Linkdown: 7/12/17

– The Indy Week: A North Carolina Barbecue Camp Misses the Point About America’s Most Politicized Food

– The latest in the Good Eatin’ series: Southern Smoke BBQ in Garland is open only twice a week and is the rare NC barbecue joint where you will wait in line

– Marie, Let’s Eat! visits three independently-owned locations of the Choo Choo Bar-B-Que chain around Chattanooga, with varying results

– The folks behind The Great NC BBQ Map are back at it again

Timber Creek Mulch in Sherrills Ford sells high quality wood lump charcoal across the country

“It’s a higher use for this wood – whether it’s being used for charcoal or firewood,” he said. “You can take something that’s in one state and transform it into something else with just a little bit of labor. It’s a useful product – the firewood keeps someone warm and makes them happy. That’s the key component – when you do something like art or charcoal that people are making good food with or even firewood that they’re heating their house with or burning in a fire pit outside – you can look at it and think somebody is enjoying that. I like that – I like making people happy.”

– An Atlanta-based private equity group is purchasing Jim ‘N Nick’s and its 37 restaurants in the southeast

– Has GQ never been to Hometown BBQ?

Linkdown: 2/26/14

– Vote for your favorite barbecue restaurant in Charlotte Magazine’s Best of the Best Awards for dining and nightlife here. May we kindly suggest the current Barbecue Bros fave and True ‘Cue approved Midwood Smokehouse.

– The James Beard Award semifinalists were named last week and several Fatback Collective team members were honored

– Speaking of which, the preliminary Rodney Scott In Exile totals are in and approximately $81,000 was raised

– Austin’s La Barbeque is named one of GQ’s best restaurants in America for 2014

– Pride and Joy BBQ’s future NYC location runs into more issues (via)

– South Carolina barbecue chain owner (and noted racist) Maurice Bessinger has died; Southern Foodways has their take on his death

– Firefighters responded to a fire at Old Hickory House in Charlotte earlier today; I haven’t seen anything further about the extent of the damage

– The NC State student paper The Technician had a short profile on Bob Garner, who is currently serving as “minister of barbecue culture” at The Pit in Durham

“My job [as minister of culture] is much more cultural than it is technical,” Garner said. “I do everything from developing new variations of recipes from the original menu, to training staff and taking plates out to the table. Customers faces are shocked to see me and it gives me a conversation starter that allows me to do what I love the most, interact with customers.”

– After not opening in Fall 2013 due to construction issues, Ed Mitchell’s ‘Que (who he is opening along with his son) is now shooting for an April 1 opening in downtown Durham