Speedy

Favorite Bites from last month’s Carolina BBQ Festival

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Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

Monk: For this year’s edition of the Carolina BBQ Festival, while some pitmasters were new  and the festival changed locations from Camp North End to Uptown (not to mention it was now part of the Charlotte SHOUT! Festival), not too much changed in terms of the quality of the barbecue served from two years ago when I went to the first edition of the festival.

Speedy: Well, here was one other big change: your boy Speedy made an appearance! I happened to be in town to catch a couple final Charlotte Hornets games as a season ticket holder and Monk’s Spring Break travels aligned with us going to the festival on Saturday.

On the drive in, Monk gave me a rundown of the scene (i.e. the pitmasters) before the festival, and I must say I was pretty excited about the volume of talent from all across the great state of North Carolina (oh, and the lesser Carolina as well). We arrived to beautiful weather on a warm Saturday, checked-in, got our wristbands for some refreshing beverages, were issued our silverware, and we were off to explore the smoked meats across Victoria Yards. 

Monk: Elliott Moss made his third straight appearance at the Carolina BBQ Festival and while he is now under his own banner of Moss & Moore Barbecue instead of Buxton Hall Barbecue, he brought his ever-familiar whole hog. They may have been out of slider buns for us but with a few dashes of vinegar-pepper sauce in a cardboard boat this whole hog was reminiscent of the pork from Buxton Hall, of which we are both big fans. 

Moss did give me a little bit of an indication of what will be next for him as he posted last month that he would be leaving Asheville this spring, but I will leave the details of the forthcoming announcement up to him. What I will say is that it looks like he is staying in the Carolinas and will still be cooking whole hog barbecue. More to come from Moss in the coming weeks and months.

Speedy: Walking up to Jon G’s Barbecue tent, I saw a heavenly site – a tower of beef rib bones – and I knew we were in for a treat. Beef rib slider with pickled onions on a potato roll? Yes please! The bar is high for Jon G’s and they did not disappoint. This sammie is what dreams are made of, and this is my winner for bite of the day. 

Monk: I always enjoy catching up with Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ at barbecue festivals, and for this festival it was a family affair with his wife and three kids in tow helping him serve some delicious smoked cheese burger sliders. Despite some issues with wood, Register more than delivered on this burger and was one of two non-traditional barbecue bites that stood out on the afternoon.

Speedy: I am on record as saying that any item that is not strictly smoked meat is secondary in the barbecue setting, but City Limits Barbeque made me question that stance with the pork belly hash and Carolina gold rice. I would easily eat a generous portion of this as a whole meal and might even be willing to venture to Columbia some time to check out the full experience at the James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Southeast, which was announced just days before the festival.

Monk: While they were out of consommé by the time I got there, the mini smoked brisket quesabirria taco with avocado salsa from Lawrence Barbecue was still one of the highlights of the festival for me. This was the other standout change of pace bite from the more traditional barbecue served throughout the festival. It’s also a nice crossover of Lawrence Barbecue with owner Jake Wood’s sister concept Leroy’s Tacos. Both are worth making the trip to Durham for a visit, or perhaps Wood’s upcoming barbecue festival next month in Raleigh, Gettin’ Piggy With It, another great collection of Carolinas barbecue talent.

Speedy: Monk had been raving to me privately about Sweet Lew’s sausage game for a while, so I was pumped to get to sample a link at the festival – and it did not disappoint. The sausage was flavorful and smoked perfectly, and did not crumble. The man knows what he’s doing around a sausage stuffer.

Monk: Phew! The Barbecue Bros attendance at this year’s Carolina BBQ Festival came together at the last minute (big thanks to friend of the blog Chigger Willard of The Low and Slow Barbecue Show) but thankfully Speedy and I were able to make it happen. 

It’s such a great festival in large part due to the effort by Lewis Donald along with so many others. Next year, I can’t recommend enough for anyone within driving distance (or even beyond like in Speedy’s case) to make the trip to Charlotte and attend because there’s not too many other instances where you can taste so much good barbecue from throughout the Carolinas in one afternoon.

