NC

Linkdown: 9/23/15

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– Rodney Scott has influenced Sean Brock. Here’s how:

– The history of smoking with mesquite wood

– Marie, Let’s Eat! makes a quick sojourn to SC and visits Hite’s and Little Pigs in the Columbia area, as well as Dennis’ Bar-B-Q on the way back home

– Washington Post’s glossary of NC barbecue terms and where to eat in NC

– Washington Post’s Jim Shahin: Why North Carolina’s Barbecue Scene is Still Smoldering

North Carolina barbecue is certainly at a crossroads, one that gets to the heart of questions about identity and authenticity, and the survival of pit-smoked pork establishments that eschew the everything-for-everybody approach once seemed unlikely. But Skylight Inn and Lexington Barbecue are on track to maybe prove that prediction wrong. And new places such as Picnic and Buxton Hall are helping spark a resurgence in creativity and respect for heritage that may help revive the scene. North Carolina barbecue might someday be removed from the endangered-species list, after all. I’ll hold off on that autopsy for now.

McCall’s Bar-B-Q and Seafood – Goldsboro, NC

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Name: McCall’s Bar-B-Que & Seafood
Date: 9/4/15
Address: 139 Millers Chapel Rd, Goldsboro, NC 27534
Order: Pork barbecue sandwich with slaw on top, hush puppies, and drink (link to menu)
Price: $7.59

Monk: A little over two years ago on our way to Atlantic Beach on NC’s Crystal Coast, I had my first and only experience at Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro. Looking back on that meal, I could have probably rated it a little higher than I did back then at 4 hogs. As much as I would have loved to revisit Wilber’s on a return trip back to Atlantic Beach this past Labor Day, there were a couple other barbecue joints on highway 70 that I decided to try instead. McCall’s BBQ & Seafood was the choice on the drive out this time, just a half mile past Wilber’s in a huge white barn.

Speedy: Monk – before you go any further, I just want to interject. Is there ever a case when you have a hankering for good ole ‘cue and the solution is going to a place that says, “& Seafood” in the name?

Monk: You know, that’s probably a fair point. But even if its not explicitly in the name, several places down east serve seafood along with barbecue. Fuller’s Old Fashion BBQ in Lumberton was another example that turned out pretty well for me.

We were in between lunch and dinner, so I went with a snack of just a pork sandwich and hush puppies. When going eastern style, I prefer to have the mayo slaw served on my sandwiches. And I don’t expect to have a lot of smoke or bark since its coming from a whole hog with the different cuts mixed together. The sandwich was very moist and flavorful and even though I wasn’t exactly hungry, I ate it up very quickly. A minor quibble would have been the lack of spice, since I didn’t grab any Texas Pete packets on my way out.

The hush puppies weren’t as sweet as I liked but were hot out of the fryer. I had no major complaints.

You’ll see soon that I tried another place down the road in Kinston later on this trip, which I will spoil slightly and say that I enjoyed a little more than this sandwich from McCall’s BBQ & Seafood which was by no means bad. However, next time I’m on the highway 70 corridor passing through Goldsboro or Kinston, I’ll likely opt for Wilber’s over both.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – N/A
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs
McCall's Bar-B-Cue & Seafood Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Linkdown: 9/16/15

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– Robert Moss’s second part in his Best of Southern BBQ Awards

– On the different styles of Texas barbecue, from Daniel Vaughn

– Washington Post has a job profile on a barbecue pitmaster from the DC area

– According to Charlotte Observer food critic Helen Schwab, the pork sammie from Kyle Fletcher’s is one of the 5 must-eat dishes for newcomers to the Charlotte area

– Elliot Moss of Buxton Hall is participating in The Hangout Oyster Cook-Off & Craft Beer Weekend in Gulf Shores, AL in November

– TMBBQ has some barbecue recommendations for Colbert in NYC (though he’s been filming there for almost 10 years now)

Linkdown: 9/9/15

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-Did you know? Whole hog barbecue has been a NC pastime for over 300 years

-Barbecue traditions from around the world:

– Though Labor Day has come and gone, here’s some history on the holiday and barbecue that goes back to the early 1900’s

1901 marked the first official recognition of Labor Day in North Carolina, and its celebration included barbecue, too. In Raleigh, the city’s union members and their guests gathered at the State Fairgrounds for music, speeches, and a baseball game between the printers and the pressmen-binders unions. It closed with a feast, and the Raleigh News & Observer noted that, “The tables were laden with Brunswick stew, barbecue, salads, breads, and all the little side dishes that tickle the palate.”

– In Charlotte, the Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge’s Gallery Bar has their hands on two Woodford Reserve Personal Selection Bourbons and are launching them with a barbecue dinner this Friday

– Marie, Let’s Eat! revisits Barbecue Street in Kennesaw, GA and finds it to be a much better visit than his previous two trips there, particularly the newly-changed brunswick stew

– Southern Foodways Alliance previews an upcoming Gravy podcast with “Texans and a Barbecue Love Affair”

-There is a Barbecue Presbyterian Church in Sanford, NC – suck it, every other state – and they are having a barbecue dinner later this month

-Johnny Fugitt has 7 things you need to know about barbecue in America in 2015 based on his barbecue travels in 2014