Jon G's Jubilee

The 11 Best Barbecue Bites I ate in 2024

/ Barbecue Bros / 2 Comments

Monk: The back half of the year saw a little less barbecue than normal for me, but nonetheless I still had some great bites in 2024. In no particular order, here are the 11 best things I ate this year:

Beef Cheek from Palmira Barbecue in Charleston (review)

I’m not the only fan of Palmira Barbecue, as Daniel Vaughn named them the best Texas barbecue outside of Texas. But I got to check them out a few weeks after opening their West Ashley restaurant in January of this year, and left impressed.

Sweet and savory kolaches at Jon G’s Barbecue in Peachland

My love for Jon G’s is well documented, but I really love the kolaches they now serve for breakfast at their restaurant in Peachland while you wait.

Barbecue Hash over Carolina Gold Rice from City Limits BBQ at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

I have been meaning to get to City Limits Q for years, and in 2025 I will remedy that at the earliest. I did at least get a taste at this past spring’s Carolina BBQ Festival.

Smoked Burger from Southern Smoke at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

A smoked burger served by Matthew Register and the rest of the Register family? Well you can hardly beat that.

Beef tenderloin over campfire in Deep Gap, NC

More of the “live fire cooking” variety versus traditional barbecue, but the beef tenderloin cooked over a campfire while camping with the youngest Monkette and a bunch of neighborhood dads was definitely one of the highlights of my year.

Beef Fat Caramel Wings from Lawrence Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

These wings were the best things I ate this year, hands down.

Whole Hog from Elliott Moss at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

The brewery and smokehouse is still under construction in Florence, SC, but I got to have Elliott Moss’ whole hog not once but twice this year. This was a pleasant surprise.

Carnitas from Union Barbecue (review)

Union Barbecue is my new favorite Charlotte barbecue joint, and I will be their biggest cheerleader in 2025. HEY EVERYBODY, COME WITH ME TO UNION BARBECUE’S NEXT POP-UP, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE.

Texas Trinity at Matt’s BBQ in Portland, OR (review)

Really enjoyed the Texas Trinity from Matt’s BBQ in Portland after a morning hike at Wahkeena Falls. Matt’s BBQ was also named to Daniel Vaughn’s top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of Texas list.

Frito Pie from Fumar (review)

I look forward to checking out more from Fumar in the new year. This Frito pie will be a must order just about every time from now on, though.

Whole hog from Live Fire Feasts

For our neighborhood pool here in Charlotte, I hosted a whole hog party in October catered by Craig Morrow and the fantastic crew at Live Fire Feasts out of Rock Hill, SC. Highly recommend checking them out if you like delicious food cooked over live fire in the Charlotte metro area.

Honorable mention: Whole hog from Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s, Beef Rib Croissant from Jon G’s Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee

What was your favorite barbecue bites this year?

A Thousand Words: The Second Annual Jon G’s Jubilee

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Monk: A family vacation prevented me from attending last year’s Jon G’s Jubilation, which is part barbecue festival and part birthday celebration (the original was created to celebrate Garren’s 40th birthday). This year, my family obligations didn’t conflict with my barbecue obligations, so I made my way to Peachland around 4pm on a Saturday – which, by the way, is an odd feeling – for this year’s edition of the Jubilee featuring Lawrence Barbecue, Elliott Moss, N. Sea Oyster Co., and NoDa Brewing.

Swag and jubilee setup

Beef fat caramel wings from Lawrence Barbecue out of Durham

Beef rib croissant sandwich, burnt ends, and watermelon salad from Jon G’s Barbecue

Oysters from N. Sea Oyster Co. out of Hampstead, NC

Whole hog from Elliott Moss, now out of Florence, SC

Dessert from Brown Creek Creamery in Wadesboro and beverages from NoDa Brewing out of Charlotte

Here’s hoping there is a third edition next year!

Linkdown: 6/19/24 – The Whole Hog Jubilee Edition

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Native News

A couple of updates for this Saturday’s sold out Jon G’s Jubilee: first, Elliott Moss will be cooking whole hog!

…Comedian Tim Shrop will also be at the Jubilee

Elliott Moss has teased plans for his next venture in Florence, SC on Instragram

Meet pit crew member Jamie from Sam Jones BBQ’s Winterville location

After launching their barbecue program last year, Resident Culture is now offering a barbecue class with pitmaster Edmar Simoes. Classes will start on July 14 and run every second Sunday of the month from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. at Resident Culture’s South End location.

Ronald Simmons may be coming to a city near you in July

I’d saw Lewis Donald had a great week last week; first Sweet Lew’s BBQ was serving barbecue at last week’s US Open in Pinehurst

…and then he got engaged! Congrats to the happy couple!

Non-Native News

Lewis Barbecue‘s Charleston location has been closed since last week due to termite damage but will reopen tomorrow but temporarily shifting to outdoor dining with the full menu available from the trailer

Chef Angel Jimenez’s La Piraña Lechonera will continue this year in the South Bronx

Linkdown: 5/17/23 – The Day After National BBQ Day Edition

/ Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Featured

Monk: Garren’s turning 40 in late June and throwing a heckuva party at Jon G’s! The Jon G’s Jubilee will bring in town Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue in Durham as well as the N. Sea Oyster Co from the Topsail Beach area. Charlotte’s Divine Barrel Brewing will provide the beer with ice cream from Wadesboro’s Brown Creek Creamery, who Jon G’s uses for cheeses in their sausages. Tickets will surely go fast for this so if interested, I’d recommend you act quickly.

Ticket info here

Native News

Hubba Hubba Smokehouse has opened for the season; they close each winter and reopen during the spring

Elliot Moss’s Little Louie’s continues to play with smoked meats

Southern Smoke’s Matthew Register is one of the chefs who weigh in on “Boat Chicken”

A belated Happy National Barbecue Day

Non-Native News

Fork Grove BBQ will open this weekend in Anderson

Hector Garate of Palmira BBQ is heading back to Texas for another collab, this time with Khoi Barbecue on May 21

The Memphis in May Barbecue Fest starts this week; here are 10 teams to watch for

How to trim a brisket, by Jess Pryles