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The Barbecue Bros’ 2024 Holiday Gift Guide

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Monk: For this year’s Gift Guide, we’re continuing with last year’s trend of curation. Hopefully this will give you a sense of the items we truly recommend here at Barbecue Bros, whether it be t-shirts or hats, grill accessories you’ll use in the backyard, or rubs and sauces. What else have we missed? Comment below.

Charlotte-Area Barbecue Gifts

Concord, NC-based SnS Grills recently introduced a new model “MasterKettle” combination charcoal grill and smoker and are also running a sale on grills and accessories on their website. Sweet Lew’s BBQ still has a solid selection of hats as well as shirts, sauces, and rubs available online including the above handsome baseball tee.

North Carolina Barbecue Gifts

Sam Jones has refreshed some of their merch, including this fantastic tie-dyed t-shirt available for both adults and kids and on the opposite end of the color spectrum, a camo patch hat. If you’re looking for more of a pick-me-up, Stamey’s in Greensboro sells their coffee online in addition to bottles of their dip and hot sauce. And Raleigh’s House of Swank has the always controversial “Tomato” vs “Vinegar” t-shirt. I’ve continued to use Carolina Brewery’s Carolina Dry Rub over the past year, and would recommend it as a go-to rub on pork butt, ribs, burgers, turkey, and steak.

You can also get cookbooks from North Carolina authors like Sam Jones’ autographed cookbook, Matthew Register’s “Southern Smoke” cookbook, Elliott Moss’s cookbook under the Buxton Hall Barbecue name, and last year’s release of Ed and Ryan Mitchell’s cookbook.

Books

My favorite barbecue books ever are as follows (in no particular order): Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina BBQ by John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed, Barbecue Crossroads: Notes and Recipes from a Southern Odyssey by Robb Walsh, The One True Barbecue: Fire, Smoke, and the Pitmasters Who Smoke Whole Hog by Rien Fertel, Black Smoke: African Americas and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller, and finally, Smokestack Lighting: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country by Lolis Eric Elie.

Honorable mention goes to Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue by Daniel Vaughn, Robert Moss’ Barbecue: The History of an American Institution, Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America by Jim Auchmutey, Wyatt McSpadden’s two Texas BBQ books of wonderful photography, Aaron Franklin’s Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto, and Hardcore Carnivore by Jess Pryles.

Apparel

Perhaps I’ve missed it, but Franklin Barbecue’s merchandise is new to me and I’m digging the retro vibes, particularly this grey crew neck and this green dad hat. Weathersbeef has a few hats in a couple of designs including one that simply enough says “Beef.” Rodney Scott’s mantra is “Every day is a good day” and he has an updated t-shirt saying exactly that.

Grilling Tools and Accessories

My essential backyard grilling or barbecue instant thermometer is the Thermapen One. You’ll also likely need grill and meat temperature thermometers, and Thermapen has a version as does Inkbird, who created the world’s first 5G thermometer. The Looft Air Lighter X cordless version is once again half off. Grill Armor heat gloves are a good option to keep your hands away from heat sources. Version two of the Drip EZ BBQ Prep Tub is now available and its ingenious collapsible design makes it easy to store. Hardcore Carnivore always has good stuff, whether its butcher paper, high heat gloves, or various knives. Meat Church is another great source and also has an assortment of rubs, injections, t-shirts, and hats as well as a glencairn sipping glass if you like to drink whiskey while you smoke.

Stocking Stuffers

Are your kids sick of stopping for barbecue? Maybe this kids adventure journal from Barbecue Wife will help your cause. Cheshire Pork has a bacon ketchup, bacon jam (both regular and jalapeno), and various jerky available at their “pantry”. Weathersbeef has a combo pack of his “Bird,” “Beef,” and “Pork” rubs available online. Or perhaps a “Pig Out” coffee mug from Lexington Barbecue to pair with the coffee from Stamey’s mentioned above.

Happy Shopping!

The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Charlotte (November 2024)

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Monk: For this year’s edition of the Charlotte top 5, the biggest change was probably the closing of Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly in August. In its closing, not only did Charlotte lose another brewery but also a rarity in a wood-fired barbecue joint. I can’t help but wonder if the business model of a brand new brewery plus the labor needed for a wood-fired barbecue place was a bit more than the ownership could handle. I love the idea, and hate that it couldn’t happen.

I was also set to include Resident Culture on the list after finally checking them out this summer, but they abruptly ended their barbecue program just a few months after bringing Edmar Simoes on to lead it. He now continues to work with live fire, albeit in a different fashion, at Flour Shop in Charlotte.

In terms of additions to the list, the trend would be a more pronounced Tex-Mex or Mexican influence in both Fumar and Union Barbecue. Also – these days Midwood Smokehouse’s menu is reflecting more of a Tex-Mex influence as well.

Before we dive into this year’s edition, here’s the list from a year ago for reference.

