BBQ Jew’s View: Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

109 E. Davie Street, Raleigh, NC
919.832.7614
Website
Hours: Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
BBQ Jew’s Grade: C-
Porky Says: “Cooper’s is past retirement age.”

Urban Barbecue
Given the modest piece of real estate it occupies in the shadows of some of downtown Raleigh’s sparkling new office towers, Clyde Cooper’s BBQ’s continued existence is noteworthy.  And the location in the heart of downtown gives Cooper’s a better excuse for not cooking over wood coals than most joints have.  Between Cooper’s location and history–the joint has existed since 1938, and founder Clyde Cooper lived from 1899 to 1998–I really want to like it.  Yet I have eaten there several times over the years and found it mediocre at best.  Because new owners took over Cooper’s late last year, I decided to give it another try.

The good news is that the current owners wisely kept Cooper’s old time atmosphere, thick and authentic, intact.  (The NC license plate on the wall that reads “Soieee!” is a nice, I think new, touch).  The bad news is the current owners kept the mediocre barbecue intact too. 

Still hanging on after 71 years.

Like many joints, both urban and rural, Cooper’s used to cook with wood but the days when grease-laced hickory smoke wafted out of the back of the joint are long since gone.  Alas, I suspect it has been that long since Cooper’s has served a good plate of barbecue.  The fact that Cooper’s, though an Eastern-style joint in terms of its menu and sauce, cooks hams and shoulders rather than whole hog barbecue, doesn’t help my opinion of it either.     

The Food: Not Yuppicue, Just Not Good
I respect the fact that Cooper’s has stayed true to its roots in terms of the feel of the restaurant and the type of menu it offers.  It might have been tempting to turn Cooper’s into a sort of barbecue showplace/museum that caters to convention center visitors and other barbetourists.  (As an aside, can we organize ourselves as a state and create a barbecue museum already?!) Yet the menu remains simple, the presentation plain and the price fair.  That’s Continue reading →

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BBQ Jew’s View: Whitley’s Bar-B-Que

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

315 Beechwood Blvd (Hwy 11), Murfreesboro, NC
252.398.4884
No Website
Hours: Thu – Sun only
BBQ Jew’s Grade: C-
Porky Says: “Eh.”

Barbecue on a Sunday
As a devout BBQ Jew, I typically steer clear of BBQ joints that are open on Sundays.  They tend to be second rate, though there are some very notable exceptions to this rule (e.g., Lexington #1).  On this particular Sunday, I was driving back from a day of canoeing at Merchant’s Millpond State Park in northeastern NC, a place well worth visiting.  A few hours of paddling in an alligator-filled swamp had me hungrier than a crocodile, and my buddy and I were happy to find that Whitley’s was open on Sundays.

gator

This guy could put away a lot of 'cue.

Sauce Unfit for a Gator
Whitley’s offers an impressive looking Sunday buffet of barbecue, chicken, other main dishes, a wide variety of sides, and dessert.  However, at $14 a person–far and away the most expensive NC BBQ buffet I’ve ever encountered, and in rural Murfreesboro of all places–I hesitated.  Between the price and plans to check out a couple of other BBQ joints on my ride home, as well as my general distaste for eating ‘cue off a steam table, I chose to order from the menu.

Whitleys Murfreesboro (2)

The $14 buffet would've been good for $8.

The barbecue plate I ordered came with corn sticks, an Eastern NC delicacy with which I have relatively little experience given how common hush puppies are.  I was happy to get a chance to eat some corn sticks, though I found Whitley’s to be on the dry and unflavorful side.  Unfortunately, Continue reading →

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BBQ Jew’s View: Grandpa’s Kitchen

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

149 E South Main Street (Hwy 158), Littleton, NC
(252) 586-3211‎
No Website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: C
Porky Says: “Where Would Jesus Dine?”

When Pigs Fly
As I near the aptly named little town of Littleton, the speed limit on Highway 158 drops from a generous country road limit to a stingier limit befitting the bucolic setting.  As I reach the edge of a small historic (or at least old) business district, a sign catches my eye: “Grandpa’s Kitchen, Area’s Finest BBQ.”  Also the area’s only barbecue, I think to myself, but no matter.  An unpredictably flashing neon sign spells out “Bar-B-Q” and, as if by instinct, I steer my car into the small parking lot.  A hand carved wooden pig with eagle wings greets me outside the front door. I have arrived.

If pigs could fly...

If pigs could fly, they'd wallow in the mud in the sky

Grandpa’s Kitchen is one of those places that is a pleasure to dine at, even though it’s barbecue is nothing out of the Continue reading →

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East v. West Continued

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

Here’s yet another chapter in the neverending debate about the relative merits of Eastern-style ‘cue versus Lexington/Western-style ‘cue.   Make sure to check out the many reader comments, which are at least as fun as the dueling articles.  As for the articles themselves, editor Matthew Eisley wins the best quote award with this gem:

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, understood as a child, thought as a child, and naively ate tomato-based barbecue as a child.  But when I became a man, I put away childish sauces and embraced the unadulterated ambrosia that is North Carolina’s sacred, primordial and peerless eastern-style barbecue.”

As someone who genuinely likes both styles, I’ll stay out of the fray.  For an overview of Eastern- vs. Lexington-style BBQ, check out a recent guest post I wrote for the News & Observer’s Mouthful blog here.

