Monk

At Real Q, Lexington-style Barbecue is on the Menu

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Name: Real Q
Date: 11/28/25
Address: 4885 Country Club Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Order: Chopped plate with fries, BBQ slaw, and hush puppies; Cheerwine (link to menu)
Pricing: $

Monk: In April 1991, Richard Berrier and two business partners opened the original Little Richard’s BBQ on Country Club Road in Winston-Salem. Twenty-seven years, a couple of business partnership splits, and several restaurant spinoffs later, it changed its name in to “Real Q” in January of 2018 to distinguish itself from the other Little Richard’s in the the area (now Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Yadkinville, Walkertown and Mount Airy). Fortuitously, Berrier is also known as “Q” in the industry, so the name works on a couple of levels.

The Country Club location of Little Richard’s is the one that Speedy visited 5 years before the name change in 2013 and enjoyed quite a bit, rating it 4 hogs. On that visit, he loved the BBQ slaw and hush puppies while enjoying the pork itself a little less, noting that he would have liked more smoke. I had never visited that, or any other, Little Richard’s so this past Thanksgiving in the Triad it was time to check it out the restaurant formerly known as Little Richard’s.

Real Q is a classic Lexington-style joint with Winston-Salem memorabilia lining the walls

Being less than 25 or so miles from Lexington, NC, it’s no surprise that Real Q would take on the shape of a classic Lexington-style barbecue joint. Meaning smokestacks in the back, no frills dining, and red slaw and hush puppies on the menu.

What may be more surprising is the quality and depth of Winston-Salem memorabilia that lines nearly every available wall space. Home to Texas Pete and RJR (formerly the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company founded in 1875), the walls reflect that Winston-Salem heritage in addition to a few, unrelated cigarette and retro cola brands. Behold:

Decor aside, of course I was there for the barbecue. Lack of smoke, which Speedy observed on his 2013 visit, was not an issue for me. A mixture of the barbecue topped with the table dip and mixed with red slaw made for a perfect bite of barbecue.

On his visit, Speedy found the red slaw to be cold and perfectly tangy, offering a nice contrast to the pork and I would agree. The hush puppies were some of the best I’ve had in recent memory, and the youngest Monkette (who normally isn’t a hush puppy fan), agreed as well. She ended up finishing the rest of the basket.

At Real Q their motto is “if it ain’t over wood, it ain’t as good” and they have the wood pile out back to prove that they do just that. And its cue I would rank alongside some of the very best in the town of Lexington. Next time, I’ll be checking out Little Richard’s to see if they stack up well to Real Q.

For more on Real Q, check out a 2021 review from John Tanner’s BBQ Blog

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 5 hogs
Pork – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

A Thousand Words: Whole Hog, Take Two

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Monk: Last weekend, I cooked my second whole hog. I’ll be following up on my “Seven Things I’m Going to Do Differently” post in due time to update on how I did on each one, but in the meantime, here are some photos from the weekend.

I got the fire started shortly after 10 on Friday night and got the hog on about an hour later.

The Jon G’s Beer from Town Brewing was a good call for the cook on Friday night.

After an all night cook, the hog finished up early afternoon and I got ready to feed the 350 or so people who had RSVP’d to the event, which was officially the Second Annual Pig Roast for my neighborhood swim club. Last year, I had it catered but wanted to take on the official pig duties this year.

What a fun, tiring experience. I don’t know when my next hog will be, but I had a blast for this one.

City Limits Barbeque has my favorite bite of the year

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Name: City Limits Barbeque
Date: 6/14/25
Address: 1119 Methodist Park Rd, West Columbia, SC 29170
Order: Quarter pound brisket, half pound chopped pork, chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins,1 mild sausage link, hash and rice, sweet beans, collards, shells and cheese, jalappeno pimento cheese (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Have you been to a James Beard-nominated barbecue joint? There are only but a few of those around, so chances are you might not have. How about one that’s been nominated as a semifinalist twice in two years, believed to be the only joint to have that distinction? Well if you’ve been to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC, you can say that you have. It may also hold the distinction to be perhaps the only James Beard nominee to display their nomination next to a loaf of Wonder Bread:

My visit to City Limits had been years in planning before I finally made the trip. I had previously met owner and pitmaster Robbie Robinson through Garren Kirkman of Jon G’s but had only tried his food once before: his barbecue hash over Carolina Gold rice at last year’s Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte. It was one of my favorite bites of the festival and on this day was a close second to my favorite bite of the day and possibly the year.

