Lexington

Linkdown: 4/1/15

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– It’s Saw’s BBQ in Birmingham, AL vs Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby, NC for the championship in Garden and Gun’s Ultimate Barbecue Bracket Challenge; vote until 10pm ET Thursday

– RIP Old Hickory House – it is closing in large part due to the light rail blue line extension construction slowing down business but could reopen somewhere else; CBJ’s article on the closing

Old Hickory House BBQ will close its doors for good on April 4. The well-known, family-run barbecue joint has been in business since 1957, and has operated at its current spot at 6538 N. Tryon since 1972.

– Ed Mitchell’s whole hog barbecue is now available at Midwood Smokehouse as of 5pm on Monday:

– Speaking of Midwood, looks like things are starting to take shape at their forthcoming Ballantyne location

– A few barbecue terms you may not be aware of, including “dip” and “outside brown”

– More on the recently uncovered Lexington barbecue pits from Our State Magazine

Sure, the halls of City Hall are lined with Barbecue Festival posters going back to the first one, in 1984, and there’s a little pig statuette across from the municipal cashier’s desk, but the outside is just boring, a squat one-story yawn of an office with a pointed gray roof and white stucco that sounds hollow when you tap it. And even here there is barbecue, archaeologically speaking. “They found the pit,” Vinson says, really punching the last word.

– Marie, Let’s Eat! takes in Bama Boys BBQ in Henagar, AL and Sugar’s Ribs in Chattanooga, TN

– From the sports world, the latest in the “bbq”/”barbecue” vs “cookout” debate

Linkdown: 3/18/15

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– Now this is cool: workers uncover three barbecue pits behind a wall in the Lexington, NC City Hall building; they are believed to be from Beck’s Barbecue, the first barbecue restaurant in Lexington (h/t @mossr)

– The state of Alabama’s Year of Alabama BBQ campaign now has a website (h/t TMBBQ)

– They’ve also got a smart phone app and book on Alabama BBQ

– Barbecue season has started in South Carolina’s midlands; and they have info on some upcoming classes and events in the region

– Dinosaur Bar-B-Que will open its 9th national location in Chicago this spring

10. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
April will see the arrival of the ninth national location for this well-respected New York-based barbecue chain. Founder/pit master John Stage says Chicago was a natural choice as the existing restaurants have hosted the city’s blues musicians for the past few decades. While the management isn’t ready to divulge full menu details, we’re reassured there will be some new items specific to the Chicago location. We just hope they keep that tender pulled pork sandwich in the lineup. 923 W. Weed St., dinosaurbarbque.com/bbq-chicago

– Here’s a short barbecue guide to SXSW barbecue

– Check out Burger Mary’s guide from last year which should still be very applicable is constantly updated and kept current

– Speaking of SXSW, GE brought a 12 foot “interactive smoker” to the interactive portion of the festival

– In Barbecue Bros news, Speedy may have had it with trying brisket in our fair state:

– The Garden & Gun Ultimate BBQ Bracket 2015 kicked off this morning; check their website for more information

Linkdown: 2/25/15

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– The chapter on Midwood Smokehouse from Marie, Let’s Eat! was posted earlier this week (our photos from the meet up here); he also checked out Mac’s Speed Shop during his Charlotte-area travels in January

– More on Smoke Modern Barbeque’s second location in Ballantyne

– A review of Uncle J’s BBQ and Restaurant in Kings Mountain from the Gaston Gazette

– Expansion into the South is a sign of City Barbeque’s success; Speedy checked out their Cary location a few weeks back and thought it was decent

– Could Aaron Franklin actually win a James Beard Award?

– Did you know a barbecue pork sandwich chain used to dominate Texas and the rest of the south?

– Lexington makes the list on Thrillist’s list of best barbecue cities in the US

– Lockhart also makes the list at #3, and TMBBQ has a timeline of the city’s barbecue

– Is chicken mull having a moment? First a post on The Daily South, then another on Serious Eats (granted, both by Robert Moss), now Garden and Gun has a recipe

Linkdown: 2/18/15

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– Wow, Ed Mitchell’s Que in Durham has closed after less than a year at its American Tobacco Campus location

Mitchell explained that his Durham restaurant did not have any space for private dining for corporate events and only had capacity to cook one whole hog at a time, which was not enough to meet the demands of the restaurant and catering operation. “I fell in love with the space,” said Mitchell, adding that he should have had a better understanding of the space’s limitations compared to his business needs.

– In other closing news, could the River Arts District of 12 Bones Smokehouse be forced to leave its current location in favor of a new “redevelopment plan” along the river?

Now with the start of a multimillion-dollar project to redevelop areas along either side of the French Broad River, the 12 Bones site may have to make way for a new roundabout that is part of a plan to move Riverside Drive to the west, a city official said Friday. It’s a move that’s being contested by the property’s owner, former Asheville Vice Mayor Chris Peterson.

– More coverage on the upcoming Stonecrest location of Smoke Modern Barbeque, which opened its Huntersville location last week

– The Barbecue Festival received won 3 excellence awards at the 2015 North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events ShowFest conference and trade show held in Charlotte on Jan. 24 and 25

– A location of Kansas City chain Gates Bar-B-Q in Missouri burned down Monday night

– From last month, Garden and Gun’s 5 unusual barbecue spots

– Robert Moss’ list of 10 Must-Visit Carolina Barbecue Joints includes several Barbecue Bros faves