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Linkdown: 10/30/24 – Thank Goodness for a Firewall edition

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Courtesy of WFAE

Featured: In case you missed it, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby experienced a fire in their pit room late last week. It reportedly took 15 minutes to put out the fire but thankfully, the fire was contained by the firewall between the pitroom and the restaurant.

While in the immediate aftermath of the fire, the restaurant announced that it would be closed “indefinitely,” I’m happy to report that they are utilizing exterior pits and will reopen for their normal hours starting Wednesday (today!).

Eventually, Red Bridges will redo their pit room once they get through the insurance process. Thank goodness for that firewall, else we would’ve potentially lost an iconic barbecue restaurant that’s been around for nearly 80 years.

Native News

According to Edmar Simoes‘ Instagram, he has left Resident Culture and joined Flour Shop, a new American restaurant in the Montford neighborhood of Charlotte that utilizes a wood burning oven and emphasizes “a traditional style of cooking with fire while using the freshest, locally sourced ingredients.”

I reached out to Edmar and he confirmed the move and mentioned that he will be working on some sort of smoke special soon. So stay tuned.

Congrats to Longleaf Swine, who took home some awards in the recent News & Observer Raleigh’s Best List: Gold for Best Barbecue and Silver for Best Ribs & Best Chicken Wings

The Pik N Pig stall at the NC State Fair in Raleigh is always a popular stop

A recap of this past weekend’s Barbecue Festival in Lexington

In the afterglow of last weekend’s Concert for the Carolinas in Charlotte, here’s a great story on Eric Church’s early days playing at the old Woodlands Barbecue & Pickin’ Parlor in Blowing Rock from The State You’re In

Non-Native News

A couple of recent reviews from the ever-prolific friend of the blog, John Tanner, starting with smoked pastrami at ZZQ

…then he tried the Fletcher’s BBQ food truck that serves the Richmond area

…his most recent review is of Redemption BBQ in Short Pump, VA, which he proclaims may have the best pork in all of Virginia but don’t sleep on the Brunswick stew

Linkdown: 1/24/24 – The Buc-ee’s Coming to Mebane Edition

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Featured

Monk: Daniel Vaughn (aka BBQ Snob), Barbecue Editor for Texas Monthly, made a trip to North Carolina last week (with a jag up to Norfolk) to taste what the Old North State has to currently offer in terms of Texas barbecue. Long story short, he was “blown away” by the “staggeringly good” barbecue he tasted on this trip. The stops he called out:

  • Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland
  • Dampf Good BBQ – Cary
  • Old Colony Smokehouse – Edenton
  • Lawrence Barbecue – Durham
  • Sweet Lew’s BBQ – Charlotte
  • Union Barbecue – Charlotte
  • Redwood Smoke – Norfolk, VA

For the Charlotte area, no surprise that he remains a fan of Jon G’s, but good to see Sweet Lew’s gets a shoutout as well as newcomer Union Barbecue, whom I haven’t had a chance to try yet. Dampf Good and Old Colony are on my list as well for NC.

You may recall that Vaughn did a similar trip through South Carolina and Georgia last summer where he praised City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia and Fork Grove Barbecue in Anderson among others. I would expect a similar story in the next week or so about North Carolina, and I can’t wait to read it.

Native News

At Morris Barbeque in Hookerton in the 60s, Joe the Monkey was a regular fixture

Firehawk Brewpub is hosting a 5 course, family-style dinner featuring the smoked specialties of Chefs Scott Blackwood and Chris Coleman as well as cocktails from Mixologist Bob Peters; tickets available here

New hours for Clyde Cooper’s in Raleigh

ICYMI Buc-ees is coming to Mebane

Non-Native News

Daniel Vaughn remembers John Brotherton

City Limits Barbeque is selling their own pimento cheese now

Direct-heat ribs vs smoked ribs: who you got???

Linkdown: 8/21/23 – The Elliott Moss is Back Edition

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Featured

Monk: Elliott Moss’ post-Buxton Hall Barbecue plans have been announced. While he had been busy with opening his latest concepts – the breakfast and lunch comfort food spot Regina’s in West Asheville as well as the sandwich shop Little Louie’s – for the past 13 months, he has seemingly left both less than six weeks after they opened.

With his newfound free time, it seems as if Moss wants to continue his barbecue journey. Enter, Moss & Moore.

According to Moss & Moore’s first Instagram post, the first chance to experience their barbecue will be on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend with their friends The Hound.

Moss & Moore will also be hitting the road throughout the southeast this fall as well:

  • September 29-October 1 in St. Simon’s Island, GA for Fire Box Soul
  • October 22 in Atlanta with Oyster South
  • October 28 in Dallas with Cattle Ack BBQ
  • November 11 at Holy Smokes Barbecue Festival in Charleston

Moss is also exploring his family history on the Moss & Moore Instagram page through a set of reels, which is well worth checking out. Glad to see Elliott Moss back in the barbecue game.

Native News

The Tar Heel Traveler’s latest is with Raleigh man Carter Claiborne, who is on a mission to eat barbecue in all 100 NC counties

Firehawk Brewpub with a primer on the unique way they do ribs

Sam Jones BBQ’s next BBQ & Bourbon dinner will be September 12th in Raleigh

Non-Native News

The story from Daniel Vaughn’s jaunt through South Carolina and Georgia a few weeks back

Congrats to Courtney’s BBQ, which opened their doors 24 years ago this week

Little Miss BBQ will not be expanding after all

Eater checks in on the rapidly developing Houston barbecue scene

Philly Bite Magazine with a brief primer on Virginia-style barbecue

Congrats to Columbus B. Hill, the first Coloradan inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame

Linkdown: 8/16/23 – The Runaway Longhorn Bull Edition

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Featured

Monk: As a result of some severe storms in the Charlotte area last week, a 900 pound longhorn bull got loose in west Charlotte and ran free for 4 days.

It would re-emerge once a day or so but no one was ever able to pin it down. It quickly soared to the top of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD’s most wanted (animals) list.

it wasn’t until the fourth day that the bull was found and euthanized by a hunter hired by the owner. No word on whether any barbecue was able to be made as a result.

Rest in Power, Runaway West Charlotte Longhorn Bull of 2023.

Native News

Midwood Smokehouse is the only barbecue restaurant in the CharlotteFive’s Reader’s Choice Poll for tacos

NC-based Cheerwine is now available at 4 Rivers Smokehouse restaurants across Florida

Speedy’s is back from vacation

Have you tried livermush before? This NC delicacy is not barbecue but is made from pig: “they ground pig’s liver and head meat and mixed it with cornmeal, salt, pepper, and sage to form something akin to a caseless sausage”

Non-Native News

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John Tanner checks out Big Bad W Pit BBQ in Stafford, VA

Plus, is ZZQ the best brisket east of Texas?

POV: How to navigate City Limits Q’s queue (or is it que?)

Dispatch from an epic taco road trip from the Tales from the Pits guys

Tacos for the Cause this week at Fox Bros Bar-B-Q

J.C. Reid’s latest column is on beef brands

This year’s Pig Island NYC is September 9

ICYMI, this week’s episode of “BBQ USA” featured the Jeff Michner benefit at Pig Beach