Speaking of which, the chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins mixed in holds that particular distinction. Robinson smokes pork shoulders as well as pork bellies over direct heat with just a salt rub and chops them together. You can choose whether to have the skins mixed in or not, but I beg you to please get the crispy skins mixed in. It’s then placed upon a nice hefty bun that can withstand the generous portion and you won’t be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t.

In addition to being a James Beard nominee, City Limits also has the distinction of being one of the top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of the state of Texas according to Texas Monthly. I tried a slice of the fatty brisket and while Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the look of the slice I got when I spoke with him at the register, it was more than solid. Being a Texas-style joint, there were a couple of house made sausages on the menu, and I went with the mild hot link which was above average like the brisket. A few days later, I put these two leftovers together into a fold over on a piece of white bread with a dill pickle and had a great snack.

All of the sides at City Limits are scratch made, and there wasn’t a miss in any of the ones I selected: sweet (pinto) beans, shells and cheese, and collards which were Mrs. Monk-approved. I can’t forget to mention the jalapeno pimento cheese, which we saved to eat a few days later during our week at the beach.

Robinson likes to say that it’s better than the pimento cheese at the Masters, and after visiting myself earlier in the year for the first time I can’t disagree. My only complaint was that I didn’t buy a bigger tub of it; it’s a must get.

Unfortunately, Robbie and team (all of which were able to attend the awards ceremony in Chicago with him in person) did not take home the award for Best Chef: Southeast last Monday; instead it went to Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville. However in this case it’s not cliche to say that it’s an honor just to be nominated; particularly when its twice in two years.

If you get there during or just prior to the lunch rush at City Limits Barbeque, be prepared for roughly a two hour wait; that was our experience getting there at 10:30am Saturday before an 11am open. Another potential approach would be to wait until 2 or 3pm once the rush has died down. You may risk some items being sold out, but this past weekend I saw someone was still able to nab a beef rib so you never know.

In any case, don’t be a dummy like me and delay your visit to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 5 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Barbecue Hash – 5 hogs
Sides – 5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs

So you’ve made it to the Masters; should you get the barbecue sandwich?

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Monk: So you’ve won the literal lottery and have Master’s tickets. What’s the move when it comes to food?

At a price of $3, it would be very tempting to snag a barbecue sandwich in the concession line (which may look lengthy but in my experience always moves at a pretty quick pace). But should you?

In my experience…no, not really. That is, if you are expecting anything resembling true barbecue. There’s no semblance of smoke and it’s doused in a sweet sauce and while it’s a tasty enough snack, it’s really more akin to taking a pork shoulder cooked in a crockpot, adding some Sweet Baby Ray’s, and scooping it between a cheap burger bun.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s just not what I’m looking for in a pork barbecue sandwich and I assume the same for readers of this blog.

Instead of the barbecue, I’d recommend ordering the following. Quick power ranking of the other sandwiches I tried at the 2025 Masters go:

  1. Egg Salad Sandwich – alongside the pimento, the other classic Masters sandwich for the low, low price of $1.50. This was by far my favorite sandwich of the day.
  2. Chicken Salad Sandwich – this one also costs $3 same as the barbecue sandwich. Obviously, I liked it much more but it’s just a solid, solid sandwich.
  3. Pimento Cheese Sandwich – I think I got a dud of a sandwich because the bread to pimento cheese ratio was way off. That said, I don’t know if the pimento cheese itself was as good as I was expecting. I have heard stories of people combining the pimento cheese and barbecue sandwiches but to me that just sounds like mid + mid = mid.

If you’re at the Masters, you really can’t do wrong with buying any of them though. And thanks to their legendary pricing, you really can try it all and not be out more than a $10 bill.

And plus, you’re at the Masters! The food won’t make or break your day because you’re at a bucket list life event. Get whatever sandwich(es) you’re feeling, get a $6 beer, and eventually get a peach ice cream sandwich. You’re going to have a good day no matter what.