How to Find Good Barbecue

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

It’s not easy to accurately judge a book by its cover, but your friends at BBQ Jew are always willing to try.  Our goal is to prevent you from wasting too much of your valuable time–or too many points on your cholesterol level–eating mediocre barbecue.  You deserve better.  Below are our tips (commandments?) for separating the wheat from the chaff meat from the gristle when it comes to finding good barbecue joints.

Viva le wood!

Viva le wood!

WOOD IS GOOD
– If there is a wood pile outside it’s worth going inside. The wood pile may be tucked away in the back, it may be right up front, but it must be somewhere if they cook with it. Once you find the pile, check for signs that it has been used recently and isn’t just there for decoration (this trickery has been reported, though if the BBQ Jew was king such deception would be a criminal offense).

NEW IS OLD NEWS – Be very suspicious of a barbecue joint if the building it is located in was built less than 20 or so years ago. Sure, there are some good joints that challenge this rule of thumb, but a shiny new building is at best a honkin’ big red flag.

PARKING LOT PARADISE – Glance around the parking lot. Ideally, there will be a diverse mix of beat up pickup trucks, vans with commercial tags, compact cars, lawyer mobiles (Mercedes, BMW, etc.) and more. If all those different people think the ‘cue is worth eating, you probably will too. Continue reading →

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: , , , | 15 Comments »

BBQ Jew’s View: Country Barbeque

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

4012 W Wendover Ave, Greensboro, NC
336.292.3557‎
No Website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: B
Porky Says: “Good enough to make you dance.”

Barbecue Clubs and Gentleman’s Joints
Country Barbeque is the only barbecue joint I know of that is located immediately adjacent to a strip club. (See the Google Maps street view–note that what look like large stained glass windows on the strip club are actually fake, which is probably consistent with what lies inside the club.) Luckily, Country Barbeque’s naughty neighbor is not the main reason to visit. 

Country Barbeque in Greensboro, from http://hkentcraig.com/BBQ36.html

Country Barbeque in Greensboro, from http://hkentcraig.com/BBQ36.html

Electric Table Dance
The food that the friendly, efficient wait staff at Country Barbeque bring to the table is quite good. The joint serves moist, tasty barbecue that is chopped to an ideal consistency—not too fine and not too chunky. The dip that accompanies the ‘cue is an excellent, sharply vinegared dark brown mixture that is reminiscent of the dip served at Lexington #1.  The red barbecue slaw that accompanied my ‘cue was good, although a little bit sweet for my taste.  The hush puppies were only mediocre, as they were small and somewhat overcooked.  I had a better than average piece of homemade peach cobbler for dessert. 

Now understand that I say all these positive things about the pork served at Country Barbeque knowing full well that they do not cook it over wood coals.  Continue reading →

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

Porky’s Pulpit: Strange Bedfellows

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

It is a distracting time of year for us North Carolinians, and BBQ Jews are not immune to the fever in the air.  Indeed, March Madness has taken over and leaves precious little time for updating this site.   As you probably know, our state’s reputation for barbecue is perhaps exceeded only by our reputation as a college basketball hotbed (even in a year when, alas, just three NC teams made the NCAA tourney).   But what do barbecue and basketball have to do with one another?  At first glance they may seem to have as little in common as  pork and lingerie, but in fact barbecue 

Sex Sells Pork, or Pork Sells Sex?

Sex Sells Pork, or Pork Sells Sex?

and basketball have much in common.  Below are some similarities I can think of even as I multi-task by writing this post in front of the warm glow of basketball on TV (all while eating some equally warm carry-out ‘cue):

  1. Both barbecue and basketball start with a “b.”  Uncanny, right?
  2. Passion for basketball burns long and slow, much like barbecue cooked over wood coals.
  3. The proverbial Tobacco Road that links Wake Forest to UNC to Duke to NC State covers a large chunk of the territory covered by the NC BBQ Society’s Historic Barbecue Trail.
  4. People argue over the Lexington-style vs. Eastern-style divide just like they argue over Duke vs. UNC (sorry, NC State fans, but your team needs to win a few more games this decade to re-enter the debate).
  5. Politicians and other public figures often refuse to tip their hand about whether they prefer Eastern-style or Lexington-style, UNC or Duke, unless they are pandering.  President Obama covered all bases by playing pick-up hoops with the Tar Heels but having former Duke player Reggie Love on payroll.  Smart guy.
  6. Politicians damn well better at least pretend to enjoy basketball and barbecue if they want to be elected to a statewide office.  If you don’t believe us, just Google “Rufus Edmisten barbecue.”  Lucky for politicians and the general public, most key elections are in the fall and not during prime hoops season, since elections during March would surely mean many political foot-in-mouth incidents, not to mention historically low turnout. 
  7. Barbecue joints almost always have goofy “mascots” in the form of cartoon pig signage, and basketball teams have true mascots.  Sadly, no NC team has a swine-related nickname or mascot.  This fact is disgraceful as a gas-cooked pig drenched with KC Masterpiece.

I could go on, but I am quickly running out of ideas and there’s a close game on TV…

Filed under: Porky's Pulpit | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

BBQ Jew’s View: A&M Grill [Now Closed]

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

OUT OF BUSINESS AS OF JULY 2011!

401 E. Center St., Mebane, NC
919.563.3721
No Website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: A-
Porky Says: “Damn fine swine, well worth your time.”

It’s the Barbecue, Stupid.
I love the A&M Grill, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart (then again, neither is reading online reviews of barbecue joints so you can probably handle it). The outside is unassuming at best and the interior is not what I’d describe as warm and cozy. But who cares? The barbecue is what matters, and the A&M delivers great ‘cue.

The Reeds hit the nail on the head when we asked them what they look for in a barbecue joint and they told us: “Barbecue… The meat’s what matters, at least as far as I’m concerned. I don’t give a damn about the décor or the ‘ambience.'”  They’re right: if the swine is fine, let’s dine! And if you can’t cook the swine, I ain’t got the time.

Not scenic, but still a glorious sight

Behind the A&M Grill: not scenic but still a glorious sight.

Hard Work Pays Off
In my humble opinion, the A&M serves some damn fine swine. The pork shoulders are wood-cooked the old fashioned way and the A&M’s efforts pay off in the form of succulent, tender, hickory-kissed pork that has plenty of outside brown. The Lexington style dip is thicker than I tend to prefer, with more ketchup than needed, but Continue reading →

Filed under: Restaurants & Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

BBQ & A: John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed

Posted on March 10, 2009 by The Rib Rabbi

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

Husband and wife writing team John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed have penned the instant classic on NC Barbecue–Holy Smoke. And considering they have a Jewish son-in-law and lived in Israel, we welcome them into the fold as honorary BBQ Jews (We’re an inclusive people).

The ‘cue-loving couple were kind enough to share some swine with us a few weeks ago and to put up with our questions. And so, without further ado…our first BBQ & A:

BBQ Jew: How many plates of barbecue would you estimate you have you eaten?

Dale: We’ve each probably eaten something between 500 and a thousand plates, starting at Turnage’s in Durham in 1961 or so. That works out to – what? – only two or three hundred pounds.

The Reeds

The Reeds (photo by Paul Dagy)

John: Not all that much, compared to some folks we know.

BBQ Jew: John, when you taught at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, did you find any good barbecue in the Promised Land (perhaps basted with milk and honey)?

John: No barbecue, although we occasionally bought pork chops from a Christian Arab butcher who mostly sold to the embassies.

Dale: Very occasionally, because they were very expensive.

BBQ Jew: What brought you to write Holy Smoke?

John: We were eating barbecue one evening with David Perry, the editor-in-chief at UNC Press, and we discovered that he and I both cooked out of a book called Legends of Texas Barbecue, by a friend of ours named Robb Walsh. Somebody – we really don’t remember who – said, “You know, somebody ought to do something like this for North Carolina.”

Dale: John and I sort of looked at each other and said, “We will!”
Continue reading →

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BBQ Jew’s View: Short Sugar’s Pit Bar-B-Q

Posted on February 21, 2009 by Porky LeSwine

1328 S. Scales St., Reidsville, NC
336.342.7487
 Short Sugar’s Website 
(complete with lots of photos, a copy of the menu, etc.)
BBQ Jew’s Grade: C+
Porky Says: “I wish I’d known ye in your prime, Sug.” 

Sticky Fingers
Like The Rolling Stones, Short Sugar’s is a true legend. And like The Stones, I am quite certain Short Sugar’s put on a much better live show back in the day. Now, like Mick Jagger’s lips and Keith Richard’s everything, Short Sugar’s is less of a sight to behold than in decades past and may be coasting on reputation.

Short Sugar’s is among the most storied of NC barbecue joints, from the tragic history that resulted in its great name to the fact that it still to this day offers curb service and a 1950s style atmosphere (yes, there even appear to be some vintage ’50s grease stains). There is much to like about Short Sugar’s. The bucolic setting in the heart of what was until recently serious tobacco country, as Reidsville’s history is closely tied to that of the American Tobacco Company. The impressive indoor wood pit, where the pork shoulders and hams are finished. The classic diner counter. The joint’s 60 years of history. Its reputation. The fact that the pork is hand-chopped to order.  The unique sauce that many rave about. And on and on. But, in my humble opinion, the ‘que has a hard time matching the mystique.  It seems like a classic case of the whole hog being less than the sum of the parts.

Beggar’s Banquet
I found the barbecue a bit bland, not exhibiting much depth of flavor. This makes sense based on what I ‘ve heard about their cooking method, which as I understand it now only uses the wood pit to finish the barbecue for the last few hours.  It’s a shame that a joint with 60 years of tradition–and probably a handful of customers who have eaten there for all of these years–would switch to an electric cooker.  Continue reading →

Filed under: Restaurants & Reviews | Tagged: , , , | 9 Comments »

BBQ Jew’s View: Allen & Son Barbeque

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Porky LeSwine
Sign of the Shrine

Sign of the Shrine (photo by drinkerthinker from Creative Commons)

6203 Millhouse Rd., Chapel Hill, NC
919.942.7576
No Website
BBQ Jew’s Grade: A+
Porky Says: “You can take me now, I’ve lived a good life.” 

Preface: It’s no coincidence that we decided to make Allen & Son the subject of our first review. Years ago, Allen’s helped convince the Rib Rabbi and Porky LeSwine to worship at the temple of barbecue and it remains one of our favorite joints.

For The Doubters: Or Why You Shouldn’t Not GoYes, it has a Chapel Hill address. Yes, many Chapel Hill residents wouldn’t know a barbecue pit from a hole in the ground if Bon Appetit didn’t feel the need to explain it to them. Yes, the food is more expensive than most barbecue joints, even very good ones, and the prices keep going up. (Economics 101 teaches us that this is the law of supply and demand, and we are confident the invisible hand will take care of society’s best barbecue interests.) Yes, Allen’s probably gets a lot of press because the national media prefers to spend the night at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill than at the Econo Lodge in Lexington. But Allen & Son deserves every bit of the acclaim it has received; Keith Allen and his crew serve some of the best barbecue in North Carolina. And, at the risk of diving head-first into an empty pool of hyperbole, this means Allen’s serves some of the best barbecue in the world. Continue reading →

Filed under: Restaurants & Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 12 Comments »

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