SC

Linkdown: 7/22/15

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– Robert Moss examines the different types of pits you might encounter in the southeastern US

– For the home smoker, here are the best smokers under $500

– The Raleigh News & Observer likes The Blistered Pig in Apex

– Johnny Fugitt profiles Smoke House in Newport, RI for Opportunity Lives

– Marie, Let’s Eat! visits Chicken Comer in Columbus, GA

– Burger Mary explains the peach paper that is all the rage for brisket smokers

– Laura Maniec has expanded her Corkbuzz wine studio/restaurant concept to Charlotte (of all places), and even has some wine pairing suggestions for NC barbecue

Okay, last question. What would you pair with classic Southern dishes like pimento cheese and Carolina barbecue — vinegar-based, of course?
…

Vinegar is typically hard to pair. For a vinegar-based barbecue I would choose something with the acidity to match. A wine from someplace cold, like the Willamette Valley. I think the sweetness and tart flavors of a Pinot Noir and its silkiness would match the fat of the pork. Or something like a really good German Riesling that has sweetness balanced with acidity. It would almost become a glaze to the barbecue.

– Midwood Smokehouse is expected to begin construction this fall on their latest location in Columbia, SC

– If you want to work at the upcoming whole hog Asheville joint Buxton Hall (opening in August), you can apply here; also, the last pop up before the restaurant opening is this Saturday

– Esquire has an excerpt at how to order at a barbecue restaurant from Aaron Franklin’s book

– Last call:

Linkdown: 7/15/15

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– A review of Archibald’s Barbecue in Northport, AL with the choice quote “It’s painful when a giant falters.”

– Bon Apetit interviews Johnny Fugitt about his book, “The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America”

– Daniel Vaughn on the growth of Texas BBQ (as well as barbecue in general); that article also links to this great interactive infographic from the food service marketing research company who provided him data, CHD Expert

– EDIA Maps, Inc (behind The Great NC BBQ Map and the upcoming NC Beer Map) get the Charlotte Agenda interview treatment about creating physical maps in a digital world

But the biggest difference between print and digital is the physicality and the connection to a tangible object. You can’t hang a phone app or website on your wall and stick pins in it to mark all the places you’ve visited. You can stand in front of a map and look and remember and plan and dream. Our maps also create a sense of community, something we had never imagined before making them. We live in a world that oftentimes feels so detached, and maps are visible things you hold in your hands that someone sees, and it sparks a conversation over a commonality. People want to know where you’re going and where you’ve been and what you thought of it. Maps aren’t just guides; they’re memorabilia too – beautiful trip mementos that become part of your home and take you back to an adventure you had or a wonderful time making memories with people you love. They touch something deep within – a nostalgia and a wanderlust.

– Thrillist’s list of best barbecue by region

– Grant tries mutton in the latest barbecue review from Marie, Let’s Eat!

– The Tasting Table with five barbecue myths that need busting

– More on the use of the word “barbecue” and how the word caught on in the northeast in the early part of the century when they really meant “grilling”

Southerners weren’t too keen on this new definition for one of their favorite words. “Many Georgia epicures insist that this is an insult to the honorable name of barbecue,” Rufus Jarman wrote in The Saturday Evening Post in 1954. “You cannot barbecue hamburgers, roasting ears, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, or salami, and it is a shame and a disgrace to mention barbecue in connection with such foolishness.”

– On barbecue and religion in NC by way of Dickie Do’s in Haw River, from the bluegrass blog The Bluegrass Situation

– The Charleston Brown Water Society BBQ Invitational took place this past Sunday and had some famous guests

Pitmasters Sam Jones and Rodney Scott were at Sunday’s second annual Charleston Brown Water Society’s Summer Invitational BBQ, but they weren’t working the pits. No, they both drove multiple hours from their respective homes just to eat and visit. That’s how good the barbecue was.

Teams from Illinois’ 17th Street Barbecue, Tennessee’s Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, and Charleston’s own Home Team BBQ stayed up all night Saturday smoking meat and fighting mosquitos at the Holy City Brewing compound on Dorchester Road. They offered up their labors to more than 300 guests (including Jones and Scott) who lined up the next day in the hot afternoon sun to check in.

– Because why not:

Linkdown: 7/8/15

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– Michael W Twitty with a thought-provoking piece: Barbecue is an American Tradition – of enslaved Africans and Native Americans

– How the word barbecue has “divided the coalition of the grilling”

– Friend of the blog Johnny Fugit also weighs in on how words matter when it comes to the word “barbecue”

– We linked to this article a few weeks back, but its worth another link: Tyson Ho (among others) gets a profile in Garden & Gun Magazine

– A guide to barbecue in the San Francisco bay area includes the Lexington-style joint Rusty’s Southern

Sarah Fritsche: “When I first visited Lexington Barbecue in North Carolina about a decade ago, I knew I’d met my ideal kind of ‘cue. Slow-smoked pork shoulder is finely chopped, not pulled, and served with a tangy vinegar sauce and all the fixings, which include a tomato-based red slaw and cornmeal hush puppies. Happily, thanks to Rusty’s Southern, I don’t have to book a flight to N.C. to get my fix. Prior to opening their Tenderloin restaurant earlier this spring, owner Rusty Olson and chef Francis Rubio spent time with Lexington Barbecue owner Wayne Monk to learn how to re-create the unique barbecue.”