The 5 Best Barbecue Joints in Charlotte – December 2023

Now, onto this year’s list…

5. Fumar

Fumar arose from Brandon Belfer’s previous barbecue pop-up Smoke Show but showcases the Tex-Mex flavors that Belfer grew up around in San Antonio. That means barbacoa, tacos, and tortas (for which he will soon be baking his own rolls). Definitely don’t sleep on the Frito Pie though. Food truck instagram.com/fumar_clt

4. Midwood Smokehouse

Midwood Smokehouse years ago become the ever-reliable above-average chain barbecue in Charlotte, and has continued to evolve the menu towards Tex-Mex after Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex-Mex Barbecue in Austin consulted with them back in 2020; he even has his own queso on the menu named simply enough “Miguel’s Queso.” But the proteins are still there. Multiple locations midwoodsmokehouse.com

3. Sweet Lew’s BBQ

In addition to continuing to evolve Sweet Lew’s BBQ with specials like turkey legs, creative house made sausages, wings in addition to the staple menu, Lewis Donald is also leading the Carolina BBQ Festival, which is quickly becoming a can’t miss festival each spring in Charlotte. 923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 sweetlewsbbq.com

2. Union Barbecue

Since last year, Union Barbecue has become the clear #2 for me, and between it and Jon G’s there is a clear tier between them and the rest. This is yet another example of Mexican-inspired barbecue with a rotating menu that tends to include barbacoa, al pastor sausage, carnitas, and brisket but also some of the best and most creative barbecue sides I’ve had in a long time; I tried the smoky sweet potato with fixins and a golden beet salad on my visit. Food truck instagram.com/union.barbecue

1. Jon G’s Barbecue

Jon G’s Barbecue remains top of the list, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. In addition to their must-experience Barbecue Saturdays, I would urge folks to consider going to the next edition of the Jon G’s Jubilee where I had some of the best bites all year from them but also friends of Jon G’s like Elliott Moss, Lawrence Barbecue, and N. Sea Oyster Co. For more, check out the post below. 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133 jongsbarbecue.com

A Thousand Words: The Second Annual Jon G’s Jubilee

Men in Blazers visits Bar-B-Q King in Charlotte

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Monk: Rog from Men in Blazers visited the Queen City earlier this year to explore its burgeoning soccer culture, but shortly after landing he stopped at the “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”-approved Bar-B-Q King for some pork, barbecue fried chicken, and homemade onion rings and hush puppies.

He met with owner Gus Karapanoa, whose uncle originally started the restaurant, and longtime server Davidto talk about the “Triple D” effect and how they still do things the same way they did when the restaurant started in 1959.

In the video below, the Bar-B-Q King content starts at 3:04.

Fumar brings more Tex-Mex flavors to Charlotte barbecue

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Name: Fumar
Date: 9/22/24
Address: Pop up at Divine Barrel Brewing
Order: Smoked brisket torta, Texas-sized Frito pie (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Fumar is the retooled barbecue pop-up concept from Brandon Belfer after the more traditional Texas barbecue of his previous concept, Smoke Show Barbecue. I tried Smoke Show in 2021 and thought it showed promise and hoped to check them out again. That unfortunately never happened and a little over a year later, Fumar was born out of a desire to bring the flavors of South Texas that Belfer grew up around outside of San Antonio into his brand of Texas barbecue.

That manifests in menu items like brisket torta sandwiches, Frito pies made with smoked chorizo, and taco packs with beef cheek barbacoa in addition to the more traditional Texas-style brisket and ribs. On this day at Divine Barrel Brewing mere steps from the old Monk condo, I tried the brisket torta and Frito pie while listening to a pretty solid Grateful Dead cover band, Grateful Dudes. Here’s a photo of them jamming out with a groovy fan.

As for the torta and specifically the smoked brisket inside the torta, I found it to be well a fairly well-smoked slice of fatty that perhaps gets lost in all the bread, pickled red onions, and guac. Admittedly, I am a newbie when it comes to tortas and with this being my second sandwich ever my feedback would be the same for both: too much bread. The bread-to-meat ratio in this sandwich was a little off for me and perhaps its a super gringo thing for me to say, but maybe if there was more of a “thinwich” style of the torta bread I would enjoy the experience more. Apologies for any blasphemy.

I loved the “Texas-sized” Frito topped with smoked chorizo, queso, pickled onions, and avocado crema. The cardboard boat that it came in was truly “Texas-sized” and is very much a shareable item. They do have a kid’s version that comes in a smaller boat and is just chorizo and queso. Either way, I think this is a must order item when checking out Fumar.

I can tell that the Tex-Mex concept of Fumar has a more focused menu that is near and dear to Belfer’s heart, and the execution shows. I look forward to trying again soon (for real, this time) and continuing to track its progress.

Ratings:
Brisket Torta – 3.5 hogs
Frito Pie – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs