A 9:30 video on Rodney Scott’s BBQ that’s part profile and part technique and process. Nicely produce from the Barbecue Tricks YouTube channel. Can’t wait for Rodney Scott BBQ to open in Charleston.
(h/t)
pork
Bar-B-Q King – Lincolnton, NC
Name: Bar-B-Q King
Date: 1/16/17
Address: 2613 E Main St, Lincolnton, NC 28092
Order: Q King sandwich with hush puppies, onion rings, and sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $0 (my meal was graciously picked up but that did not in any way affect my review)
Monk: Bar-B-Q King in Lincolnton (not to be confused with the drive in of the same name in Charlotte) is one of those joints I’ve always been somewhat aware of but haven’t ever made a point to go to. After checking it out recently on the invitation of Jordan, a son of co-owner Keith Smith and the social media manager, I wish I had gone much sooner.
At the lunch hour on a Monday, a steady stream of locals are usually lined up several deep at the multiple register counter. “Hollerin’ orders” has apparently been the longtime system to communicate orders in the kitchen and was certainly the first time I’ve ever witnessed anything like it. In case its not evident in the name, as customers order at the register their order is literally yelled from the order taker to the kitchen staff who then acknowledge the order and begin putting it together. It’s surely a sight to see.
That alone would be worth the visit to Bar-B-Q King but thankfully the barbecue more than backs it up. They smoke their pork shoulders daily over hickory coals and hand chop the pork each morning. I would call their style pretty closely aligned to Lexington-style, though they do offer a white slaw option. The sandwich I got was fantastic – the chop was not too coarse, the pork was tender and smoky, and the red slaw accentuated it all perfectly.
The house-made hush puppies were quite good and the onion rings are their best selling side for a obvious reasons after tasting them. Had I not been checking out another joint an hour later I would have gladly finished both of them and left completely stuffed.
Last fall, Bar-B-Q King celebrated its 45th anniversary, so I can imagine that it’s quite an institution in the town of Lincolnton – and rightly so. If Jordan, who took me on a tour of the smokehouse and kitchen, is any indication there are quality people behind the joint who work hard to put out a great product six days out of the week (closed on Sundays). Lincolnton is about a half hour down highway 150 from Shelby and Barbecue Bros fave Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. In my book Bar-B-Q King is nearly as good, which longtime readers of the blog will know is high praise. Get yourself to Bar-B-Q King in Lincolnton.
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 4.5 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs
Palmetto Pig – Columbia, SC
Name: Palmetto Pig Barbecue Restaurant
Date: 12/30/16
Address: 530 Devine St, Columbia, SC 29201
Order: Barbecue sandwich with sweet tea (link to menu)
Price: $8
Monk: After a stop at True BBQ, I researched and decided what the second and last stop of my quick SC sojourn would be while partaking at The Flying Saucer in downtown Columbia. There may have been a better option for barbecue (Little Pigs remains on my list), but Palmetto Pig Barbecue Restaurant was very convenient to the Saucer’s downtown location, mere blocks away, so in the end that won the day.
Had I been spending more than two hours in Columbia, I would have been a little hungrier by the time I got to Palmetto Pig but after a small plate at True BBQ and my requisite three beers at the Saucer, I skipped the buffet and opted for just a sammie. I also skipped the mustard this time around and went for the spicy vinegar sauce.
And what a huge sammie it was. In my haste I didn’t notice how well the pork was smoked or whether I could taste any wood smoke but my hunch is that the pork, though tender as it was, is heavily dependent on whichever sauce you choose. The spicy vinegar was indeed spicy; gotta say, I didn’t look twice at the Texas Pete on the table. And did I mention how big it was? It was a good sandwich overall, albeit a little on the pricey side.
While I can’t say that I got a complete feeling for all of the barbecue offerings at Palmetto Pig Barbecue Restaurant, I did get a nice sandwich that did the trick.
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
True BBQ – West Columbia, SC
Name: True BBQ
Date: 12/30/16
Address: 1237 D Ave, West Columbia, SC 29169
Order: Small barbecue dinner with hash and rice, collards, and slaw (link to menu)
Price: $13.01
Monk: Ever since reading this Garden & Gun Magazine article last year about Hite’s BBQ in West Columbia, it shot to the top of my list. Being that it’s only open on Fridays and Saturdays, I took the opportunity during my week off between Christmas and New Year’s to make the trip to Columbia specifically to check it out on a Friday, only to find this:
Nevertheless, my other planned stop was True BBQ not more than a mile away so I decided that I would head there and would figure out my second stop later.
During my research for the quick trip, I checked Marie, Let’s Eat! (as I always do when it comes to barbecue in the southeast) and True BBQ was received very favorably by those folks so at that point it was a no-brainer for me.
Speedy: Grant actually specifically mentioned seeing you here on Instagram and being jealous. It seems he’s been a bit disappointed by the Chattanooga ‘cue…
Monk: Yea, I get that sense based on some of the latest chapters on the blog, which is too bad…
I had timed my trip to arrive in Columbia as close to 10 as possible (which ended up being more like 10:30) since Hite’s opens at 8am, but luckily True BBQ opens at 10:30 Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Seeing as how I was planning to eat another meal shortly after, I only ordered a small barbecue dinner. I’ll get the pork out of the way – it was a bit on the dry side, especially considering it was so early in the day and should have been freshly smoked. You get a choice of three sauces – the Pretty Lady mustard sauce, Sexy Lady red sauce, and Lexington vinegar sauce – and it needed it. Hopefully this isn’t the case normally.
Hash and rice is a dish that intrigues me more and more these days and at True BBQ it comes standard with every dinner along with two sides. This was damned good hash and rice and by far the best part of the meal. Next time, I may even get a double order as one of my sides. The collards were above average but the slaw was a bit of a letdown and would be my choice to be replaced by more hash and rice.
As an aside, apparently the pork chop is worth ordering since the only other customer there with me at 10:30 was raving about it to pitmaster Ernest Zanders who was back and forth between the kitchen and the smoker out in front of the building, which was the first thing I noticed pulling into the parking lot. So take that for what its worth for those who are considering ordering that item.
In addition to the pork, True BBQ has some daily specials like brisket and beef ribs that may or may not be worth checking out. But at the very least I can recommend the hash and rice. As Grant so succinctly put it, “it’s two-hundred mile hash.” Come to think of it, next time I may just go triple sides of hash and rice…
For more reviews of True BBQ check out:
Marie, Let’s Eat!
Destination BBQ
Eat It Atlanta
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Hash and Rice – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
Pork dinner with hash and rice
Hash and rice
Interior of True BBQ
Interior of True BBQ
True BBQ smoker
Exterior of True BBQ