reviews

The Barbecue Center – Lexington, NC

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Name: The Barbecue Center
Date: 8/8/13
Address: 900 N Main St., Lexington, NC 27292
Order: Chopped pork plate with fries, slaw, hush puppies and a Cheerwine (link to menu)
Price: $10.14

Monk: On our way to fly out of Greensboro for our annual guys trip, Speedy and I took the opportunity to check out a joint in Lexington that is on the NC Historic Barbecue Trail but which neither of us had been to – The Barbecue Center. I personally must have passed within a half mile of it literally hundreds of times heading to and from Charlotte without knowing it was there. Nevertheless, I was excited.

Speedy: Like Monk, I had never been though I’d heard tale of some locals claiming it as their favorite joint in town, which in Lexington is a big deal. (I later found out the reason I never went growing up: when telling Mama Speedy about my lunch locale, she replied with a scoff, “why’d you go there? Monk’s is right around the corner.”)

Pulling in, things looked really good, as there’s a large smokehouse outside and piles of hickory wood. The large smokehouse was not active upon our noon arrival. Additionally, there was hickory wood outside of the kitchen in the main building, which was going, as there was a strong, glorious smoke smell present as we entered the building.

Monk: In addition to the smell, you could see thin veil of smoke wafting in the dining room, so I was definitely encouraged. We grabbed a small two-person booth as the lunch rush started to come in and before too long the waitress had taken our order. As is standard, we each ordered a chopped pork plate (with extra outside brown) that came with fries, slaw, and hush puppies and of course, a Cheerwine to top it all off.

Speedy: The meal looked fantastic – exactly as a barbecue meal should. I bit into the pork and noticed a definite smoke flavor. It was also perfectly tender. I think my biggest problem was with the dip, which seemed a little heavy on the ketchup, making it sweeter than I like.

Monk: The outside brown was very present in the pork, which I agree was very good. The oblong hush puppies were really good and almost as sweet as I like them to be, though not quite. The red slaw wasn’t quite as tangy as I normally like, and I know Speedy had some issues.

Speedy: My love of red slaw is well documented around these parts, but again, the dip really held it back for me. The cabbage was chopped perfectly, but I was just overwhelmed by the sweetness of the dip. Was it better than mayo based cole slaw? Of course. But it just wasn’t up to what I expected in the town of Lexington.

Monk: All in all, I was glad we were able to finally check out The Barbecue Center. It’s former owner Sonny Conrad (who recently passed away in June) was a barbecue icon and was one of six restaurant owners who started The Barbecue Festival in Lexington, the largest one-day festival in the state of NC. Conrad was so iconic, in fact, that he always presented the first barbecue sandwich of the festival to the mayor of Lexington. As for the food itself…

Speedy: It was very good. In fact, if The Barbecue Center were in Charlotte, I’d probably go eat there all the time. But it’s not in Charlotte, and there’s a higher standard in Lexington. At the end of the day, Mama Speedy was right – why waste your time when Monk’s place is just around the corner?

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 Hogs
Pork – 4 Hogs
Sides – 3.5 Hogs
Overall – 4 Hogs

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Barbecue Center on Urbanspoon

McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon – Charlotte, NC

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Name: McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon
Date: 8/2/13
Location: 4630 Old Pineville Road, Charlotte, NC 28217
Order: BBQ pork platter with slaw and fries (link to menu)
Bill: $10.99

Still in search of the best barbecue in Charlotte, McKoy’s Smokehouse had actually come up in conversation with a friend a few weeks back whose co-worker recommended it to him as one of the better places in Charlotte. Not the strongest of reasons for going – “um, a coworker of a friend sorta recommended it” –  but whatever we’ll go with it.

Stepping out of the car, I did get a nice whiff of smoke which is always nice to see/smell as you are walking up to a joint. Once seated inside, I noted that there are a handful of barbecue options under the “Vittles” section of the menu – pulled pork, “award-winning” St. Louis ribs, half bbq chicken, and pit-smoked pot roast – but naturally we judge NC joints on pulled pork so that’s what I went with. Interestingly, according to the menu the pulled pork is “smoked for 14 hours over pecan wood” which is a bit odd for NC where most places use hickory, oak, or a mix of both.

The pulled pork came out moist and with nice pieces of bark but really lacked any flavor or smoke. The table sauces were a vinegar-based sauce and a thicker Kansas City-style sauce, and really the vinegar sauce worked best but still the pork just ultimately lacked flavor.

The sides – mayo-based slaw and fries – were average and I really don’t need to waste too much space talking about them.

So yea, McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon is definitely not in the conversation of the best barbecue in the Charlotte – it’s really middle of the road at best. The decor is very much southern/biker/sports bar and grill and I could see it being a decent place to watch sports if you happen to be nearby, but for barbecue purposes feel free to head elsewhere.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance –  2.5 Hogs
Pork – 2.5 Hogs
Sides – 2.5 Hogs
Overall – 2.5 Hogs

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McKoy's Smokehouse and Saloon on Urbanspoon

McKoy's Smokehouse and Saloon on Foodio54

Old Hickory House Restaurant – Charlotte, NC (CLOSED)

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Name: Old Hickory House Restaurant
Date: 7/25/13
Location: 6538 N.Tryon St, Charlotte, NC, 28205
Order: Small pork plate with slaw and hush puppies (link to menu)
Bill: $11.19

In our review for Bill Spoon’s Barbecue, I stated that it is “pretty much the closest thing we have to a well-respected, old school barbecue joint.” Well, I may have misspoke a little bit because Old Hickory House Restaurant has been doing its own thing at its current location on North Tryon Street since 1956, 7 years before Bill Spoon’s even opened.

Despite its proximity to NoDa, it had actually been a number of years since I had eaten here. However, despite not remembering loving it at the time I was interested to see how it would stack up to the other Charlotte joints we have reviewed recently. In addition to its age, Old Hickory House does have a couple of things going for it – namely a wagon wheel-chic decor that looks like it hasn’t changed since it opened as well as the fact that you can see and smell the hickory smoke as soon as you open your car door in the parking lot.

Inside, I sat myself and ordered a very good sweet tea from the waitress (who has apparently been there for 15 years) and then a small pork plate with slaw and hush puppies. While waiting for my food, I couldn’t help but notice the small wood burning pit open for the entire dining room to see. I confirmed with the owner David Carter after my meal that he does cook over hickory logs and then also drove around back afterwards to check out the pile. So you see, its not just a clever name.

The meal comes quickly and one thing I hadn’t remembered was the side of Texas toast, a bit unusual for North Carolina. But ah, you see, this actually isn’t a North Carolina-style joint. According to Bob Garner’s Big Book of Barbecue, the Carter Family (who opened the restaurant in the 50’s and still run it today) has roots in Georgia and Alabama. So while you can order Brunswick stew, it won’t be North Carolina style. And while the slaw is mayo-based similar to eastern-style slaw, it contains dill instead of the normal pickle that eastern and Lexington have. And then you have the pork.

The pork itself is actually quite good, more minced than chopped and full of bark and smoke and moistness. But it is smothered in this peculiar reddish-brown barbecue sauce after it is spooned onto the plate which is a bit citrusy and tangy and unlike any sauce I’ve had before. And unfortunately, it isn’t really for me. I would have loved to have had the pork without the sauce (because from what I could tell it was really good) and if I ever go again I may ask for it on the side to use sparingly. The hush puppies were excellent and the slaw was pretty good. And I was fairly hungry so I ate the two slices of Texas toast provided.

All in all, not a bad meal at all. Just not the style of barbecue I usually prefer.

-Monk

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 Hogs
Pork – 3 Hogs
Sides – 3 Hogs
Overall – 3 Hogs

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Old Hickory House on Urbanspoon

Old Hickory House Restaurant on Foodio54

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue – Austin, TX

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Name: Lamberts Downtown Barbecue
Date: 7/5/13
Location: 401 West 2nd Street, Austin TX 78701
Order: Beef Brisket with Fried Okra (link to menu)
Bill: $30

Before we started this blog and started reviewing barbecue, I had eaten at Lamberts Downtown Barbecue and thought it was the best brisket I had ever had, so I was excited to go back and try it again.This time it was on the record.

Lamberts describes themselves as ‘fancy barbecue’ which causes some people to question if they should be really be considered as a barbecue “joint”. Texas Monthly Barbecue recently ranked Lambert’s in their Top 50 and two years ago it was ranked as one of the top 100 most important restaurants in the US (I can’t find the link to this anymore, but Darren Rovell had this year’s rankings, and I looked at the past ones at the time). So needless to say, while the barbecue may be called fancy, it also is called good.

Lamberts uses a coffee and brown sugar rub which gives the meat, and especially the bark, a tremendous amount of flavor. The only problem with this is that pieces of the brisket that don’t include the bark seem like they are missing flavor, when it is only because it is being compared against other bites. Some of this is also a result of the fact that Lamberts uses a gas smoker instead of wood, so the meat doesn’t have that full smoky taste. That being said, it was still tender and wonderful, however it was not as good as I had remembered it to be.

For a side I had the fried okra, which was hand-breaded and came with a spicy remoulade dip. It was fantastic and a welcome alternative to the weak sides that often plague barbecue joints around here.

Lamberts is located in an old historic warehouse in downtown and has a great feel to it. There is dining indoors and on a patio, plus live music upstairs. While it is a great atmosphere, it doesn’t scream barbecue, but it’s a great place to enjoy a meal. The barbecue was great, the side was great, and the atmosphere was fun, but my only complaint was the price. The menu says fancy barbecue, and I think the only thing that made it seem fancy was the high price. $18 for less than half a pound is more than twice the price of brisket almost anywhere else. Fried Okra and a small amount of brisket costing $30 is pretty ridiculous. So far it seems like you pay a price for great brisket in Austin. It’s either a 3 hour wait at Franklin’s or a $30 tab at Lamberts, but at least it’s great when you are eating it.

-Rudy

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 Hogs
Brisket – 4 Hogs
Sides – 4 Hogs
Overall – 4 Hogs

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Lambert's Downtown Barbeque on Urbanspoon