Charlotte’s World Wide Web of Barbecue

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

There is nothing unusual about an accomplished woodworker and set designer being involved in building the set for a theatrical production of Charlotte’s Web.  But when the person in question has a day job at Lexington Barbecue #1, I get right curious right quick.

According to an article in the Lexington Dispatch, Keith “Bub” Wright  spends his working hours behind the counter at one of the most famous barbecue restaurants in the state,  but has many hobbies from baking to furniture making.  Wright, who is married to the daughter of the legendary Wayne Monk, owner of Lexington #1, designed the set for the Lexington Charity League’s spring production of E.B. White’s children’s classic.  Yes, that would be that Charlotte’s Web, the story about a friendly spider, a little girl and a lovable pig named Wilbur–no relation to Wilber Shirley. (Spider pig, spider pig, does whatever a spider pig does.)

In E.B. White’s story, of course, Wilbur the pig is saved from slaughter.  Thus, I am concerned by a long-time barbecue man being given free reign to design a set for a play featuring said pig. Oh, the irony.  No word in the Dispatch article as to whether the set included a built-in barbeuce pit or bottles of Lexington-style dip, but this photo from the Interweb of a pig named Wilbur may answer that question.

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Not Really Smoke Free, Praise Be

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Holy Smoke author and wood-cooked barbecue evangelist John Shelton “Reverend Smokey” Reed was kind enough to send along the below picture.  Being a Billy Graham-level traditional barbecue preacher, John titles the picture, “Not really smoke free, praise be.”

In case you need further explanation, the Bar-B-Q Center is one of the state’s oldest (and best) barbecue joints and still cooks the pork in traditional wood pits, despite the state imposed ban on smoking in the dining room. Praise be indeed.

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Barbecue in Canada, eh?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Canadian Bacon: Not Just John Candy’s Last Movie

Until yesterday I was under the impression that Canadian bacon is the only meat the Canucks consume with gusto.  Little did I realize Canadians also eat North Carolina barbecue.  Well, at least some of them do.  Yesterday I received an excited note from my good friend Jeremy Goldcue, whose folks escaped the sweltering Carolina heat to settle in Toronto, Ontario quite a few years back.  Evidently Dr. David Goldcue, Jeremy’s old man, has at long last discovered a cure for the chronic hunger that ails all Canada-via-Carolina transplants: authentic Canadian barbecue.

In late 2010, Toronto’s Drake Hotel opened a… wait for it… barbecue joint.  Drake BBQ chef Anthony Rose explains his qualifications for making barbecue as follows: “I grew up in the south–southern Ontario anyway.”  A sense of humor is a good sign for a barbecue cook, so I’ll give Chef Rose a pass for relying on the seldom used (in Carolina) phrase “pulled pork” to describe his “Carolina”-style barbecue.  Drake BBQ’s menu is endearingly straightforward–a small selection of sides, and main courses limited to a brisket sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, or “60/60” sandwich that features equal parts brisket and pork (maybe 60/60 Canadian is equal to 50/50 American, given the exchange rate and Canada’s inflationary economic policies?).

The Obvious Question: Is Canadian ‘Cue Edible?

Dr. Goldcue raves about Drake BBQ.  Are his raves to be taken seriously or merely the lunatic ravings of a barbecue-deprived dual citizen? Having known Dr. Goldcue for a good many years, I can attest that he is a reasonable man.  Also, there is photographic evidence of Chef Rose cooking meat in a smoker, surely a positive sign.  Still, Dr. Goldcue should not be given a free pass: I have my suspicions of any former North Carolina resident exiled to the pork-scarce Great White North.  For barbecue lovers, the best analogy to living in Canada is serving a life sentence in prison–any member of the opposite sex is sure to attract attention from hungry eyes.  Until I taste Drake BBQ’s offerings for myself, I will reserve judgment as to whether their food is good or Dr. Goldcue has simply lost his bearings so close to the north pole (no closer to the pole than New York City, he might point out, but that would only confirm my suspicions).

Filed under: 'Cue Culture, Restaurants & Reviews | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Next Time Say Yes

Posted on June 15, 2011 by The Rib Rabbi

A brief barbecue tale:

Recently, I was at a highbrow, foodie conference in Austin. While killing time in the lobby between sessions, I noticed that the woman next to me had a Kansas City Barbeque Society sticker on her laptop. That got my attention, because the majority of attendees were…well, unlikely to sport KCBS stickers.

I made an innocent comment about it and the woman, in her 50s or so, asked if I was a member. I said no, unfortunately, I’d let my membership lapse.

Her: Oh, that’s too bad.

[Silence]

Me: What’s your affiliation with KCBS?

Her: I’m the executive director.

Allllllllrightyyyyyyy!!!

Shortly thereafter, she got up and left as I consoled myself by (silently) disparaging the sugar-sauced up product those KCers push. In other words, I was lamenting a missed opportunity.

The lesson here–what’s a little membership-related fib between barbecue brethren?

