Capitol Q

Damn you, Joe York. The Leni Reifenstahl of the Southern Foodways Alliance has an entire catalog of short films that do nothing but make you hungry.

OK, fine, they also make you appreciate the cuisine, cooks and culture of the South. York recently turned his lens to barbecue. The result, Capitol Q, profiles our beloved Skylighttps://bbqjew.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1380&message=1ht Inn. Folks, this is 16 minutes of riveting swine celluloid:

The film does a nice job documenting the multi-generational excellence of the Jones family. Having enjoyed the Jones’s ‘cue, I can attest to the fullness of their brilliance and the flatness of their corn bread.

York captured a few great lines from the co-owners. On how they go through two cutting boads per year and whether any of that makes it into the ‘cue, co-owner Bruce Jones unleashed this one: “Our wood tastes better than most people’s barbecue.”

Co-owner Jeff Jones described the menu’s simplicity:

“We don’t have, like, a long menu of different things. all we do here is barbecue cornbread and slaw. When you walk in the door, all we need to know is, like, how much you need.

On the topic of amounts, the menu lists a 6-pound to-go bucket of barbecue as one of the options. Sign me up.

The film even featured our pals John Shelton Reed and Dale Reed lending their wisdom on North Carolina ‘cue. Although it’s too bad that Dale doesn’t get a word in and that John has a South Carolina flag on his jacket. (…kidding)

The only objection I had with the film was its end, when Bruce Jones compared the Skylight Inn to the King James Bible. Hey, guys, let’s not mix barbecue and religion. I mean, come on!

Porky’s Pulpit: Worst BBQ Graphic Ever?

I recently visited Blue Mist Bar-B-Q and, though I enjoyed my meal, I can’t help but point out the absolutely abysmal logo featured on their menu.  I have seen a lot of barbecue joint logos over the years, and this is hooves-down the worst.  The tuxedoed pig looks like it was drawn by someone without an opposable thumb (maybe it was drawn by a pig?).  Really the only indication that the logo is a picture of a pig is the curly tail poking out from the tuxedo.

Um, is that a pig?
Um, is that a pig?

Luckily, the Blue Mist sign outside the restaurant features a much improved version of the pig in a tux logo.  Oddly, the curly tail is not a part of the new and improved logo.

Now that's an improvement

Now that's an improvement

BBQ Jew’s View: Blue Mist Bar-B-Q

3409 Highway 64 East, Asheboro, NC
336.625.3980
No website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: B
Porky Says: “Lions and tigers and pigs, oh my!”

Zoo and ‘Cue
What better way to spend a summer weekend with family and friends than a trip to the North Carolina Zoo?  Sure, it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere.  And the admission price is sort of steep.  And it’s hotter than heck.  And the animals stink when it’s so hot. But it’s still fun, galdarnit.  Plus, the zoo is just a few minutes away from Blue Mist Bar-B-Q, and what better way to finish a day of animal viewing than eating one?

Old timers enjoying Blue Mist

Old timers enjoying Blue Mist

Get Your Kicks on Route 64
Blue Mist Bar-B-Q has been around since 1948 and occupies a fairly large Continue reading

Porky’s Pulpit: When in Rome. Or, Thank God I’m Not.

Glacier National Park in Montana

Glacier National Park in Montana

The Wild West
I recently vacationed in Montana, which you may know (if you are a geography buff or completed 3rd grade) is a long way from North Carolina.  Montana is a beautiful state, but it lacks in interesting culinary traditions.  Beef is the name of the game in Big Sky Country, and there is plenty of steak to be had.  No complaints from me on that.  However, my palate was tested mightily when spending an afternoon in Butte, Montana, a tough as cow leather town notorious for having one of the nation’s largest Superfund sites.  Butte is also known for a rich history as a mining town, and the miners who flocked to Butte in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought their own culinary traditions to town. 

Pasty Patrol
English, Irish and other European immigrants–and their American descendants–brought the pasty (pas-tee) to Butte, and it continues to enjoy a special place in the lower intestines heart of modern day Butte residents.  Pasties are sort of a chicken pot pie but the chicken is beef and the crust of the pot pie is much thicker and totally encases the beef and vegetable filling.  I wouldn’t recommend you travel to Butte or other pasty-friendly locales just to eat one.  Still, pasties are something I can see people being proud of–they taste okay and they have a lengthy culinary pedigree. 

Marginally better than it looks

Marginally better than it looks.

Now pork nuggets are another matter…

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Oinky Independence Day

Well, folks, if this doesn’t inspire you to smoke some patriotic pork on the 4th of July, I’m afraid it’s a lost cause.

Now thats the American I know and love! (photo by ivan juan johann)

Now that's the America I know and love!

For those who would question the patriotism of swine, look no further than this storefront window. The fella here (officially a boar) is like Uncle Sam himself, on those casual days when he drops the top coat and bow tie.

I’m not sure about Petunia Pig’s outfit (or her snout, for that matter), but I love his overalls. I think if pigs had to dress themselves, they’d choose overalls. Now if I could only figure out why he’s pretending to smoke…

Happy 4th of July, y’all.

BBQ&A: Sean Wilson (aka Hogwash, The Beer with the Taste for ‘Cue)

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[Note: Follow this link-Wilson BBQ&A-for an easier to read, .pdf version of the interview.]

Today’s post deals with two things near and dear to my heart (and mouth), barbecue and beer.  Several years ago Sean Wilson of Durham helped lead a well-orchestrated effort to overturn outdated laws in NC that prevented the sale of beer above 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).  Two and a half years after its early 2003 formation, the Pop the Cap group Sean ran succeeded in passing new legislation to allow the sale of beer up to 15% ABV.  This law overturned decades of conservative tradition in NC and opened up the state to a wealth of beers, including many classic American and international brews (double IPAs, various Belgian ales, and on and on).  For that, Sean and other Pop the Cappers, including the good folks at All About Beer magazine, will always have my thanks.  Having handled the NC legislature, Sean is now taking on another, even more entrenched NC tradition–sweet tea. 

Sean Wilson founded Fullsteam Brewery and set his sights on “plow-to-pint” brewing that features local flavors.  One of Fullsteam’s flagship beers is Hogwash, a brown porter made with hickory-smoked malts.  As its name implies, Hogwash is designed to wash down barbecue–its flavor is tailored to complement ‘cue.  It’s an interesting concept, so recently Sean and I sat down over a cold pint and a hot tray to talk beer and barbecue… Continue reading

Porky’s Pulpit: Pig Barrel Politics

Happier Than a Pig in Sh… Argentina?
We’d be remiss if we didn’t seize this increasingly-not-so-rare opportunity at pig-related humor about a politician from a pig-friendly state.  With Former North Carolina Senator/Failed Presidential Candidate John Edwards’ piggish behavior fading from the limelight, fresh revelations from the Land of Mustard Other Carolina have filled the void.  As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, Soon-to-be-Former (?) Governor and Suddenly-Less-Likely-to-be Future Presidential Candidate Mark Sanford of South Carolina (where the mustard-tinged barbecue sauce must have impaired his thinking) was caught in a web of lies last week.  Sanford disappeared for several days before it was revealed that he was visiting Argentina, the country with the highest per capita beef consumption.  As if visiting the beef capital of the world was not pig-headed enough, Sanford did so to visit his mistress.  This presumably steak-fueled affair represents a double-affront: to Sanford’s wife and to the hog-loving populace of South Carolina.

Before Charlotte’s Web of Deception
Amazingly, Sanford’s piggish behavior in Argentina was not his first pig-related scandal.  Several years earlier, Sanford raised quite a stink when he brought a pair of piglets to the South Carolina State Capitol.  The piglets, predictably named “Pork” and “Barrel,” Continue reading

Our Barbecue Brethren

And you thought we were the only ones!

When our operative in New York–OK, John Shelton Reed–sent us this photo of the first other pig with yarmulke we’d seen, we were intrigued with a capital J.

Meet our sorta-kosher 'cue compadres

Meet our sorta-kosher 'cue compadres

After a bit of digging, we learned that this barbecue crew is the Semitic wing of Ubon’s Barbecue, of Yazoo City, Mississippi. Huh?

You can read the full story here, but the gist is this: Ubon’s has competed in the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party since 2004. David Rosen, a New York City guy (ahem), struck up a conversation with a member of the Ubon’s cooking team.

They guys struck up a friendship, which led to Rosen and some friends attending the Memphis in May “World” BBQ Championships. There, Rosen and his crew solidified the relationship and their love of the divine swine.

The four Jewish guys from NYC helped the Ubon’s team when it returned to New York in 2008 and went out on their own at the 2009 Memphis in May, in the “Patio Porkers Division.” Stunningly, they took fourth place in their division!

We’ll have an interview with Jubon’s David Rosen in the coming weeks, once he returns from a Caribbean spice scouting mission (aka a vacation).

For now, we’ll leave your sure-to-be-warmed heart with yet more heart warming:

When asked what a Jubon’s is, David replied “We’re four Jewish kids from New York City cooking barbeque in the Deep South — At least the salt is kosher!”

BBQ Jew’s View: A & G Bar-B-Que & Chicken

800 S Lake Park Blvd, Carolina Beach, NC
(910) 458-8620
No Website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: D-
Porky Says: “Put some SPF 30 on your tongue.”

The hot light's on, but you can drive past.

The hot light's on, but you can drive past.

Beach Blanket Barbecue
Based on my limited experience eating barbecue at or near the beach, I think the best advice I can provide for such situations is not to indulge.  Perhaps it’s the over-supply of sunshine and sand, the undersupply of hickory, or the BBQ joint owners having mercury poisoning from all the nearby shellfish, but for some reason beach BBQ joints rarely offer ‘cue worth eating.  A & G Bar-B-Que & Chicken, located on the main drag just off the waterfront in Carolina Beach and featuring a generous two ampersands in its name, does nothing to change my mind about beach ‘cue.   That’s the bad news.  The good news is that next time you are in Carolina Beach you can skip the ‘cue and have plenty of room for donuts from Britt’s, which vies for the title of Best Donut Shop in America, in my opinion.  More on that later.

The good people of Carolina Beach are lucky enough to live in a nice beachfront community and they know how to shag (it’s just a style of dance, relax), but they really should head inland if they want to eat barbecue.  Since I don’t have much good to say about the barbecue or sides I sampled at A & G, I’ll talk about something positive instead…

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Call for Porkposals – Input Wanted

Dear Readers,

By now we hope you realize that we, ever your loyal servants, strive and toil to bring a little bit of grease-tinged and hickory-kissed sunshine into your lives.  We want this website to provide you with all the NC barbecue-related news, trivia, reviews and other content your heart desires.  Since we fear we may someday–only in the distant future, we hope–start to run low on ideas for this site, we thought you might be able to provide some advance help.  Consider this a patriotic, preemptive strike for the sake of continued quality at bbqjew.com.  Or just consider it a shameless attempt to steal your good ideas.  Either way, would you be so kind as to drop us a line at BBQJew@gmail.com, or leave a comment on this post, with you answers to the below questions? 

1) What would you like to know about NC barbecue? Are there any mysteries you’d like solved?

2) Would you like to see more guest posts from other barbecue aficianados/junkies?  If so, tell us whom you’d like to hear from and give us their contact info if you have it (self-nominations are welcome).

3) Which joints would you like to see reviewed? (There’s a good chance it’s on our to-chow list already but we are always open to suggestions.)

4) What other barbecue-related topics would you like to see us address? 

We can’t promise we’ll deliver on every request, but we’re sure we’ll borrow many of your ideas.  Thanks y’all.

Swinecerely your’s,

Porky LeSwine & The Rib Rabbi