pork

Opt for the Asian Fusion Rather than Traditional Barbecue at Seoul Food Meat Company

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Name: Seoul Food Meat Company Mill District
Date: 10/7/23
Address: 421 E 26th St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Order: Hickory pulled pork, brisket, beef rib bao bun slider, baked ram and cheese, doenjang collard greens, fries (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Seoul Food Meat Company opened their second Charlotte location in the “Mill District” near NoDa and Optimist Park roughly one year ago in October 2022. That location in a former industrial part of town allows them to spread out a little more than their original South End spot, and they’ve taken advantage with a huge patio that includes a splash pad, playground, and dog park in addition to their large restaurant that includes 5 karaoke rooms.

On a nice day, its certainly a destination-type place where families, dog owners, and childless millennials and zoomers can spend multiple hours. That is certainly the hopes of the owners, between Seoul Food and the Urban District Market food hall just across the greenway.

In terms of the barbecue, I found both my pulled pork and the brisket lacking. The pork had some smoke on it but did not taste fresh. But even with its shortcomings, it was far more palatable than the brisket.

The brisket was covered in a ton of their house barbecue sauce, which I would describe as an Asian fusion barbecue sauce. This covers up the poor trim job of the brisket, and if you flip over the slices of meat you’ll see that a good portion of each slice is unrendered fat. Quite unappetizing.

The Asian fusion dishes I tried were more successful than the barbecue. The beef rib bao bun slider was again slathered with the house barbecue sauce but was a satisfying bite. The baked ram n’ cheese is a ramen noodle take on mac n’ cheese and while the youngest Monkette did not take to it (no huge surprise there) I ate it up.

The collards were labeled as “doenjang” which apparently is “a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine.” That did not come through in the bland, nearly flavorless collards.

If I’m back at Seoul Food Meat Company Mill District enjoying a nice day on their patio, I’ll be leaving the barbecue dishes alone and exploring more of the Asian fusion in the forms of the bao buns, Korean fried wings, or tacos.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 1 hog
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 2 hogs

Lunch at The Barbecue Center in Photos

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Monk: I recently stopped by The Barbecue Center in Lexington for the first time in a few years for a lunch with the Monk clan. Here was my experience in photos.

The barbecue tray with red slaw is the classic order.

A basket of fresh hush puppies comes with every tray or plate order (the plate comes with fries as well).

I wandered around the building to check out their wood pile for the first time, and this was just a couple of the piles of wood right off the smokehouse.

Another view of the stacked pile against the building.

There’s a couple different styles of signs on the property, and this is one at the far end of the parking lot along N. Main Street.

The Barbecue Center is my second favorite barbecue restaurant in town behind Lexington Barbecue and this was yet another great lunch. For my full rankings, check here.

What’s The Difference Between Western and Eastern North Carolina BBQ?

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Monk: Quick (and I mean super quick) primer on NC barbecue styles from North Carolina Pork Council CEO Roy Lee Lindsey.

Description: North Carolina Pork Council CEO Roy Lee Lindsey explains the difference between Western and Eastern North Carolina BBQ… which is your preference?