Speedy

Sauceman’s BBQ & Grill – Charlotte, NC (RE-REVIEW)

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Name: Sauceman’s BBQ & Grill
Date: 4/3/15
Address: 228 West Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Order: Monk:Two-meat sampler with pork and brisket, Texas toast, red slaw, mac and cheese, Cheerwine; Speedy: Two-meat sampler with pork and ½ rack of ribs, hush puppies, and red slaw  (link to menu)
Price: Monk: $18; Speedy: $16

Monk: Well, Speedy and I tried going to Old Hickory House one last time but on the Friday before it closed at its current location for good they had sold out by 11:45am. Speedy and I still wanted barbecue so we decided to try Sauceman’s again. I had noted in our previous review almost two years ago that I was curious how their (somewhat) dry pork would fare during the lunch hour. So here we were, ready to give it another go.

Speedy: As I thought Sauceman’s was kind of average in our first review, I hadn’t made a point to get back. However, I’d always thought that in theory, it should be very good – as they don’t seem to cut any corners. I also really like the menu – I think it has everything a good ‘cue joint should. One complaint from last time was that they had no combo platters. This has been remedied, so Monk and I were able to each order two meats.

Sauceman’s cooks its pork Lexington style, but it doesn’t seem to be served that way. Lexington ‘cue is chopped much finer and sauced while chopping. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. So while the pork does have good flavor (I could use more bark), it just tastes dry. Adding some of the dip from the table helps some, but I think Sauceman’s could help itself out by adding dip to it’s saucing process.

Monk: I couldn’t agree more. For a so-called Lexington-style joint it just doesn’t come across in the pork for the reasons Speedy mentions above.

As for the brisket slices, they contained both the flat as well as the point and predictably the point was fattier and moist while the flat was slightly dry due to being overcooked. The slices did have a nice, peppery bark that provided a pop of smoke and flavor, however. We actually didn’t try the brisket last time around (and now Speedy has apparently sworn off all brisket in NC) but I’d say it was a passable version of a central Texas-style brisket.

Speedy: I stand by my decision not to try the brisket. I don’t feel like I missed anything. Brisket, I miss you, but I’ll see you soon on my next trip to Texas.

I remembered the ribs being good and I was pleased with them again. In the two years since we were last at Sauceman’s, I’ve drifted a bit towards drier ribs, so I thought these may have been slightly oversauced, but that’s nitpicking. They were cooked almost perfectly and had great flavor. While eating these ribs, I thought to myself that I might be eating the best rib in Charlotte. After thinking that through, I’m not sure I can confidently make that declaration, but they definitely have to be in the conversation.

Monk: We do need to come up with our best in each meat for Charlotte, but that’s a discussion for another day…

Sauceman’s does have a red slaw which we always love to see, and a decent version at that. I was a dummy and forgot to replace the Texas toast that comes with the with hush puppies. And the mac and cheese was solid but very creamy and almost too heavy for a nice spring day on the patio.

Speedy: Overall, I think a two year hiatus to Sauceman’s may have been a bit too long. It’s a good restaurant and it deserves patronage, particularly in the summer when the awesome patio is usable.

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

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Peg Leg Porker – Nashville, TN

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Name: Peg Leg Porker
Date: 3/20/15
Address: 903 Gleaves St., Nashville, TN
Order: Peg Leg Hot wings, ½ rack ribs (dry), Brunswick stew, fries (link to menu)
Price: ~$20

Speedy: I recently took a trip to Nashville to see the greatest band of all-time, The Beach Boys, live at one of the greatest music venues ever, the Ryman. My bud Drew is well aware of my love of ‘cue, so wanted to take me to a new place that has become his favorite joint in town – Peg Leg Porker.

Monk: Beach Boys and barbecue? Talk about “good vibrations” am I right?

Speedy: *Face palm* We arrived on Friday night to a sizable crowd. Peg leg has a decent sized dining room and a large bar. There’s a counter for ordering, and you just sit wherever you can find a seat, which was more difficult than anticipated as there was a pretty big line ahead of us. I really liked the atmosphere – it’s not a typical old-timey joint by any means, but it doesn’t have any pretentiousness about it. I really dug it.

Monk: If there’s anything that Speedy won’t stand for, its pretentiousness. Looking at you, Panera.

Speedy: I had trouble deciding what to order, but ultimately went with the dry ribs (I always prefer dry, given the option) and the smoked wings, as I knew I would be able to snake some pulled pork from someone else in our party.

After getting the meal, I first tried a bit of pork. I was pretty pleased. It’s no secret that I prefer chopped to pulled, and I would like to have seen a little bit more bark in there, but the smoke flavor was evident. I think it could’ve used a little tang from a vinegar based dip, but that may just be my North Carolina roots talking.

Monk: So did the pork have a particular style in the cut of meat and/or sauce? Tennessee is definitely a pork state but I’m curious if it was whole hog or shoulders and if it was sauced any.

Speedy: You know, Monk, unfortunately, I didn’t get to interview the pitmaster, but it did seem like pulled shoulder meat to me. It came unsauced, but there was a spicy and regular red sauce available. I tried the spicy and it was decent.

The ribs were really good. They had the right amount of dry rub – accentuating but not eliminating the flavor of the meat. They were cooked perfectly – tender without falling of the bone. The ribs were certainly the star of the show.

Monk: So would you call this a good version of the Memphis-style rib?

Speedy: Yes, absolutely. I think it can be difficult to have dry ribs not taste like dry meat, but here, the meat was tender and juicy, even though it wasn’t saucy.

The wings were also really good. They were served as full wings, smoked and tossed in hot buffalo sauce. I was really happy with that, as I get annoyed when barbecue joints serve fried wings.

Peg Leg gets a small bonus in terms of sides for offering Brunswick stew, which was very good. But those points are subsequently lost due to the lack of hushpuppies. And of course, they had white slaw instead of red, which I didn’t touch.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Peg Leg Porker. It’s the best ‘cue I’ve had in Nashville, which, unfortunately doesn’t say much, despite Travel & Leisure’s ludicrous article. However, I expect that this is not my last trip to Peg Leg Porker.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Wings – 3.5 hog
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3.5 Hogs
Peg Leg Porker on Urbanspoon

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Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack – Belmont, NC

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Name: Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack
Date: 3/25/15
Address: 403 E Catawba St Ste 200, Belmont, NC 28012
Order: “Pul’d” pork sandwich with BBQ slaw, hush puppies, and Sun Drop (link to menu)
Price: $9.50

Monk: Belmont is a small town situated just off of I-85 between Charlotte and Gastonia that is mostly known for being the home of Belmont Abbey College, a small Catholic college. I haven’t really spent much time that way but last year a promising looking barbecue spot called Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack opened up. Being that Belmont is actually a little bit closer to where we currently live than barbecue restaurants in Fort Mill, Concord, or Kannapolis (since I’ve exhausted most Charlotte options), I decided to check it out.

I quite like the space that Peace -N- Hominy occupies at the rear of an older building that also houses Belmont’s Drug Store. It’s a smaller space and there aren’t but a handful of tables available in the main dining area (which were all full that day during lunch), so I headed back to the barstool seating against a wall just off the open kitchen.

Peace -N- Hominy state on the menu that they smoke their pork for 13 hours with apple-wood and hickory but from what I could tell, they do their smoking with a gasser. Which you could taste in the dry and coarsely pulled pork I had on my sandwich. The chunks that did have some bark were a notch above the other pieces but on the whole it was crying out for one of their table sauces (available in hot, vinegar, and mustard).

Speedy: Which sauce did you try? Did it help?

Monk: I tried the vinegar sauce, which helped a bit in terms of dryness. Another thing that helped was the barbecue slaw on the sandwich itself. One suggestion, though – they should put the slaw on top of the pork (as most places do) so that by the time I receive the sandwich the bottom half of the bun isn’t soaked through due to the weight of the meat sitting on top of the slaw. This resulted in me having a somewhat hard time eating the sandwich without it falling apart.

The hush puppies come lightly dusted with what I believe is cinnamon sugar and is almost more dessert than savory side. Nonetheless, they are quite good despite being somewhat inconsistent – some were a little more underdone than others.

And a note about the paper straws they utilized. Props to Peace -N- Hominy for refusing to use styrofoam products – I wish more restaurants would do this – but a paper straw is where I draw the line. Its just not natural to sip through a straw that is slowly disintegrating and breaking down with every sip. I try not to hyperbolize too much (I usually leave that to Speedy), but a paper straw truly is the devil’s instrument.

Speedy: I have no idea what you’re talking about…

Monk: Sure you don’t, Speedy… 

In addition to having a pretty good name, Peace -N- Hominy Q Shack is a decent little barbecue joint. They are unfortunately at a bit of a disadvantage by not using a wood burning smoker from the get-go but are worth checking out in Belmont.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
Peace -n- Hominy Q Shack on Urbanspoon

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The Original Q Shack – Durham, NC

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Name: The Original Q Shack
Date: 3/4/15
Address: 2510 University Drive, Durham, NC
Order: 3 meat combo (pork, brisket, ribs), collards, fried okra (link to menu)
Price: $16

Speedy: Oftentimes, when my co-workers hear about the blog or my love of great ‘cue, they make suggestions of places I “have” to try. Some have been great, but in general, I’m skeptical until I know someone has legit barbecue taste.

Monk: Quick question just because I’m curious – how many have you found to have legit barbecue taste?

Speedy: There are a couple – generally people who grew up in a ‘cue mecca. It only takes a short conversation to figure out who to trust.

Since I starting working relatively frequently in the research triangle area (over a year ago), I’ve been hearing that I need to check out The Original Q Shack. After checking out the similarly named (and themed) Q Shack in Raleigh, I was avoiding at all costs; however, I’ve heard that there may not be much (or any) connection, so a trip to Cameron Indoor to attend the execution of my beloved Demon Deacons basketball season seemed like a good excuse to check it out.

Monk: From what I can tell, The Original Q Shack is not officially affiliated with the North Hills Q Shack you visited or The Q Shack in south Charlotte, which is part of the same chain as North Hills. I’m guessing that also makes it a 0% chance you and I ever visit the south Charlotte location.

Speedy: Thanks for doing the research, Monk. He’s not the best in the business for nothing, folks.

The Original Q Shack looks like an old-timey joint with outdoor (covered) seating and a small space indoors. The night I was there, there was a bluegrass quartet playing, which really added to the atmosphere. Similar to the Raleigh abomination, you order cafeteria style, and the meat is cut in front of you. To maximize coverage, I, of course, went with the three meat sampler.

At $16, this combo plate is not too overpriced, considering the portions. I think it could easily serve as a meal for two people. I was a little disappointed that it came with white bread instead of hush puppies or cornbread, but what can ya do?

The pork was decent. It was plenty tender and had decent flavor, though it could’ve used a little more smoke. It didn’t seem like the pork was sauced at all – I think chopping it and adding a little dip would do wonders. I also didn’t get any bark mixed in with mine – not sure if that was by design or if I got unlucky, but it was disappointing. I wouldn’t call this the best pork I’ve had, and certainly there are better options not too far away, but I wasn’t upset with it.

The ribs were actually quite good. The Original Q Shack serves spare ribs, pre-cut and lightly glazed. They were cooked almost perfectly – tender but not falling off the bone, with a good combination of sauce and a dry rub taste. This is the meat I would recommend and would have if I ever find myself back.

The brisket, unfortunately, was just plain bad. I got a mix of fatty and lean and the piece I had was way, way overcooked. My slices had minimal bark, were dry, and any flavor had long since left the meat. Overall, it was very, very disappointing. Hopefully this was just a case of one bad brisket, but I won’t be trying it again.

Monk: The owner of The Original Q Shack in Durham apparently has Texas roots (again, from my quick research). Which makes it a little odd that the brisket was the worst meat of the three you had that night.

Speedy: I have been told that their brisket is generally good, so maybe I caught it a bad day, but it’s not worth another try for me.

From a sides perspective, the collards were fine and the fried okra was outstanding. This was probably the best fried okra that I’ve had. Unfortunately, when the fried okra is the best part of the meal, there are larger problems afoot.

Overall, The Original Q Shack is way, way, way, way better than The Q Shack in North Hills, but it’s still an average (at best) barbecue meal.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 1 hog
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 2.5 Hogs
Original Q Shack on Urbanspoon

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