The NC F&B Podcast

Midwood Smokehouse’s Matthew Berry on their Raleigh Expansion

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Monk: Midwood Smokehouse’s Pitmaster/Executive Chef Matthew Berry stops by the NC F&B Podcast to discuss Matthew’s beginnings in barbecue, the origin of Midwood Smokehouse in Charlotte, their recent expansion into Raleigh, and whether the barbecue bubble is about to burst.

NC F&B has recently added video to their podcast offerings and are still working through the kinks. The video quality is pretty low res and their audio on this one had echoes when a guest Zoomed in for a promo. Despite all that, it’s good to see them expanding.

Description: This is our post-Bubbles & Brisket wrap-up show with Charlotte’s star pit-master, Chef Matthew Barry of Midwood Smokehouse. We discuss our experiences within the 3rd annual Bubbles & Brisket and go DEEP into the various styles of smoking meat, the regionality of barbecue, the culture and general know-how about what it takes to run the pit. Also: Has BBQ’s bubble burst? Is wine making a surge in NC? Is there a lost episode of this show floating in cyberspace??? All will be explained in the next 51 minutes.

Charlotte Barbecue News from the Final Months of 2022

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Monk: The biggest news from a mostly quiet past three months was the reopening of Bubba’s Barbecue in north Charlotte after 2+ years closure due to the pandemic. It technically opened over the summer, but that was a quiet reopening and it wasn’t publicized until October.

As noted in the article linked below, the restaurant first opened in 1963 as Jackson and Spoon’s Barbecue (later just Spoon’s Barbecue) on South Boulevard. In 1987, owner Ralph Miller purchased the restaurant and the original recipes. He later renamed the restaurant Bubba’s Barbecue and moved it to Sunset Road, where it has been serving Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue since 1994.

I’ll have a report back in a few weeks, but in the meantime it’s good to have a classic barbecue restaurant back in operation.

October

10/7 Bubba’s Barbecue quietly reopened over the summer, reports the Charlotte Observer

10/9 Jon G’s Barbecue collaborates with Lawrence Barbecue on a taco pop-up in Raleigh at Trophy Brewing

10/11 Mac’s Speed Shop’s latest location in Concord will also feature live music

10/18 Local coverage from WSOC TV on Phar Mill Brewing & BBQ‘s expansion into Concord

10/23 Courtney’s BBQ in nearby Clover opened a brewery that is open every day the restaurant is

November

11/7 The Smoke Pit wins Best Soup for its Smoked Chicken and Dumplings in the 17th Annual Soup Sampling by Cabarrus County’s Meals on Wheels

11/17 Jon G’s Barbecue collaborated with Virtuoso Bread in Waxhaw by smoking a bag of rye berries for 4 hours “in a way that the flavor would come out gentle and not too intrusive”

11/30 The NC F&B Podcast publishes its podcast visit to Jon G’s Barbecue

December

12/19 Midwood Smokehouse’s Raleigh location (opening this month) will have some different items than their current stores, including what looks to be a crunchwrap-type item

12/28 Mac’s Speed Shop has new menu items until the end of February, including this beef rib

Friday Find: Raleigh’s Dampf Good BBQ on The NC F&B Podcast

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Monk: Dampf Good BBQ has recently come onto the Raleigh barbecue scene, bringing a distinctly Texas take to the pork-centric capital. Here, Nick Dampf sits down with The NC F&B Guys and describes, among other things, his background, approach to barbecue, and the intricacies of smoking on a dual 1000 gallon behemoth of a pit.

Description: We sat down with Nick Dampf himself to talk about his transition from Cisco sales rep to a full-time pitmaster (a term Nick’s too humble to use). We learned:

  • What do you get when you mix weekend pop-ups, Texas style BBQ, and a 2000 gallon smoker? Dampf Good BBQ of course!
  • How to work on a behemoth smoker
  • why the interest in pork steak is.