Pecan Lodge in Dallas continues to be a must-visit

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Name: Pecan Lodge
Date: 1/6/24
Address: 2702 Main St., Dallas, TX
Order: “The Trough” (1 beef rib, 1lb of pork ribs, 1lb brisket, 1/2 lb of pulled pork & 2 sausage links), half pound turkey, collards, fried okra  (Link To Menu)
Price: $$$

Speedy: On my second day of Dallas, it was time to return to Pecan Lodge, a barbecue mecca that I had not visited since 2018. Arriving at around 10:50 AM, ten minutes prior to opening, my group of three was greeted with a small line of maybe a dozen people ahead of us, far shorter than the last time I visited, in the before times (aka in 2018). After a short wait, it was our turn to order.

When it comes to ordering at Pecan Lodge, you only have to make two decisions: 1) what sides do you want? (we went with collards and okra); and 2) what meat(s) do you want in addition to The Trough (we went with turkey)? I cannot stress this enough – you must order the Trough at Pecan Lodge, regardless of how many people you are with. The only exception is if you have a big group and need to order two or more Troughs. Not that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about the food.

The brisket was just as I remembered – peppery and flavorful – and remains the top dog at Pecan Lodge. There’s not much to say about it other than it remains in my top tier of brisket ever tasted, the likes of which you would be hard pressed to find outside of Texas.

The other 5 hog item from my last review was the beef rib. I’m sorry to report that the beef rib did not quite live up to those 5 hog expectations next time. The rib was still very good – meaty, cooked well, and tender, but I felt it was a little under seasoned this time.

The other meat that I was slightly let down by (mostly due to crazy high expectations) was the pulled pork. While tender, the pork was a little dry this time around, and frankly needed some sauce. Thankfully, there was plenty of vinegar sauce available to remedy this, but the pork was probably my least favorite part of the meal.

On the positive end of the spectrum were the ribs. In my latest review on Terry Black’s Barbecue, I went on the great rib rant of 2024, only for the barbecue gods to deliver me two good rib experiences in a row. I had previously been disappointed by the ribs at the Lodge, but on this date, they were meaty, perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and delicious. I would put them a notch behind Terry Black’s (that glaze was good!) but still very good.

The sausage and turkey were both above average, and the sides were everything I remembered (aka really good); recommended all around.

All of that was a lot of food, which meant tons of leftovers. Which means, dear reader, it’s time for a new category – reheatability.

Monk: Wait a minute, I thought we needed to take a vote to introduce a new category…

Speedy: …I’ve found that reheating barbecue can be a hit or miss activity, causing dry meats to become inedible and otherwise damaging meats that are not seasoned appropriately. None of that was a problem for anything at Pecan Lodge. I’m not sure how they did it but every meat (and the okra!) from Pecan Lodge re-heated wonderfully with 20 minutes in the oven. It was honestly as good heated up later as it was at the restaurant. 5 hogs!

One challenge about going back to the scene of a heavenly barbecue experience is that expectations have changed. There is no surprise left, and anything that is less than perfect is magnified.

Monk: That was…beautiful, Speedy.

Speedy: That said, the meal at Pecan Lodge was still an amazing experience, and among the best meals I’d had in a long time. If you’re in Dallas, it’s still a must visit.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Brisket – 5 hogs
Beef Rib – 4 hogs
Pork Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Pulled pork – 3.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Turkey – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4.5 hogs
Re-heatability – 5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs (the brisket is that good, y’all)

Terry Black’s Barbecue Delivers on Brisket and Turkey

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Name: Terry Black’s Barbecue (Dallas)
Date: 1/5/24
Address: 3025 Main St., Dallas, TX
Order: Brisket, pork ribs, (original) sausage, turkey  (Link To Menu)
Price: $$

Speedy: On the first weekend of the new year, I went down to Dallas to spend the weekend with a couple of friends. I had already prepped the squad that a visit to Pecan Lodge was a must, which we had planned for Saturday afternoon but that left Friday night open, at least cuisine-wise. When searching close by restaurants, I came upon Terry Black’s Barbecue. Obviously I am familiar with the Black family, and I remember quite fondly my 2014 visit to Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart. So I asked my (normally non-barbecue) bros if they wanted to double up on the ‘cue. They agreed and it was on.