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

Make Slaw Not War

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

I recently attended a potluck that had barbecue as the main course (not really a pig pickin’, nor did it claim to be,

Classic mustard & mayo slaw for those down east

Classic mustard & mayo slaw for those down east

so I’m refraining from using that sacred term).  I decided to bring coleslaw to this event because :

1) Slaw goes with ‘cue like french fries with a burger or chocolate with bacon (pretty well, actually, as I found out at the potluck).

 2) It’d been a long time since I last made slaw.

3) The pre-packaged slaw sold at grocery stores is often truly vile stuff.

4) I’d been looking for an excuse to try out some slaw recipes from Holy Smoke. 

Oh yeah, and, 5) I am cheap and so is slaw (especially when vinegar and mayo are treated as staple foods and always kept on hand).  A quick trip to the grocery store to buy two heads of cabbage and I was ready to make slaw.  Continue reading →

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The Pit Expanding

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

A tip of the hat snout to Raleigh-based food blogger Dean McCord, who reports that The Pit is expanding.  The Pit, which I “reviewed” awhile back (see what I mean here), is an upscale BBQ restaurant in downtown Raleigh.  Apparently the people of Raleigh were not persuaded by my snarky commentary and continue to head to The Pit like, well, hogs to the slaughter.  See Dean’s full post on The Pit here and check out the main page of his interesting food blog VarmintBites.

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Learn to Cook ‘Cue

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

The NC BBQ Society is offering a great, albeit pricey, opportunity to learn to cook real NC barbecue.  See the Raleigh News & Observer’s food blog for details.  Note that registration for the three-day class ends August 15.  As for the event itself, suffice it to say that one of the instructors is Steve Grady of Grady’s BBQ, one of the best barbecue joints in the state.  Oh, and the event is being held in NC’s beautiful Outer Banks.  If you attend, please give me a full report.  Better yet, give me $500 so I can attend myself.  Deal?

The woodpile behind Grady's tells you all you need to know

The pit and woodpile behind Grady's tell you all you need to know.

Filed under: Cooking | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

BBQ Jew’s View: Bob’s Bar-B-Q

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

1589 NC Highway 56, Creedmoor, NC‎
919.528.2081
No website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: D+
Porky Says: “Creedmoor or less.”

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By ‘Cue?
Bob’s Bar-B-Q is a nice enough place with a large, lodge-like atmosphere and an authentically old fashioned feel.  The comfortable feel is helped by the friendly staff who greet customers as they step into the cafeteria-style serving line.  But alas, the ‘cue doesn’t come close to matching the sweet staff.

Unfortunately, the staff  isn’t the only thing at Bob’s that is sweet.  This is one of the only barbecue joints I’ve ever been to where the barbecue has a sugary taste without any sauce added.  Frankly, it’s distressing.  The barbecue had a good, rough-chopped consistency but its wood smoke-free and oddly sweet taste was not helped by the steam table from which it was served.  The fiery hot Eastern style sauce at the table was quite good, and reminiscent of Scott’s famous recipe, but could not save the pork from mediocrity.  For what it’s worth, the meat is reported to be pork shoulders (a Lexington-style trait), while the sauce and the sides served at Bob’s are very much in the Eastern tradition.  Cross-breeding of this sort is more common than most people think, especially in and around the Triangle area.

The barbecue plate I ordered was accompanied by (surprise) very sweet, very finely chopped slaw made with lots of relish.  The Brunswick stew, which I’ve heard some folks rave about, struck me as a bit (yes) sweet, watery and low in flavor.   The hush puppies were not overly sweet, but were dry and chewy, again likely from the steam table (steam tables are brutal on hush puppies, in my experience).

The rest of the menu, which I did not sample, included chicken and a variety of lunch grill items (hot dogs, grilled cheese, fish sandwich, etc.) with rotating specials like chicken and dumplings.  The pies looked good, especially the pecan, but I had already ingested enough sugar from the BBQ so I steered clear.

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

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

working-image-small

[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 →

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BBQ Jew’s View: Holt Lake Bar-B-Q & Seafood

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

3506 US Highway 301 South, Smithfield, NC
919.934.0148
No Website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: C-
Porky Says: “Deep down, I’m pretty superficial.” – Ava Gardner

Some Reasons to Travel to Smithfield
Smithfield Foods is the world’s largest pork producer and is based in the small town of Smithfield.  Virginia.  Though Smithfield, North Carolina is not actually the home base of the world’s largest pork producer, it is in the heart of the state’s swine belt and has a rich history related to the golden leaf.  It is also Ava Gardner’s home town, so I would guess she ate her share of barbecue plates back in the day, and the Ava Gardner Museum downtown is a featured attraction.  Smithfield also hosts the annual Ham & Yam Festival, which was held just a few weeks ago.  Although the festival won’t be back until Spring 2010, Smithfield, NC is a nice little town that is working hard to revitalize its historic downtown (Smithfield dates back to 1777) and it’s worth a visit. 

By now you may have wondered why I am starting my review of Holt Lake Bar-B-Q with all of this information on the town of Smithfield.  I want you to know there are many good reasons to visit Smithfield.  Holt Lake Bar-B-Q simply isn’t one of them.

I should've turned back at the 1st sign of spaghetti

I should've turned back at the 1st sign of spaghetti

The Review
Holt Lake Bar-B-Q and Seafood is Continue reading →

Filed under: Restaurants & Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 10 Comments »

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