hush puppies

Name: Wink’s King of Barbeque
Date: 3/2/2013
Location: 509 Faith Rd, Salisbury, NC 28146
Order: Chopped barbecue tray (with coleslaw, hush puppies, and barbecue bread), Diet Cheerwine
Bill: ~$9

This past Saturday, I met my parents in Salisbury to trade cars for a week or two (long story short my father has this genius mechanic to which he wanted to take my car in for a tune-up), so I thought it would be a good excuse to try out a barbecue joint that was both on the NC Historic Barbecue Trail and in the city that claims to be the original birthplace of Piedmont or Lexington-style barbecue. Because of it’s proximity just a half mile off the highway, Wink’s was the place for us.

Because it is included the NC Barbecue Trail, it should be no surprise that Wink’s does indeed cook their barbecue low and slow over a stick burner and I confirmed that by the glorious wood pile and burner out back. Wink’s not only does barbecue but also has seafood, breakfast, and regional items such as livermush or chuckwagon (a favorite of my wife’s) on their menu. In that respect, they are more akin to a local diner. However, inside it definitely looks the part of a barbecue restaurant with light colored wood paneled walls adorned with old Cheerwine and Sundrop signs (two more wonderful Salisbury creations).

I ordered the small chopped barbecue tray (sliced was also an option, but screw that noise), which came with white slaw (boo), hush puppies, and a side of “barbeque bread.” As per yoosh, the food came out shortly after our order. The first thing I tried was the spherical hush puppies and they were pretty much perfect. Nice and fluffy, not too dense, with a nice sweetness to them. Some of the best I’ve had in quite a while as a matter of fact. The barbeque bread was essentially Texas toast and once I tried a half piece of it I decided I didn’t need any more.

As I stated above, the coleslaw was mayonnaise-based and while I am not necessarily against it *COUGHSPEEDYCOUGH* it was a little disappointing considering Salisbury’s proximity to Lexington. This is atypical of the region, and it is curious that Wink’s serves it as opposed to red slaw.

The chopped pork was tender, had nice pieces of bark mixed in, and had good smokiness. The sauce was a bit sweeter than I’d have preferred (or have had from a Piedmont-style barbecue spot) but for the most part I had no real complaints. My parents, also big fans of Lexington #1, liked their food but my dad happened upon a chunk of unchewable gristle in his sandwich. He simply removed it and trucked along.

So would I eat at Wink’s again? Well, if I have ever left Charlotte, am ever driving north on 85, and our upcoming firstborn absolutely cannot make it another 15-20 minutes to get to Lexington #1, sure. But that scenario just seems unlikely to me, and chances are I would just go ahead and make drive into Lexington in this hypothetical scenario. Still, it’s good to know that Wink’s is still doing their old school thing and is conveniently located off the highway if I am ever in a pinch.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Name: Bill Spoon’s Barbecue
Date: 7/28/12
Location: 5524 South Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28217
Order: Monk: Daily Special – small barbecue plate with hush puppies, mustard slaw, mac and cheese, sweet tea; Speedy: Large BBQ special – hush puppies, mustard slaw, onion rings (link to menu)
Bill: Monk – $10; Speedy – $11.50

Monk: In terms of Charlotte, Bill Spoon’s Barbecue is pretty much the closest thing we have to a well-respected, old school barbecue joint. Since 1963, first Bill Spoon himself and now his grandson Steve Jr. has been cooking whole hog, eastern-style NC barbecue on South Blvd. Which in itself is a bit odd considering Charlotte is much closer to Lexington than it is to the eastern part of the state. Nevertheless, despite having lived in Charlotte since 2005 and being well aware of this place, this past weekend was my first visit to Bill Spoon’s. Inside, it definitely looks the part of a proper barbecue joint with wood-paneled walls, white and yellow checked table cloths, and zero frills.

Speedy: Bill Spoon’s has several things on the menu – chicken tenders, fried flounder, etc, but the only real barbecue items are the pulled pork (the signature dish) and the chicken. The restaurant is well respected in Charlotte, with people mentioning it frequently when barbecue comes up in conversation. Like Monk, I had not been despite living in the city for six years, even though it was always on my list of places to try. This sweltering Saturday seemed like as good a time as any.

Monk: Mrs. Monk and I were a few minutes late but before we had arrived so the table could order, Speedy and our other friends had already gotten the first of several baskets of hush puppies (many times fresh out of the deep fryer). That’s right, bottomless made-from-scratch hush puppies – just say the word and they will bring you baskets on baskets on baskets. And that is definitely a beautiful thing – especially when they are as good as the ones here.

Rudy: Whenever a place does this I first get excited…then I start to think they want me to fill up on these and distract me from the barbecue. Hopefully you were able to stay on track and get your fill on the meat.

Monk: *pfft* Please, we aren’t amateurs here.

Speedy: Bill Spoon’s cooks whole hog, which is different than my preferred shoulder-only sampling. However, it’s hard to find too much to complain about when talking about the pork I was served at Bill Spoon’s. It had good flavor, was tender, and had a nice hint of smoke. Overall, I was pleased, though I’m not sure it lived up to some of the accolades I’ve heard from people in Charlotte (who obviously have not been to Lexington).

Monk: The barbecue at Bill Spoon’s doesn’t necessarily need the eastern NC vinegar sauce found on each table, but as a good sauce should, it enhances the pork nicely. I agree that it had good smoke, no doubt attributable to the smokehouse out back.

Speedy: Agreed. I also added some Texas Pete to mine to get a little bit of a kick. None of the sides got me too excited, unless you count the hushpuppies. But Monk, tell them about the slaw…

Monk: Bill Spoon’s is unique in that it actually serves a mustard-based slaw (with some vinegar), as opposed to the typical red vinegar slaw or white mayonnaise slaw. Our disdain for mustard sauce is well documented here, but this was the first time I had seen or even heard of a mustard slaw. I probably liked it a little more than Speedy, but we both agreed that it was better than mayonnaise slaw but not nearly as good as red slaw.

Rudy: I don’t get why places feel they need to put their spin on something as basic as slaw. Just do it the way it’s always made and do it well.

Speedy: The slaw confused me more than anything else. I thought it was OK, but I didn’t feel the need to finish it, like I do with a good red slaw. I wasn’t disappointed in the meal at all, but I feel if you focus your smoking on one item, you should do it really, really well. I don’t think that was the case here, even though the pork was good. If definitely does not supplant Midwood Smokehouse as my favorite ‘cue joint in Charlotte.

Monk: For whatever reason, it took me over 7 years to make my first trip to Bill Spoon’s. Though I will always prefer Lexington style, with its solid, eastern NC barbecue I expect that it will be much, much sooner than 7 years for me to make a return trip.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Chopped Pork – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs