reviews

The Q Shack – Raleigh, NC

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Name: The Q Shack
Date: 7/8/13
Location: 4120 Main at North Hills St, Raleigh, NC
Order: Three meat combo plate with pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked sausage, collards, fried okra, and hush puppies (link to menu)
Bill: $16

After Rudy’s history making first 0 hog review, I felt like I needed to share a barbecue experience I had lately that was (spoiler alert) equally terrible.

I arrived after work this particular Monday at the North Hills Raleigh Renaissance – a hotel I had never stayed at before. As I had a fair amount of stuff I needed to get done before some meetings the next day, I decided to just get some takeout and eat in my room. I was pleased to find a barbecue joint just around the corner from the hotel, so clearly, that was my choice for dinner.

Walking in, I started to get a little skittish, as there was a large placard advertising wine (WTF?). I should’ve known then and there to turn around. But the restaurant was spacious and comfortable looking, putting me a bit at ease. The cafeteria line made me a little nervous, but I ignored it because I’ve had great meals in similarly set up restaurants.

As I like to do when trying new restaurants, I opted for a combo plate in order to try several different types of meat. At The Q Shack, you order cafeteria-line style and your meat/sides are spooned onto your plate (or my to go box) from the line, so it’s hard to know how long it’s been sitting out. However, I was excited when my cut of brisket was carved in front of me from the full brisket that was kept warm in a warmer oven. All went well with my order, as everything looked great.

When I got to my room, I eagerly took out my to go box and silverware and forked a nice portion of pork. This is where the problems started. The pork was terrible. It literally tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for days. It was dry, and instead of a lack of flavor that I usually associate with bad barbecue, there was a bad flavor. Honestly, I once tried a McRib and I think it tasted better. I applied some of the sauce that was given to me on the side, and while that helped, it only moved the pork from awful to almost tolerable. Honestly, I should have stopped the meal then and there, but I thought to myself, “surely the brisket can’t be worse.” Well, turns out it can be just as bad. Had I not seen it sliced before my eyes, I would’ve thought I was eating Oscar Meyer lunch meat. The brisket was rubbery and tasted like a bad pot roast. Somehow I stomached a second bite, but it was just as bad as the first. Being a glutton for punishment, I moved on to the sausage. The sausage, fortunately, was far and away the best meat in that it was edible. Don’t get me wrong – it was still bad – but at least there was some flavor there. It was rubbery and over-cooked, but I feel like it would have been OK had it been cooked properly.

The sides were average, which means they were the best part of the meal. The fried okra was fine, though nothing special, and the collards were decent. The hushpuppies were actually pretty good. Basically, the sides are what prevented me from having to go out and get a second meal after the catastrophe that was the meat.

I didn’t take any photos of my meal, but no one would want to see it anyway. Honestly, I’m just glad I survived.

-Speedy

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 1 hog
Pork – 0 hogs
Brisket – 0 hogs
Sausage – 0.5 hogs
Sides – 1.5 hogs
Overall – 0 hogs

Stamey’s Barbecue – Greensboro, NC

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Name: Stamey’s Barbecue
Date: 7/12/13
Address: 2206 High Point Road, Greensboro, NC 27403
Order: Chopped pork plate with red slaw, hush puppies, and Cheerwine (link to menu)
Bill: $6.84

Monk: Guys, I think I am in love. Despite growing up in High Point not 20 minutes from Stamey’s, I’m a little ashamed to admit that this past Friday was my first visit to the joint. I mean, Carter Brother’s was fine at the time but why didn’t someone drag me by the ear to Stamey’s?

Rudy: It’s funny that you had never been there, because I practically grew up on Stamey’s. It is located about 2 blocks from my Dad’s business, so I ate there all the time. It is pretty much the barometer for how I view all barbecue. It is also directly across the street from the Greensboro Coliseum, so during the ACC Basketball Tournament, it is packed all day long.

Monk: There really is no good explanation as to why it took so long but in any case, after finishing my latest reading material and getting a better understanding of Warner Stamey’s legacy and influence on Lexington style barbecue in NC, I knew I had to get here asap. And visiting my parents for the weekend while my wife went out of town presented the perfect opportunity.

My dad and I were already going to be in Greensboro so we planned to stop in at Stamey’s that day. We walked into the large wooden building, sat ourselves in a booth and did the usual barbecue joint drill – order a drink, order food when the waitress returns with our drink 2 minutes later, and then receive the food another 2-3 minutes after that (if not sooner).

Soon a perfect plate was presented before me with chopped pork barbecue, red slaw, and oblong hush puppies. After snapping a few photos, I took my first bite and wow. Just wow. Immediately I knew an overall 5 whole hog ratings was in play. Nice chop, perfect smokiness that can’t be faked with gas, and the right ratio of sweetness to tang in the sauce. I ordered the regular plate but immediately wished I had ordered the large.

Rudy: With so many places moving towards gas, it is refreshing to see a big stack of wood piled in the corner of the parking lot; a clear sign that they are sticking with the traditional smoking, which makes the whole difference.

Monk: In case you weren’t aware (I wasn’t until recently), Warner Stamey is actually credited with introducing hush puppies into barbecue meals in the 50’s (it had previously only been a seafood side). As stated in this space numerous times, I like a sweeter hush puppy and while these weren’t quite as sweet as I’d have liked they were pretty good. The red slaw was above average and a Cheerwine rounded out the meal nicely. My Dad and I also split a blueberry cobbler bro-style (separate plates, thank you very much) for dessert, which was quite good. I’m usually too full to order dessert at a barbecue restaurant, but I’m glad I did on this day.

Rudy: One of my biggest complaints about barbecue in Texas is the lack of effort with sides. Most of the time it is just some beans as an option. Stamey’s has brunswick stew as a side option…and it is amazing. Next time anyone goes there, it is an absolute must.

Monk: I wish I had seen your tweet and had ordered the brunswick stew, but next time. When the bill came out I did a double take since the entire meal was under $14. Total. I have come to expect to pay that much for just myself. So you’re telling me not only is this probably at least as good as the best barbecue I’ve ever had (Lexington #1), but the prices are ridiculously reasonable too (a sandwich is $2.99 and a regular plate is $5.29)?

I can’t say enough good things about Stamey’s and I hope to make it back very soon. It is the definition of a 5 whole hog plate of chopped pork barbecue and to me, also the definition of a 5 whole hog joint.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 5 hogs
Sides/Dessert – 4.5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs

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Stamey's Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Red Rock BBQ – Sedona, AZ

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Name: Red Rock BBQ
Date: 5/17/13
Location: 150 Hwy 179, Sedona, AZ
Order: Beef Brisket Platter with Coleslaw and Potato Salad (link to menu)
Bill: $17

Rudy: I heard a saying once that, “You can call a horse a duck all you want, but at the end of the day, it’s still a horse”, which I think applies to Red Rock BBQ. They can call it BBQ and brisket all they want, but what this place served was neither. 

I recently went on vacation to Arizona with my in-laws, and knowing I loved barbecue, they looked online to see what was the best place where we were going.  

Monk: I haven’t put this to the test yet but I would guess that my in-laws would be very accommodating for my barbecue habits. Very nice.

Speedy: …And you better believe it will be a prerequisite should there ever be a Mrs. Speedy.

Rudy: The gesture was extremely nice, but I knew something was amiss as soon as we showed up. Walking up to the entrance, the only smoke smell that was around was the smell of something burning badly, not of wood smoking. Most restaurants decorate their walls to represent the types of foods that they serve or where they are located, but Red Rocks BBQ only had a Guinness Beer poster.  

Monk: I mean I’m Irish and all and can always enjoy a Guinness but no, not with barbecue. That is just odd…

Rudy: Not exactly what you would expect from a barbecue place located in Arizona…should have been my 2nd warning. But I knew I was in serious trouble when I ordered the brisket platter and asked for it to be the ‘moist cut’ and the waiter gave me a confused look. Anywhere that pretends to sell brisket should know the different cuts and know what I was asking for.

When the brisket arrived, it looked like chopped beef and tasted like unseasoned pot roast. There was no smoke ring, no crust, and no flavor. This was not brisket and this was no barbecue. They had several different types of sauce, but even they couldn’t make this “brisket” edible.  

Monk: From the looks of your photo below, it definitely looks like you’ve got some roast beef there, not brisket.

Rudy: For sides, I got coleslaw, which was mayo based (Speedy’s favorite) and potato salad. Both of these tasted like they were generic store bought sides. Nothing to write home about, but still better than the main course.  

Monk: If this place was as egregiously bad as you describe (and I have no reason to believe otherwise) then this would have just put me in a bad mood.

Rudy: Again, my in-laws were trying to be nice and found me barbecue, so the hardest part was saying something nice or not spitting it out when they were asking me what I thought. While I love barbecue and like trying it all over the country as well, this experience may keep me from trying barbecue at too many places outside of the traditional locations. It was far and away the worst barbecue I’ve ever had, if you can even call it that.

Speedy: I will say that I’ve had barbecue in Arizona one time – back in Phoenix in 2007. I don’t recall the name of the place, and while it wasn’t anything to brag about, it wasn’t this bad. Rudy, I think it’s your duty, nay, your calling to continue tasting barbecue wherever life may lead you.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance –  1 Hog
Brisket – 0 Hogs
Sides – 1 Hog
Overall – 0 Hogs (!!)

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Red Rock BBQ on Urbanspoon

Sauceman’s – Charlotte, NC

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Name: Sauceman’s
Date: 6/29/13
Location: 228 West Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Order: Monk: Chopped pork tray with red slaw, hush puppies; Speedy: full rack of ribs with red slaw, collards (link to menu)
Price: Monk: $8.50; Speedy: $20 (don’t worry, Monk got the beer)

Monk: Sauceman’s has been around for a few years (2009, to be exact), but gained some fame when pitmaster Zach Goodyear won the NC episode of “BBQ Pitmasters” that was filmed in Charlotte last fall and aired earlier this year. His win was made even more impressive when you add in the fact that he defeated two established pitmasters and joints in Sam Jones of the famed Skylight Inn in Ayden (est. 1947) and Debbie Holt of Clyde Cooper’s in Raleigh (est. 1938). I had actually visited the restaurant pre-blog, but was interested to visit again for a review with Speedy in tow for the first time since December (wow, weird).

Speedy: It was good to get back to a ‘cue joint with Monk, as that’s one of the pillars of our brohood. This was, in fact, my first trip to Sauceman’s. I wasn’t really expecting much, as I figured if it was really something to write home about (and I DO write home to Mama Speedy about great barbecue), I’d have tried it before. But still, exciting to check it out. I really liked the atmosphere. While the inside is a little difficult to navigate, with the register basically in the middle, Sauceman’s has a nice outdoor patio and is an enjoyable place to eat a meal. I was a little surprised by the menu, as it had more variety than I expected. Unfortunately, there was no combo plate, so Monk and I were basically limited to two meats. We ruled out the brisket and went with the all pig choices of chopped pork and ribs. We ordered and paid at the register, and the food was brought to our table, though our orders were not brought to us at the same time (or even close to it).

Monk: The pork at Sauceman’s is cooked Lexington style, which is a welcome sight for Charlotte where you seem to get every style except, despite its proximity to the actual town of Lexington. Unfortunately, the chopped pork on this night came out a little dry. And by “little” I mean “a lot.” Speedy and I posited that perhaps it had been sitting for a few hours underneath a heat lamp and dried out in the process. Once I added a combination of the Carolina Dip and Love & Smoke sauces from the table, the moisture returned and the pork became passable. But still, it was a little disappointing. I’d be curious to see how different it would be if I came earlier in the day, say for lunch. So Speedy, in terms of the ribs I thought these were quite good but how do you think they stack up with other ribs in Charlotte?

Speedy: The ribs were very good. They were tender, but not to the point to where they fell off the bone – you could get a good bite. They were also perfectly sauced. They weren’t the best ribs I’ve ever had by any means, but they probably stack up against any I’ve had in Charlotte – on par with Queen City Q and Midwood Smokehouse. I enjoyed them quite a bit more than the pork.

Monk: I liked the large spherical hush puppies more than Speedy. It had a thick crust of fried batter which put him off but I dug it as well as the sweetness of the puppy. The slaw was a red slaw but came coarsely chopped. And finally, the collards were quite good. All in all, I’d say the sides added to the meal as opposed to detracting from it. Unfortunately we did not get the sugar biscuits, which I had in my previous visit and were quite good.

Speedy: Agreed that the sides were good, which was a nice change of pace from the ‘cue I’ve been eating lately. Overall, I’d say I enjoyed the meal at Sauceman’s, despite being sorely disappointed by the pork. I’m not sure I’ll go back – there are a couple other places in Charlotte I prefer, but I’m glad I got to try it. The lesson learned here is that you may get one shot with the Barbecue Bros, so you better bring it!

Ratings:
Atmosphere/ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

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Sauceman's on Urbanspoon

Sauceman's on Foodio54