Filed under: 'Cue Culture, Rabbi's Rants/Raves | 5 Comments »

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Barbecue

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Baseball season is in full swing and the biggest news is from the concession stand.  Since Dillard’s BBQ, long-time Bulls game concessionaire, met its demise (well, mostly) in the offseason, my hometown Durham Bulls have brought in some new ‘cue.  Does the BBQ come from long-time Durham Bullock’s? Nope, they are only AA BBQ. Relative newcomer Backyard BBQ Pit? No again.  The Bulls have made the barbecue equivalent of signing a big name, albeit overhyped, free agent. “Now introducing, for your hometown Durham Bulls, our new barbecue vendor: The Pit restaurant from Raleigh, North Carolina!”  (Of course, soon enough The Pit will be from Durham too.)

I must say, at $6 for a sandwich The Pit’s ballpark barbecue is annoyingly overpriced like all ballpark concessions, but the ‘cue is a significant upgrade from Dillard’s.  To put it in baseball terms, the Dillard’s barbecue was like veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer: okay for five or six innings but not too special and likely to give you some heartburn before the game ended.  The Pit ain’t exactly Phillies ace Roy Halladay–maybe it’s Cole HAMels?–but it’s a big step up from Moyer: wood-cooked, good texture and generally capable of filling mealtime needs well into the late innings. (For the record, I’m not a Phillies fan and I’m not sure why I am using a convoluted Phils-centric analogy… deal with it.)

A picture of my too small, overpriced but fairly tasty The Pit barbecue sandwich is above. Note the crappy, from-a-plastic-container coleslaw, which is unforgivable. Still, better than an shriveled hot dog and a more than adequate representation of North Carolina barbecue; something we can be comfortable with the many out of town visitors to Bulls’ games tasting if it happens to be their first exposure to North Carolina barbecue.

Take me out to the DBAP,
Take me out with the crowd/
Buy me some peanuts and bar-b-q,
I’ll eat ’em both ’cause I’m the BBQ Jew/
Let me root, root, root for the D-Bulls,
If they don’t win it’s a shame/
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game!

PLAY BALL!

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

We Don’t Need No Education (aka Another Brick in the Pit)

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

According to an incredibly uninformative (seriously, check it out) Associated Press article, “Students at an elementary school in the Kansas City School District are collaborating on a DVD and book on the life of barbecue legend Ollie Gates.”  Though the article provides no more information on this collaboration, it does note that Gates plans to reward the students by spending a day “playing checkers and having a picnic with [the] students.”  For the sake of those elementary schoolers, let’s hope Ollie is cooking for the picnic instead of the cafeteria ladies.

Although the article above contains virtually no information (have you checked it out yet?), it got me thinking.  As important as barbecue is to North Carolina history, somebody should develop a BBQ curriculum to be woven into social studies, history and other K-12 classes.  What better way to get kids to pay attention in class than a discussion of barbecue that culminates in a year end pig pickin’?  Heck, you could even have kids in science class dissect a whole hog. I mean, what’s more useful in life, knowing the anatomy of a frog or knowing how to trim ribs and identify the tenderloin?

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Friday Filler

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

It’s been a particulary busy few weeks with my day job and I have run out of material for the moment. Please accept this filler until I can refill my barbecue tank.  (Hey, at least it means you get a break from reading my long-winded posts.)

The legendary Bar-B-Q Center in Lexington, NC.

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Leave a comment »

Ugly and Delicious

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

I’ve never accused North Carolina barbecue of looking pretty, but it sure is tasty.  Exhibit A is this plate of ‘cue at Wilber’s in Goldsboro:

A hot mess.

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

BBQ and Baseball

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Barbecue and baseball are both great American traditions, but do the two have an intertwined history? A curious reader who shall remain nameless unless he’d like to be named asked me the following questions, which I was unable to answer (Bob Garner and John Shelton Reed were also stumped):

Do you know if BBQ was ever served during baseball games throughout North Carolina for any of the minor league farm teams?

Is there any historical connection between barbecue and baseball in North Carolina, that you know of?

It seems logical to assume that ballparks in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Kinston, Burlington, and the like had BBQ at their concessions stands at some point. However, I’m only familiar with the relatively recent history of soon-to-be extinct (tune in Friday) Dillard’s BBQ in Durham offering food at the Durham Bulls’ concessions.  Any readers know of additional BBQ-baseball connections in NC?

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

The Oath

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Recently I became a Certified Barbeque Judge, according to the Kansas City Barbeque Society. I’ll write more about this life changing experience in the future, but for now enjoy this behind-the-scenes photo of new certified judges taking the KCBS oath in Lexington, NC.

What is the Certified Barbeque Judge oath? I’m so happy you asked: “I do solemnly swear to objectively and subjectively evaluate each Barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes, my nose, my hands and my palate. I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever.”

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

« Previous Page — Next Page »

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • March 2026
    M T W T F S S
     1
    2345678
    9101112131415
    16171819202122
    23242526272829
    3031