Linkdown: 10/5/16

– This year’s Mallard Creek Barbecue will be Thursday, October 27

In 2016, we expect to cook 14,600 pounds of pork barbecue, prepare 2,500 gallons of Brunswick stew, shred 2 tons of Cole slaw, brew 400 gallons of coffee, and entertain close to 20,000 people.  Four drive-thru take out lines will be operated for orders of one sandwich up to EXTRA large group orders.  Orders of 50-plates or more can be quickly accommodated with a call ahead to the take-out stand.

– Fox Bros BBQ is on this Food Republic list of 10 places to eat in Atlanta right now

– Charlotte Agenda checked out Midwood Smokeshack a few weeks back

– Their Raleigh sibling documented last weekend’s Whole Hog Barbecue Championship in photos and words

– The editor of the Winston-Salem Journal writes a love letter to NC barbecue but seemingly doesn’t realize that Lexington-style barbecue contains vinegar

– The Daily Show set up a barbecue food truck in Raleigh named Bone Bros Flamin’ BBQ that discriminated to people by accusing them of being “gay”; it was inspired by HB2

– Charlotte writer D.G. Martin’s book North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries is “a local traveler’s guide to local restaurants, diners, and barbecue joints”

– Martin’s book includes Asheville-area barbecue joints 12 Bones and Luella’s Bar-B-Que, writes the Asheville’s Mountain Express

– Charlotte Magazine goes to Lexington

Linkdown: 10/21/15

– In honor of tomorrow’s Mallard Creek Barbecue, here’s Kathleen Purvis’s story from last year on the history behind its famed brunswick stew

– Charlotte  Agenda thinks Smoke Modern Barbeque is a “good bet to be Charlotte’s next breakout restaurant brand”; I’m not so convinced based on their Huntersville restaurant (currently #19 on our big board) that was decent, but overpriced with small portions – though I will say that I plan to check out the new Stonecrest location at some point

– TMBBQ’s top25 new and improved barbecue joints in Texas, plus photographer Wyatt McSpadden’s photos from each

It’s been two years since Texas Monthly published its last Top 50 BBQ Joints list. It was a feat of reporting that took me and my barbecue-eating cohorts across the state to eat at countless legendary restaurants, holes-in-the-wall, out-of-the-way joints. The work didn’t end when the issue went to press. My job since then has essentially been one giant scouting mission for the next list slated for the summer of 2017.

– Marie, Let’s Eat! has more barbecue in Florida at Harry and Larry’s Bar-B-Que, this time in a revitalized downtown Winter Garden

– Fayetteville, NC is getting the third NC location of Mission BBQ

– Charlotte Agenda previews new food available at Hornets games this year, including the expanded Queen City Q outpost

– Ever wonder where folks who smoke meat for a living get their barbecue? This is the article for you

– B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque has returned from a fire and reopened in a new location in Savannah

– Daniel Vaughn has tips for ordering barbecue like a pro in First We Feast

Mallard Creek BBQ

This past Thursday, I visited my first Mallard Creek Barbecue during a late lunch break on a perfectly crisp fall day. The church barbecue was in its 84th year and this year cooked 14,000 pounds of barbecue, 2,500 gallons of brunswick stew, 2 tons of slaw, and over 8,000 sandwiches. Speaking of sandwiches – my two sandwiches were pretty great and honestly better than most restaurant options in Charlotte. Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s barbecue – always the fourth Thursday of October – because it’s definitely worth checking out for any serious barbecue fan.

-Monk