Poogan’s Smokehouse – Charleston, SC

June 13, 2016September 3, 2018 / Barbecue Bros / 2 Comments

Name: Poogan’s Smokehouse
Date: 5/28/16
Address: 188 E Bay St #201, Charleston, SC 29401
Order: Three meat combo with pork, ribs, and smoked sausage; Adluh white cheddar grits, brussel sprouts (link)
Price: $25

Monk: With John Lewis Barbecue unfortunately still not open, I had to find another place for barbecue while in Charleston over Memorial Day weekend. In the end, convenience to a local production of Cinderella (for the Monkette) put on as part of the Spoleto Festival won out and I settled on Poogan’s Smokehouse.

Poogan’s Porch, a southern restaurant with an extensive wine list housed in an old Victorian house, has been in Charleston for nearly 40 years ago. When a wine bar called Social closed on the popular E. Bay Street tourist strip, the restaurant group behind Poogan’s Porch turned the space into a restaurant of “southern cuisine with a barbecue backbone” and used the Poogan’s brand.

Mrs. Monk and I shared a three meat platter (perhaps a little begrudgingly on her part) during Sunday brunch service, choosing pork, ribs and sausage. Of the three, I liked the smoked sausage the best (it also happened to be the most plentiful portion). Though it may have been slightly dried out from being sliced well before being served but nonetheless the taste was excellent. The two bones of ribs we got were meaty St. Louis cut ribs and not overly saucy. The pork was a bit dried out and I added some of the table sauces to help.

Luckily, I was able to try some of the other barbecue dishes from the other folks in our party. The pork belly was a potential option for the combo platter and I would recommend opting for it over the pulled pork. My daughter also got a side of hash over rice that she barely touched and I liked it quite a bit despite not necessarily having an affinity for the dish.

The sides really stole the show. The Adluh white cheddar grits were cheesy, creamy, and just generally excellent and Mrs. Monk and I were fighting to finish them. The brussel sprouts had pieces of bacon or pork belly and were also very good. The tray also comes with a standard white roll and some pickles and onions. But dang, those grits man. Should have gotten a double serving of them.

Poogan’s Smokehouse makes the eighth or so barbecue restaurant in downtown Charleston, presumably catering towards the tourist crowds. It’s fine but really I just wish that John Lewis Barbecue had opened. Next time.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

Poogan’s Smokehouse

Bobbee O’s BBQ – Charlotte, NC (RE-REVIEW)

June 6, 2016June 5, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Bobbee O’s BBQ
Date: 5/24/16
Address: 9401 Statesville Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269
Order: Brisket and ribs combo platter with a side of pulled pork, hush puppies, and slaw (link)
Price: ~$18

A few months back, I mistakenly thought that Bobbee O’s BBQ had closed after driving by their original location and seeing a “for sale” sign. I later realized that it had actually not closed but rather relocated to a larger spot just a few miles away sometime last year. By coincidence, on the birthday of the blog I decided to check out their new space and see how it measures up 4 years later.

Bobbee O’s is still a counter service barbecue spot and the new location is a cavernous space probably 4-5 times larger than the old one which was more in the “hole in the wall” mold with maybe had 2 or 3 tables. It’s also much nicer and the owners have commissioned large murals of pigs to fill the tall walls. Above the registers was a painting of their motto “It’s All About the Sauce” – which is a worrying sign to me if the thing a barbecue joint is most proud about is their sauce.

Looking back at our original review, the pork seems to have more or less stayed the same. There was little smoke but it had a little kick due to the red pepper flakes in the vinegar sauce. From Big Wayner’s post a few years back, it seems as if they use a Cookshack smoker (not a brand I’m familiar with) but apparently don’t look to impart any wood smoked flavor into the meat. However, of the three meats I tried it was the best (“best” being a relative term, obviously).

