Welcome Back, Wilber’s!
Barbecue occupies several spots on GQ’s list of 53 Things You Should Eat Before Summer is Over
The California barbecue scene is on the upswing
Smorgasburg has reopened
RIOT RIBS
Barbecue Center is closed this week due to vacation
Noble Smoke is celebrating one year open this Saturday
James Beard Award-winning author Adrian Miller reflects on photographer Russell Lee’s “Man slicing barbecue at the Gonzales County Fair” photo and the role of Black Americans in barbecue culture
Miller was also impressed by Phoenix’s black barbecue scene
Rodney Scott ‘s BBQhas received $25,000 from Discover as part of its #EatItForward sweepstakes to support Black-owned restaurants
More on the new Leland Smokehouse, where the “brisket is so good, no sauce is needed”
Prime BBQ is navigating opening a restaurant during a pandemic
The Manual has its pick of 7 best rib rubs, all of which are available by mail order
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse is adapting to life during COVID
Tex-Mex barbecue from Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q in Grapevine between Dallas and Fort Worth
In it’s latest issue, Garden & Gun has a beginner’s recipe for chicken bog that can be cooked indoors
Happy belated birthday to David Thompson, the ACC Basketball GOAT
The NC Pork Council announces the “Summer of Cue”; take selfies at five barbecue restaurants now through Labor Day and you will get a special edition t-shirt. Full details at the link.
A mural of David McAtee, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd is almost complete in Louisville
Don’t forget about the classic joints (in Texas or otherwise), like Meshack’s Bar-Be-Que Shack in Garland
Todd Richards has opened Lake & Oak BBQ in the former Greater Good Barbecue location in East Lake in Atlanta
Socks Love Barbecue is the best barbecue in Atlanta according to the readers of The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Anaheim’s Heritage Barbecue gets profiled by Eater
Buxton Hall Barbecue had a small fire last week after reopening but thankfully it was not catastrophic. They reopened briefly on Friday however per their Instagram have since closed again due to a “set back in building repairs” but they will be reopening “ASAP.” Here’s hoping that’s sooner rather than later.
Picnic has been able to maintain its barbecue throughout the pandemic due to the hog farm co-owned by the oners of the restaurant
Leland Smokehouse has opened in the town of Leland outside of Wilmington; it is the second restaurant from Troy Knight, the owner behind Southport Smokehouse
Rosako Bailey of Rosako’s Soul Food & BBQ in Fort Worth is used to helping others but now needs help
Big Rojo is the Big Red-flavored beer from San Antonio-based Islla Street Brewing
Great news from Hogs For The Cause
And last but not least, big congrats to Ryan Cooper (aka BBQ Tourist) on getting the news that he is cancer free!
Monk: Despite the generally bad outlook for restaurants, there was mostly positive news for our top ranked Charlotte barbecue restaurants. Noble Smoke and Sweet Lew’s both reopened with reduced capacity and social distancing measures in place and of course there is Jon G’s Barbecue which finally opened its long-awaited doors in Peachland.
Things were not so great for Queen City Q, which when we started the blog in 2012 was our second favorite barbecue restaurant in Charlotte at the time behind Midwood Smokehouse. And things seemed to be going pretty well in the mid-2010’s, with expansion to locations in Ballantyne, Matthews, and Concord. However, those quietly closed in recent years and the original location in Uptown Charlotte was apparently hanging on by a thread before it was forced to close as a result of the state’s pandemic response. It briefly opened in May as part of North Carolina’s phase 2 but then the final nail in the coffin came when it was forced to close again due to the threat of protests.
If I’m honest, Queen City Q had fallen off quite a bit from when it first opened. Our last visits were my solo trip to the Concord store in 2016 in which a poor experience prompted a re-review of the 6th Street location by Speedy and me a few weeks later. We left that visit disheartened and convinced that the drop in quality wasn’t an isolated incident. Neither of us had not been back since, and now they have shuttered their remaining location.
RIP Queen City Q (2012-2020)
4/7 Hillbilly’s Barbeque & Steaks in Lowell is moving to a new building on South Main Street
4/14 Jon G’s Barbecue updates their website ahead of their forthcoming brick and mortar in Peachland
4/20 Noble Smoke begins delivery service in Charlotte
4/30 Sweet Lew’s BBQ, which had been closed but serving their smoked meats out of Dish (also owned by Lewis Donald), announces they are reopening their store for to-go orders on May 7
5/1 Jon G’s Barbecue announces they are officially permitted for their upcoming restaurant
5/7 Sweet Lew’s BBQ reopens
5/20 A limited edition Sweet Lew’s BBQ shirt became available and supported two local small businesses with each purchase
5/21 Bill Spoon’s BBQ decides to remain curbside only even as restaurants are allowed to open with reduced capacity in phase 2
5/22 Noble Smoke reopens with extended safety precautions
6/4 Queen City Q announced that they are closing their uptown location, which was the last remaining location of their Charlotte locations after numbering as many as 4 in recent years.
6/8 Jon G’s Barbecue announces their soft opening dates starting June 19
6/19 Jon G’s Barbecue officially opens
6/27 Sweet Lew’s BBQ smoked enough pork for 175 plates for the Charlotte Community Kitchen