Linkdown: 8/28/19

Robert Moss’s annual top 50 barbecue list for Southern Living is always worth a read, and this year is no different because of Moss’ inclusion of “not the usual” suspects

Coverage of the list: a SC restaurant topped the list, 8 total SC restaurants (and 3 Midlands) made the list. two Houston restaurants, only one Dallas restaurant

If Moss wasn’t busy enough, he’s got 3 recent barbecue books worth checking out from Sam Jones, Matthew Register, and Jim Auchmutey

More new Charlotte barbecue incoming:

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint’s Charleston location (its 10th) has hit the ground running according to the Charleston City Paper

It’s official: Matt Horn is opening a brick and mortar in the bay area

A “Black Tie BBQ” event is a more budget-friendly barbecue event worth checking out at next year’s Charleston Wine and Food Festival with Rodney Scott, John Lewis, Aaron Siegel, Taylor Garrigan, and Anthony DiBernardo, as well as out-of-towners Amy Mills and Matthew Register

A short article on Lexington Barbecue from the local Fox affiliate

There’s a new brisket option in the lowcountry of SC in Malone Barbecue

Rodney Scott is officially coming to Atlanta

Linkdown: 7/3/19

Very helpful when it comes to Lexington-style barbecue

A recap of Sam Jones’s book tour stop in Nashville last week at the downtown location of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint

Home brisket smoking tips from pitmasters from Hill Country and Randall’s Barbecue

Sorry but you already missed the second annual Great North Carolina Vegan Barbecue Cookoff ; it took place in Asheville last Sunday

First time in Kansas City and looking for barbecue? Well this guide from The Takeout is for you

A rundown of Detroit’s barbecue joints from 2017

Yet another list of “must-stop” barbecue joints from the noted barbecue experts at BobVila.com

A profile on pitmaster Matt Horn in the San Francisco Chronicle

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint – Charleston, SC

Name: Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Date: 5/28/19
Address: 1622 Highland Ave, Charleston, SC 29412
Order: Whole hog barbecue sandwich with hoecake (link to menu)
Pricing: $

Monk: My Memorial Day weekend in the Charleston area began and ended with two great whole hog barbecue sandwiches. At the end of a weekend of drinking and eating junk food at the beach, both myself and Mrs. Monk were no in no mood to share a huge platter of meat. For a review of nearly the full menu at the Martin’s in downtown Nashville, check out our extremely positive review from last summer.

On the Monk family’s drive from the Mount Pleasant Pier to James Island, I texted Speedy to get recommendations on what to get from Nashville (something I didn’t do for Central BBQ in downtown Memphis), and he said I really couldn’t go wrong with anything. Again, seeing as how I wasn’t going to order several meats, I went with the whole hog sandwich with a hoecake as my side and a glass bottle of Cheerwine (no beer for me after the long weekend).

This was a pretty dang good sandwich that came topped with white slaw. I added a splash of vinegar sauce and Texas Pete and while this wasn’t quite on the level of the sandwich from Sweatman’s, it was still very good. Not too bad for a joint open for just a few weeks, even if it is from the well-oiled barbecue machine that is Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joints. Based on this sandwich, I can only assume that the rest of the menu would be of similar quality and thus on par with what Speedy regularly gets in Nashville.

I ordered the hoecake as my side and looking back, a cornbread pancake probably wasn’t the smartest side to order if I was trying to eat lighter. And it turns out that I had forgotten that I had actually tried one in Nashville as part of our Big Poppa Sampler platter. In our review, I did note that I would definitely get them again so thankfully, I did not regret my decision.

This Charleston location had only opened a few weeks prior to our visit but has already become a local favorite. And for good reason, as all indications point to it already being on par with other Martin’s locations due to its great food as well as its fun-looking beer garden outdoor bar area. Charlestonians should count themselves very lucky to have yet another option for whole hog barbecue (in addition to Rodney Scott and Swig & Swine in Summerville) in Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint.

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

Linkdown: 6/12/19

From this month’s barbecue issue of Charlotte Magazine

Texas Monthly on 2019’s best barbecue books

Houston’s barbecue scene is on fire

Several Lexington barbecue joints are featured in this blog post from Bites of the Bull City

Robert Sietsema on the history of barbecue in NYC from the 80’s to the present

Sam Jones will be doing a book event at the downtown Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville on June 25

Congrats to The Smoking Ho on 6 years