Linkdown: 12/21/16

December 21, 2016December 20, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

– Daniel Vaughn on “big city barbecue” (don’t call it “craft barbecue”)

The foundation of big city barbecue is a focus on premium quality meats, such as prime grade beef from boutique brands like Creekstone and 44 Farms. There’s a reverence toward slices of fatty brisket served without sauce. A big city meat cutter might cringe at the idea of chopping their beautiful briskets, looking down on the staple of Texas barbecue that is the chopped beef sandwich. The ribs and pulled pork (and trust me, there will be pulled pork) will likely be identified by breeds like Duroc or Berkshire. Its hard to make a decent profit, even when charging $20 per pound for that prime—or in some cases Akaushi (also known as Texas Wagyu)—brisket, so the menus are diversified with cheaper items like pork shoulder and turkey breast. You won’t find big city barbecue joint that’s a single meat specialist.

– A Pakistani website has the NC Historic Barbecue Trail on its list of best trips for foodies around the world

– A review of D.G. Martin’s book released earlier this year, North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries

– Includes brisket from Franklin Barbecue at #1

The 10 best things @dannychau ate in 2016 https://t.co/UytphTyItx

— The Ringer (@ringer) December 20, 2016

– Grant and Marie give Hillbilly Willy’s Bar-B-Que in Chattanooga another try, a place that uses Memphis-style dry rub on their ribs

– Mighty Quinn’s opens its latest outpost in…Manilla, Philippines?

– BBQ Hub has a list of whole hog barbecue restaurants across the southeast and even in Brooklyn

– The more you know

Who invented Brunswick stew? Many states claim it but history is on the side of Virginia as the true originator https://t.co/MOtGRrYkQf

— BBQ Hub (@thebbqhub) December 14, 2016

Friday Find: Smoking Whole Hog at Midwood Smokehouse

November 25, 2016November 22, 2016 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

FS Food Group has put up a video featuring Midwood Smokehouse pitmaster Matt Berry taking on the challenge of smoking whole hog in their Texas-built rotisserie smoker. This looks to be episode 1 of a new web video series.

Buxton Hall Barbecue – Asheville, NC

November 30, 2015November 29, 2015 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Buxton Hall Barbecue
Date: 11/14/15
Address: 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Order: Burnt ends sandwich, slaw and collard, side of pulled pork, RC Cola (link to menu)
Price: ~$20

Recently, I found myself driving through Asheville, which was a great opportunity to visit the newly opened Buxton Hall. Monk and I are on record as big fans of 12 Bones in Asheville (review of Arden location here), but I can’t say I’ve had great whole hog in the city (or even the western part of the state in general). I was hopeful that that would change with this place.

Upon entering, I was super impressed with the Buxton Hall atmosphere. It truly is a huge mess hall, with pretty awesome decor and tons of large tables. Being that I was riding solo, I bellied up to the bar instead of opting for a table for one. As I like to do at ‘cue joints, I quickly ordered a Cheerwine only to be told that there was no Cheerwine to be had but that they’d happily pour me an RC Cola. Since I was on my way to Tennessee, it seemed like an appropriate substitute.

I was all ready to order some glorious whole hog when the bartender threw me a curveball. Today, for the first time, Buxton Hall was serving a burnt end sandwich. It was something I just had to try. However, I made sure to specify that I needed some pulled pork on the side as well – I wasn’t leaving without sampling the top dish. To top it off, I ordered some (vinegar based) slaw and collards.

The food came out quickly and I dug in. The burnt ends were different than those I’d had before. They were almost sliced instead of chunked and tasted more like a sirloin than a brisket. It was slathered in a sweet sauce that complimented the meat well. It was very good – just different than I was expecting. The pulled pork was very good – tender with a kiss of smoke. I did add some vinegar sauce to get a little more tang, but still pretty good. The slaw was fine, but the collards were absolutely top notch. They are a can’t miss.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend a stop in at Buxton Hall Barbecue if looking for ‘cue Asheville. I certainly plan to go back.

–Speedy

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Burnt Ends – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs

Arrogant Swine – Brooklyn, NY

October 26, 2015March 6, 2018 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Arrogant Swine
Date: 10/6/15
Address: 173 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Order: 1 lb East Carolina whole hog, 1 lb Western NC outside brown shoulder, 1 lb spare ribs, Tikka Masala Sausage, Greensboro Pitmaster Chicken Wings, red vinegar slaw, collards, mac and cheese (link)
Price: ~$120

Monk: Having followed for the past year Tyson Ho’s excellent blog series on Serious Eats on the opening of his barbecue restaurant in Brooklyn, Arrogant Swine was my number one priority while we were in New York for 9 days in early October. That plus the fact that he was doing eastern NC whole hog in the middle of Brooklyn and that his joint was also advertised as a beer hall made it an easy choice.

Speedy: And what a fantastic atmosphere it had! Contrary to every other place in NY, the restaurant was spacious and comfortable, and had a large outdoor seating area. We started our meal at the bar (Monk and crew had some beers and smoked wings while I dealt with a closed subway line) before ordering. A great beer (and whiskey) selection was a big help in allowing the group to wait for me. Anyhow, once I arrived, we put in our order.

Monk: As a nod to cracklins, or crispy hog skin chopped into whole hog, Arrogant Swine serves their chopped pork with a layer of pork rinds. Which is a little bit of a curious choice if you ask me and it took me a minute to realize the pork was underneath it. Once I waded through the pork rinds, I found the vinegary chopped pork to be a decent version of NC whole hog but not quite as good as I had hoped or expected.

Speedy: The western style outside brown was also a little different than you’d find in NC. It came chopped, though I’d consider it more cubed. The pork almost looked more like burnt ends. The flavor was pretty OK, but the cubes made it seem a bit less tender than typical. Overall, I think this really missed the mark. Sorry, Tyson.

Monk: The tikka misala sausage was made in house and was definitely one of the favorites of our group, though there isn’t much of a link to NC either in the sausage or the fact that its Indian spiced.

Speedy: The spare rib was big, meaty, and smoked well. They weren’t over cooked, so you could get a good bit, and the seasoning and sauce was a good compliment to, but did not overpower, the meat. Overall, I think this was better than the pork, which is odd for an NC ‘cue joint. If I were to return, I’d focus on the sausage and the ribs.

Monk: The Greensboro Pit Master wings are a nod to the Vietnamese pitmasters who do much of the smoking in the Piedmont joints that still smoke over wood – notably Stamey’s in Greensboro. While a nice tip of the hat, the sticky and sweet sauce on the wings isn’t really reminiscent of anything related to NC barbecue traditions. In any case, a nice idea and decently executed wing.

Speedy: I thought they were well smoked, but I didn’t love the sauce – a little sweet on my end. In terms of sides, I think I only had the slaw, which I enjoyed, even though there were raisins in there for some reason, which I can’t figure out.

Monk: Oh yeah! Even after we got an explanation from Tyson that just chopped cabbage and carrots in vinegar wouldn’t cut it in NYC, raisins still didn’t make sense to me. Another curious choice. Shout out to the waffle mac and cheese served with a side of queso, though.

Speedy: While eating, we did chat with Tyson a good bit and he was very cool. We talked about some of the differences between his joint and what we typically see in NC, and he was very aware of that. As he put it, he wanted to take the unique pieces on NC ‘cue and amplify them, which I think he did. While doing that, I think it lost some of the things I love about NC ‘cue, but it’s still better than most of the “barbecue” I’ve eaten in the city.

Monk: As an experience, Arrogant Swine was definitely worth trekking it out to Bushwick and I only wish we had been able to go a little earlier to hang on the outdoor patio and drink more of their great selection of beers. As a barbecue restaurant, Arrogant Swine was a little more of a mixed bag with some items more successful than others. In any case, I would definitely go back to Arrogant Swine again and will continue to follow its development, since a joint that cooks whole hog over wood (particularly in NYC) is a rarity these days.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Pork (eastern) – 3 hogs
Pork (western) – 2 hogs
RIbs – 3.5 hogs
Sausage – 3.5 hogs
Wings – 2.5 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs