NC

JD’s Smokehouse – Rutherford College, NC

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Name: JD’s Smokehouse
Date: 12/10/21
Address: 500 Malcolm Blvd, Rutherford College, NC 28671
Order: Pork and brisket combination (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Coming back from a quick overnight trip to Asheville, with Buxton Hall not open until 11:30am, I got out of town and headed towards Charlotte east on I-40. That would put me in the Connelly Springs/Rutherford College area right at lunchtime, in time to finally catch JD’s Smokehouse where “[i]t’s a weekend celebration.”

That means its only open from Thursdays to Saturdays, and JD’s Smokehouse was packed on a Friday lunch this past December. Now that may be because they have a loyal local fanbase but perhaps it also in some part due to being voted best barbecue in NC by the readers of “Strange Carolinas” in 2021. It was a recommendation on our Facebook page in the early days of this blog, so my visit was long overdue.

Visitors are greeted with the welcome sight of a couple of racks of firewood as they enter the restaurant. Just off to the left of this shot is the entrance to the smokehouse. It all looked so promising.

I went with the pork and brisket combo, but for only $0.50 more I could have gotten ribs as well. An amateur mistake on my part. Though if the ribs were more like the brisket than the pork, I made the right choice.

Which is to say that that pork was my favorite of the two meats that day. Fresh and smoky, it was a solid serving of barbecue. Dashes of table sauce didn’t hurt it, and I was satisfied at that point in my meal.

The brisket, on the other head was overcooked and on the bland side of things. It didn’t have the peppery bark of a Central Texas-style brisket (which is fine) but it didn’t wow me with what it was trying to do either.

As for sides, the red slaw came spicy, there was a dinner roll instead of any sort of cornmeal, and the plate was served with a side of pickled jalapenos. Just what exactly they were going for is anyone’s guess, but it appears to me to be a mish-mash of several different styles.

And that is ultimately my issue with JD’s Smokehouse: they didn’t have a clear identity, or at least not one that was immediately discernable by me. They smoke with wood coals, which should be applauded, but is ultimately one restaurateur’s take on an “international house of barbecue” model. As has been the case for a couple of recent reviews, should you find yourself here, my suggestion is to stick with the pork.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 2 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

Linkdown: 1/26/22

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A fun story from Charlotte Magazine on how Chapel Hill-born fashion designer Alexander Julian got paid in barbecue for designing the original Charlotte Hornets jerseys.

According to Juilian (also known for the UNC Chapel Hill argyle and being the costume designer for Robert Altman’s The Player), “I had this idea: What good is money if you can’t buy barbecue? I call it Carolina caviar. … I said, ‘I’ll give you ownership of the design for five pounds of Carolina barbecue a month.’ A (writer) asked me to sum up the whole experience. I said, ‘Well, George (Shinn) got rich, and I got fat. I traded $10 million worth of royalties for a gut.'”

Getting paid in barbecue, that’s the dream. Well played Alexander Julian, well played.

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BBQ Joe’s – Trinity, NC

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Name: BBQ Joe’s
Date: 11/24/21
Address: 4865-4873 NC-62, Trinity, NC 27370
Order: Two meat combo with pork and ribs, (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: Growing up in High Point, I have distinct memories of driver’s ed pit stops at a barbecue restaurant called Henry James BBQ off of Greensboro Rd in Jamestown. It is long gone but I believe another restaurant in the regional chain is in nearby Asheboro. The Greensboro Road store seemed to be the usual place for my driver’s ed teacher Ms. Sealy to stop and get refills of her large cup of Diet Coke but not necessarily a meal. I’m certain I ate there once or twice in high school but I can’t be sure whether it was on one of these stops. In concept and layout and even quality, BBQ Joe’s in Trinity reminds me of Henry James.

While both Henry James and BBQ Joe’s are both barbecue restaurants, they might also be more accurately categorized as “country cooking restaurants.” Barbecue is on the menu and in the name, but may not necessarily be the focus.

I would guess the pork is likely cooked offsite for both BBQ Joe’s locations but I found it to be passable. The table sauces were not essential but helped its cause. I would not be unhappy with a barbecue sandwich of this pork topped with some red slaw, sauce, and Texas Pete.

I was feeling frisky and ordered the ribs as well. The color was that of a half rack that had been boiled, rendering the ribs bland and inedible. I don’t know if they assume that patrons will drown them in the sweet, sticky sauce but that’s asking a lot.

The hush puppies at BBQ Joe’s were some of the most original I’ve seen. At first glance, they look like a large onion ring or a small cake donut. They are on the sweeter side, and I loved them. They also had Cheerwine from the fountain, which is always a welcome sight.

Next time at BBQ Joe’s, I’ll stick with a simple barbecue sandwich combo. I suggest you do the same.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 2 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Ribs – 1 hog
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs

Linkdown: 1/19/22

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