– The 10 best barbecue restaurants in Britain, for what thats worth

– There is a South Carolina Barbecue Association judging class this Saturday in Cheraw

– Grant’s latest joints on Marie, Let’s Eat!: Center Point Pit Barbecue in Hendersonville, TN and Bill’s Bar-B-Q in Hull, GA

– In a follow-up on Michael Symon and his quest to create “Cleveland-style” barbecue, Thrillist asks just exactly what it is (via)

– Smoking tips from a man who knows what he is talking about, Steve Raichlen

The Smokin’ Pig – Williamston, SC

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Name: The Smokin’ Pig
Date: 6/20/15
Address: 720 Anderson Drive, Williamston, SC
Order: Monk: Two meat combo plate with pulled pork and brisket, slaw, fries Speedy: Three meat combo plate with pulled pork, ribs and brisket, fries, okra (link to menu)
Price: $35

Speedy: Recently, Mrs. Monk and I planned a secret Atlanta trip to surprise a friend for her birthday as well as Monk for Father’s day. Knowing this would inevitably lead to eating some ‘cue while on the road, I asked former co-worker and friend of the blog Reid for some suggestions in the greater Greenville area. He came back with The Smokin’ Pig. Heading that way, Monk asked, “hey Speedy – does this guy know what he’s talking about?” My response: “Well, he does have a Green Egg.” And that was enough for Monk.

Monk: That’s exactly right, Speedy. I figured if he had a Green Egg then he was pretty darn credible as referrer of barbecue. Just as you always talk on and on about how Tyrion is a credible referrer of kings on Game of Thrones. The Smokin’ Pig has two locations, and driving south on I-85 the closest one to us at the time (albeit farther off the highway) was in Williamston. The other one is on the way to Clemson University and we overheard the waitress say to another booth that a third location was opening soon (though we didn’t hear where). On the side of the small brick establishment are an American flag and the large block letters “BBQ”. As soon as I saw this glorious sight, I knew we weren’t going to be let down by friend of the blog Reid (of the Green Egg). Just as Tyrion wasn’t let down by Varys, or so you always say.

Speedy: Don’t get me started on the Spider, Monk. We all know he has a tender heart under that smarmy, bald exterior. Anyhow, as everyone who’s been reading this blog knows, I love a good combo plate, so my order was easy. I had sworn off Carolina brisket previously, but I was feeling saucy (pun intended) so went for it anyway. In addition to pork and brisket, I was given the choice of wet or dry ribs. I opted for the dry.

Monk: Unlike Speedy, I try to be more in tune with my body and how much I can actually eat so I went for a two meat combo plate with pork and brisket. On looks alone, both were great. The brisket had a good peppery bark and was outstanding. Easily the best I’ve had in South Carolina, and it’s not even close. The pork, while maybe just a hair dry, was still tender with smoky chunks of bark mixed in. The pork stood pretty well on its own, but I as well as Speedy and Mrs. Monk added some of the scratch made vinegar sauce at the table (a house made mustard and a more ketchupy sauce were also available). I almost started to say that this was the best pork I’ve had in South Carolina before Speedy reminded me that I’ve been to Scott’s. Still, after that it is way better than anything else we’ve tried.

Speedy: I agree with all of that. The brisket was way better than I expected and the bark on the pork really helped it shine. Like the other meats, the ribs had a good amount of smoke and great flavor from the awesome dry rub. I thought they were just a little bit over cooked and the membrane on cooking style is not my preference, but overall, this is a very good baby back rib. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending any of the meats to anyone going.

Monk: For some reason, the first thing I reached for on my plate was a fry and as standard as they were, they had some great seasoning and were a signal of things to come. The slaw was a white slaw and was good not great. I didn’t finish either, focusing on the meat, but both were fine. The oddity here was the butter-topped yeast roll that came with the combo platters as opposed to corn bread of some sort. Sucker for a yeast roll that I am (I see you, Quincy’s), this was a good one but I couldn’t help but feel it was a little out of place at a barbecue joint

Speedy: Overall, this was a really great ‘cue meal. The Smokin’ Pig is a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it was a great find. I’m really interested in trying other the other location (soon to be locations!) and may have found a go to spot on the road to Atlanta.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs
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