We arrived at the restaurant, which was a typical Texas cafeteria style joint. It was fairly crowded (not many open tables), but only around 5 people in front of us in line, so the wait was short. Side note: Terry Black’s in Dallas has a nice, large outdoor space with plenty of tables, but this evening was a little chilly so it was empty.

We went through and ordered sides (green beans and mac &cheese) and got to a meat station. One thing I really appreciated is that once you got through the sides line, there were several meat slicers, since that takes a little more time. This moved the line really quickly. We got our order, found a table, and it was time to dig in.

Being a Texas joint, let’s start with the brisket. We were not asked whether we wanted fatty or lean brisket (not sure if this is still a thing – we were not asked at Pecan Lodge the next day either), but we ended up with lean. The worry here, obviously, is the brisket getting dry, but that was not the case. Cooked perfectly and moist, the brisket was very good. My only complaint is I felt it could use a little more seasoning.

The other Texas staple, the original sausage, was also good. It did not fall apart when sliced, had nice flavor, and a nice hint of smoke. While enjoyable, nothing really set it apart, and it was probably my least favorite meat of the meal.

Let’s take an aside to talk about ribs. For whatever reason, I’ve really struggled finding solid pork ribs lately. Often overcooked, over seasoned or over sauced, and often overly fatty, this feels to me like a (mostly) lost art form. (Shame note: This has extended to my own rib smoking. Ole Speedy will be going back to the drawing board with his rib technique in 2024.) Well this was not a problem at Terry Black’s. Perfectly seasoned and cooked spare ribs, I was able to get a nice clean bite. There was also a nice, sweet (but not overly) glaze on the ribs, enhancing the smoky flavor of the meat.

OK, saving the best for last: the turkey (yes, I said it). Monk and I are both on record discussing our appreciation for good smoked turkey. Well, this turkey breast took the cake. Moist, buttery, well-seasoned, and with smoke and seasoning permeating every bite of the meat, this was the best turkey that I’ve ever had. While the perfect bite of brisket still shines as the top bite in barbecue, this turkey definitely deserves a seat at the table. It is an absolute must order and something I will dream about.

Rudy: I really don’t have anything to add other than to state that I am firmly in the anti-turkey camp. Mostly because there are so many things that I would rather have than it.  Also, the worst part about this review is looking over it and looking back over my review of Terry Black’s in Austin from 2015. It makes me miss good barbecue so much (Editor’s note: Rudy moved to Michigan from Austin a few years back). I’m looking forward to the upcoming Pecan Lodge review because it may have been my #2 favorite place, definitely top 3, when I lived in Texas.

Speedy: Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Terry Black’s Barbecue. I always worry about “chain” barbecue restaurants, but with only 3 locations, quality at this Dallas location was still on point.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Turkey – 5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

Legitimate Eastern North Carolina Barbecue in Portland? Maine?

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Name: Wilson County Barbecue
Date: 6/3/23
Address: 82 Hanover St Suite 8, Portland, ME 04101
Order: Two barbecue plates, one full rack of ribs plate, order of wings, pork belly burnt ends with collards, beans, mac and cheese, slaw, hush puppies, order of biscuits, fries (link)
Pricing: $$

Rudy: It’s been a while since all three Barbecue Bros had been together and been able to do a review together. But more importantly, it had been so long since I have had decent barbecue. Since moving to western Michigan, the opportunities are limited to say the least. So of course the place that we needed to go to try true authentic North Carolina barbecue was…Maine?

Monk: Despite its Maine locale, Wilson County Barbecue does have some barbecue bonafides. It’s been loved by both John Shelton Reed and friend of the blog John Tanner and has been certified as a True Cue joint meaning it smokes over wood with no gas or electric assistance, as evidenced by the sticker in the front door. Owner/operator Spencer Brantley’s family originally hails from Wilson County, NC (hence the name) and they’ve even got a “Grady’s passed-down sauce” dressing their whole hog barbecue (from the legendary Grady’s Barbecue joint in Dudley). 

And did I mention that they smoke whole hogs over direct heat in a pig cooker from BQ Grills from Elm City, NC? Throw in the “Hot Biscuits Now” fluorescent sign apparently created by the same guy who does the Krispy Kreme “Hot N Now” signs for good measure, and these North Carolina boys definitely had to check this place out during our most recent annual trip for sure.

Speedy: At Wilson County Barbecue, you order at the counter and are given a number which is called when the food is ready. Our large group was fairly unorganized, so approached the counter without knowing our order – apparently a big no-no. We were asked to go sit at a table and figure out our order and come back despite being the only customers who had yet to order. The staff was polite, but it felt a little like a Seinfeld episode (no whole hog for you!). Anyway, after organizing ourselves, we put in an order to include whole hog, ribs, pork belly burnt ends, and sides, along with some wings. We walked to the counter to grab our food and were ready to dig in. 

Rudy: The whole hog was the best option of all the foods we had, in my opinion. Again, because it had been some time since I had enjoyed good pulled pork, I had to confirm with others that I wasn’t hyping it up more than it deserved. The thing that I loved about it was that it was true eastern North Carolina whole hog. It had the vinegar sauce mixed in, which gave it a great tangy flavor that didn’t overwhelm the meat, and allowed the smoke flavor to come through. After everyone took a sampling, I made sure I finished off the leftovers.

Monk: As Rudy and Speedy are well aware, the camera eats first and while I was taking snaps of the food I thought to myself just how unphotogenic pork can be. Luckily, looks don’t really matter all that much when the whole hog is as authentically eastern NC as it is here.

Speedy: Agree with everything said above. The whole hog was the star of the show. The ribs had good flavor but were a bit over cooked, as the meat slid totally off the bone and was a little mushy for me. Several in our party (aka those WITHOUT barbecue blogs) love the “fall off the bone ribs” so everyone’s mileage may vary. Still, seasoning and sauce was on point, so props to Wilson County on the flavor.

Rudy: I liked the flavor of the ribs and agreed with the overcooked part, but my other complaint was the amount of sauce on them. I think it is a personal preference, so I wouldn’t dock them too many points, but sometimes I feel like the sauce is overcompensating a bit for the cook. The part of the meal that I liked the most (other than the pork) was the pork belly burnt ends. Great flavor and very tender, the fat was rendered perfectly. There weren’t many to go around to our big group, so the one that I got, I really enjoyed.

Speedy: The pork belly burnt ends were very good. Saucy, tender, and with just the right amount of bark. Besides the whole hog, this was probably my favorite part of the meal.

Monk: Carbs-wise, the hush puppies and biscuits were a highlight, both fresh and on point from a texture perspective. I found the beans, mac and cheese, and slaw to be standard and the collards in need of a little more vinegar. Nothing egregious, but the bread options were my favorite part of the meal. 

Rudy: I know that several people in our group didn’t care for the sides and thought they were bland, but the bite of greens that I had were good. Maybe they weren’t consistent for people that had more than the one bite that I had, but I didn’t mind it. If a barbecue restaurant is going to be lacking in anything, I am ok with them lacking on sides as opposed to meat.

Before we left, Monk introduced himself to the manager. It was more of a “nice to meet you” instead of a “do you know who I am?” but either way, he offered to let our group try a couple of the desserts for free.  Even though we were given them for free, I will not let that impact my review. I cannot be bribed with free food (although I welcome any restaurant to try)! We had both the key lime pie and the banana pudding. The key lime pie was really good and had a great graham cracker crust. I was looking forward to the banana pudding most and was slightly disappointed. The flavor was great but the pudding had not fully set and was soupy.  I think it could have been as good as the key lime pie, if not better, but the pudding was too runny for me.

Monk: Shout out to Dickie for the desserts and to reiterate, while they were good and we appreciated the gesture they did not affect our review or ratings. 

It’s always a big occasion when all three Barbecue Bros founding members are in the same place for a barbecue review. Thankfully, in Portland, Maine of all places, Wilson County Barbecue’s whole hog lived up to the hype. That barbecue would comfortably sit in the upper tiers of any eastern NC whole hog rankings and I’m glad we were able to visit shortly after the 11th anniversary of this blog.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork (whole hog) – 4.5 hogs
Ribs – 3 hogs
Pork Belly Burnt Ends – 4 hogs
Wings – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs