangy and I didn’t feel the need to finish it. I don’t necessarily think of potato salad with my barbecue, but what was served was mustard based and reminded me of my grandmother’s so I dug it.

When I posted a photo from Wilber’s on social media after our visit, it received a lot of comments and likes because people just plain love the place and have fond memories of stopping here. And while I will always be a Lexington barbecue guy, I can say that I can see exactly why. The food is great and the service is quick and friendly (although I can’t take credit for all of that since waitresses seem to love our little girl). Wilber’s is an eastern NC barbecue institution and well worth a stop on your way to the beach or if you are within shouting distance in the eastern part of the state.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs