VA

Linkdown: 6/21/17

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– Rodney Scott surprisingly smoked ribs instead of whole hog at this year’s Big Apple

– The Washington Post’s Jim Shahin has a list of favorite barbecue books this season, and it includes Elliott Moss’s “Buxton Hall BBQ Book of Smoke”

– I couldn’t disagree more but Charlotte Agenda refers to Bubba’s Barbecue as a “hidden gem”

– Whole hog in the most unlikeliest of places? Gravy’s got the scoop

– NC barbecue in Virginia at Willard’s BBQ in Reston

– The Houston Chronicle has an article on barbecue camps, focusing on the one at Texas A&M but with a passing mention of a few in NC (though it mistakenly mentions that the NC State Barbecue Camp only started this year; this was its second third year)

– The Smoking Ho has some nice barbecue photos from his quick trip to LA

– What else would you expect from an Alabaman?

Linkdown: 9/21/16

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– Pulled pork v brisket: who you got? John Lewis of Lewis Barbecue and Aaron Siegel of Home Team BBQ weigh in

AM: Which is better, beef brisket or pulled pork?  

Siegel: There is no argument there, really. It’s just a matter of preference, which seems to vary regionally. But even now, regional lines are getting blurred. We’re supposedly a pork town. But we’ve been doing beef brisket with salt and pepper and it’s one of our best selling products. So at the end of the day, it’s a fun argument. But it’s not valid.

Lewis: I think there are things about both that make them stand out. Beef has a stronger flavor than pork. But what pork has is marveling, which gives it a juicier taste. In Texas, there’s an order called the “Holy Trinity,” which includes sausage, beef and pork on the same plate. So I’m really just a fan of it all. It’s all about personal preference.

– The Charleston Post and Courier likes what they eat from  Lewis Barbecue

– Buxton Hall recipes online (presumably from the upcoming cookbook): hush puppies at Bon Appétit and chicken bog at Garden & Gun

– The North State Journal previews next month’s Barbecue Revival (paywall)

“Barbecue is sacred to the people of North Carolina,” says Dickson. “If you’re going to do this, you have an obligation to be a good steward of our state cuisine. I can’t think of a better way to do it than this.”

– I may have missed this, but The Pit is servicing barbecue sandwiches at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium this football season

– Grant makes an unplanned stop at Countryboy Cafe in Pennington, VA

– Texas Pete is getting a new look

– Finally, I  spotted an appearance by NC barbecue on last week’s episode of “Mr. Robot”

Linkdown: 8/31/16

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– The 2nd edition of the Great NC BBQ Map will be available tomorrow

– Charlotte Observer has coverage of it and as well as a release event at the Levine Museum of the New South this Saturday

– Is Virginia the true birthplace of barbecue in the US? This man thinks so, and has written a forthcoming book about it

A mild-mannered technology consultant by day, Haynes, 54, is on a mission to save Virginia barbecue from obscurity. In 2016, he succeeded in getting the Virginia General Assembly to designate May through October as Virginia Barbecue Season. He runs a blog called Obsessive Compulsive Barbecue that’s heavy on Virginia tidbits. He’s trying to market three Virginia-style sauces that he developed. And in September, his book, “Virginia Barbecue: A History” (Arcadia Publishing), is due in stores.

– Here’s a guide to Virginia barbecue regions by sauce

– Bill Spoon’s make a USA Today list of “barbecue restaurants worth a pilgrimage”

– Grant’s first impression of Tennessee barbecue joints along US-27: “pretty good, not great”

– Sweet P’s Barbeque and Soul House in Knoxville, on the other hand, was “downright excellent”

– Looks like Rodney Scott is joining the Charleston barbecue party by the end of the year

– Here’s an exclusive interview from Garden & Gun

– And B’s Cracklin’ BBQ of Savannah, GA is opening an Atlanta outpost this fall

– The more you know:

Ace Biscuit & Barbecue – Charlottesville, VA

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IMG_5464
Name: Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
Date: 7/20/16
Address: 711 Henry Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Order: Brisket biscuit, hash browns, and coffee (link to menu)
Price: ~$13

Monk: In my barbecue travels, I find Ace Biscuit & Barbecue to occupy a fairly unique niche. Sure you might have those barbecue joints that also serve as southern cafes and while they serve breakfast, its more of your standard fare. This was a legit biscuit place that truly integrates barbecue into their breakfast sandwiches.

Located in the Rose Hill neighborhood just outside of downtown Charlottesville, Ace Biscuit & Barbecue has been there since 2012 and serves breakfast and lunch all day except for Mondays and Tuesdays. It occupies a small brick building where you order at a counter and then sit either at a community table inside or a small outdoor patio off to the side of the building. I arrived late morning with just one other party there, but would be curious as to what kind of regular breakfast crowd they usually have .

I went with the brisket biscuit with my egg over easy in hopes it might quell the headache I received from the previous night’s activities. Before launching in, I took note of the brisket, which appeared to be well-smoked. Later on, I poked my head around the side to see a legitimate burn barrel and the pit where the barbecue was smoked. On their menu, they claim to smoke the brisket over oak and hickory and I could see no reason to not believe it. This being a Wednesday, I don’t know how recently the brisket was smoked (ie was it the night before?) but nonetheless it did not have a rubbery or chewy consistency. Once I bit in, the egg yolk, sauteed onions, and cheese all mixed together and complimented the brisket nicely. Overall this was a successful breakfast sandwich.

 The hash browns were well fried but nothing spectacular and disappointingly , my coffee was lukewarm. Could really have used fresh coffee on that morning.

I left Ace Biscuit & Barbecue in slightly better shape than when I arrived, and on another day would have liked to check out some of their other biscuits with rib meat, house pastrami, and fried chicken. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs
Ace Biscuit and Barbecue Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Brisket biscuit from Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
Brisket biscuit from Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
Menu
Exterior shot
Patio
Smoker enclosure
Portable smoker
Main smoker
B urn barrel
Burn barrel closeup