I’ve learned quite a bit about brisket in the past four years, so to look back on our original review its a little embarrassing that we called this brisket the best meat of the meal. Bobbee O’s brisket is overcooked to the consistency of roast beef and then oversauced with a heavy, sweet sauce. It really shouldn’t be called brisket in my opinion and I wouldn’t recommend it if you prefer a central Texas style.

The ribs may be boiled at Bobbee O’s since they came clean off the bone with little effort. In keeping with the brisket (of which they were only slightly better), they were sauced with a heavy sweet sauce.

Our complaint last time around was that they didn’t have hush puppies. While they have rectified that, they are the basic frozen variety which is always disappointing to see. None of the sides were really worth going further into.

Having given Bobbee O’s BBQ a rating of 2.5 hogs in that first review, with 4 years and well over a hundred reviews under our belt I can confidently say that in my opinion it is below average barbecue.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 2.5 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Brisket – 1 hog
Ribs – 1.5 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 1.5 hogs

Friday Find: 10Best.com’s Best BBQ Pork Sandwich in North Carolina

May 20, 2016May 13, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

In case you missed it – we were fortunate enough to be considered “experts” (shh…don’t tell them) alongside some real experts – Mackensy Lunsford of the Asheville Citizen-Times, John Shelton Reed of True Cue, Jennifer Daskevich of Sandwich America, and The World’s Extreme Chef Terry French – and submitted nominees for 10Best.com‘s Best BBQ Pork Sandwich in NC. Voting ends June 6 at 12pm ET.

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Green Street Smoked Meats – Chicago, IL

May 16, 2016May 17, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Green Street Smoked Meats
Date: 4/30/16
Address: 112 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607
Order: Half pound pulled pork, half pound sliced brisket, hot link, potato salad, broccoli salad, two beers (link)
Price: ~$60

Monk: Chicago is often mentioned in the second-tier of barbecue styles in the US (along with Santa Maria-style tri-tip). Chicago style (at least along the south side, from what I gather) is more rib and rib tips. While I can’t say that I experienced authentic Chicago barbecue at Green Street Smoked Meats in the West Loop neighborhood, I did get a pretty damn good meal. The West Loop has become a destination for food-loving people, and GSSM was in good company less than a block away from both Au Cheval (with Bon Apetit’s best burger in the US) and The Girl and The Goat from former Top Chef Winner Stephanie Izard.

Located in a warehouse along with partner coffee shop Sawada Coffee, Green Street Smoked Meats is a hip counter-style place with biergarten tables and stringed lights that primarily serves meat by the half pound (except when its by the “each” in the case of a pork sandwich or hotlink or the such). It has a great atmosphere though unfortunately we weren’t able to sit outside in the alley on that day due to cold and rain (ah, Chicago in April).

Naturally, I always have to get pulled/chopped pork if its on the menu, but to tell you the truth I wasn’t pumped about it, especially when I saw a previous order tossed in a bowl with a sauce before being served. The tangy sauce hid any smoke that may have been imparted to the meat from the wood, and the pork was just average as a result.

GSSM is really a Texas-style joint, so it makes sense that the brisket was the star of the show. We even got a few unsauced burnt ends thrown in for good measure (party, bonus). This was a fine representation of Central Texas brisket with a nice peppery bark and both lean and fat slices presented. The Texas-style hotlink was another highlight. It had good snap and flavor while being just moist enough.

Mrs. Monk and I got two sides and the portions were more than enough for us. The potato salad was fine but left me wondering if I should have ordered something else. Mrs. Monk couldn’t get enough of the broccoli salad. I liked it too – what little I was able to sneak away from her clutches. Her mini review:“It was dank; I ate all of it.”

It was unfortunate that it was only the Mrs and I eating that day since I would have liked to try the more unconventional meats on the menu such as the smoked salmon or pastrami (on the recommendation of TMBBQ). We had more than enough food (to the point of taking a box of leftovers with us) and more meats also would have put tab at close to $100. Which brings up a good point – Green Street Smoked Meats may be just a little bit on the pricey side. In any case, I would definitely recommend it.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs