Speedy: It wasn't long after my move to Atlanta that Monk and friend-of-the-blog-but-definitely-not-a-barbecue-bro Susong started planning a trip down to visit. I still don't know too much about the city, but I knew for sure one thing would be on the agenda – barbecue. Fox Bros is probably the most famous place in town – a Texas-style joint with a little bit of everything on the menu. We went early on a Saturday to beat the crowd.
Monk: Acknowledging that Fox Bros definitely is not a "Georgia style" barbecue joint, next time through we'll plan to visit a more regionally appropriate joint. For instance, Old Brick Pit Barbeque is actually not far from Speedy's hood.
Speedy: The first thing to come out were the brisket egg rolls and boy were they good. It was an egg roll filled with brisket, onions, and a little bit of mustard sauce. A simple concept executed to perfection. It made me wonder – why don't more things come in egg rolls? Another conversation for another time I guess.
Monk: You may recall that Speedy also really loved the southern egg rolls from The Pit in Raleigh. This guy just loves a good egg roll, darnit. Can't say he's wrong, though.
Speedy: We also had brisket as part of our combo platter, and ordered the fatty cut. Loyal readers of this blog know I've sworn off of North Carolina brisket. I'm happy to report I will not have to make the same proclamation in Georgia. It wasn't the best brisket I ever had, but it was had a solid bark, good flavor and tenderness, and was just solid.
Monk: Solid, yes. But in Charlotte I'd actually put up the brisket from The Smoke Pit or Midwood Smokehouse against Fox Bros any day.
While the coarsely pulled pork had bark mixed it, I found it to be disappointingly dry and bland. Texas joints aren't generally known for their pork, and that was certainly the case for Fox Bros.
Speedy: The ribs, on the other hand, were meaty and cooked to perfection. I was able to get a nice, clean bite and enjoyed the flavor. I do think there could have been a little more dry rub used, but overall a good rib. I was similarly impressed with the smoked wings, that came with a spicy bbq sauce. I'd consider them a must order for wing lovers.
Monk: The jalapeno cheddar link was a special on the day we were there, but being that it had cheddar Speedy was unable to partake. I liked it quite a bit, though I will say my sausage knowledge is still lacking. Having followed Fox Bros on Instagram for the past few years, one of my most anticipated items to try was the Frito Pie. Brisket chili, cheese, jalapenos, and sour cream mixed into a bag of Fritos. It was one of the best things I ate at that meal and if I can't find it closer to home in NC, then I'm almost certainly going to have make my own version of it at home.
Speedy: The collards were quite good, and I'll order them again, but they didn't really make or break the meal. The tater tots were ordered were better than average, as they were seasoned nicely. Of course the big win was at the end of the meal when friend-of-the-blog-but-definitely-not-a-barbecue-bro Susong lost credit card roulette and picked up the tab. Thanks, buddy!
Monk: Oh right! Thanks for reminding me of my favorite part as well. I definitely won't go as far as to say that I was disappointed with our meal at Fox Bros Bar-B-Q – the food was generally above average and the beer was cold. Whether the buildup in my head was fair is a valid question, but in any case I was hoping for just a little more.
I had tried to visit Fort Mill BBQ Company once before but had failed to pay attention to their hours and didn't realize they were closed on Mondays. Finally, I carved out another chance and made the drive out to Fort Mill.
Inside, a slightly dark dining room with a short bar is adorned with racing and car memorabilia and a few tv's tuned to ESPN. The "FMBBQ Sampler" was an easy way to try just about all of their meats (minus the ribs and chicken), and was a steal at $10.99 even if the portions ended up small. To make sure my entire meal wasn't meat-based, I added a small side of hush puppies.
What followed was a slightly underwhelming plate. The brisket was dry and stiff with a texture almost that of overcooked bacon. My guess was that it was smoked on a previous day and reheated for lunch on this day.
The "chipotle cheese stuffed beef sausage" was nothing more than a split sausage with shredded cheese melted on it – not really as advertised and quite disappointing.
The turkey was dry and mostly bland. The smoked wings were slightly better than the other meats.
As for the pork, well, I initially didn't get any and had to ask for it. No big deal, but I'm glad that I did since it ended up being the best of any of the meats (while still not being great). It was moist and had large chunks of bark in it but was still on the bland side without the aid of a table sauce. Still, the overall rating below might have been a bit lower had I not followed up on it.
The hush puppies may have been frozen but at least they came with a side of honey butter. I will say, at least the servers were quite nice.
You know that saying how barbecue writers and editors "try bad barbecue so you don't have to" (I think I first saw Daniel Vaughn of TMBBQ write this)? Well this day's lunch was definitely a case of that. Bad barbecue might be a bit strong but Fort Mill BBQ Company was definitely mediocre at best.
Monk: So on the night of his actual birthday, Speedy chose Treehouse Whiskey & Fork, a Charlotte restaurant in SouthPark of which I was unaware of just how much a barbecue joint it actually was – it describes itself on its website as "a new take on BBQ and New American Style cooking".
Speedy: I had been a couple times before, but hadn't really had the barbecue, so thought this was a good time to bring Monk (and friend of the blog Susong) in for reinforcements. Little did I know, we'd have an additional soldier on our squad, but more on that later. Anyway, the atmosphere at Treehouse is really great – even down to the tree literally in the middle of the restaurant. A large bar, good beer and whiskey selection, and large outdoor patio make this a great place for grabbing drinks with friends. But is it a good place for 'cue?
Monk: Somehow, I missed the tree in the middle of the restaurant. As for the food, the pork was not bad, with smokey pieces of bark mixed in with mostly moist pork. Not bad, but maybe a little on the bland side. The brisket, on the other hand, didn't have the fat properly rendered and was poorly smoked. Just bad.
Speedy: The ribs were definitely baby backs, and a little on the small side. They were slathered in sauce and a little overcooked, making it hard to get a good bite. They did have a decent flavor, but not the best ribs in my opinion. The sausage had good flavor, but not enough snap to the casing. The flavor made up for that, though, and I'd order the sausage again. The wings were pretty good. In Charlotte, it's pretty rare to find smoked wings instead of fried, so I really appreciate them when I can get them. These weren't the best smoked wings, but worth re-ordering. While not barbecue, the buffalo shrimp were awesome.
Monk: The large plate came with a jalapeno cheddar biscuit but we ordered some skillet cornbread in order to get that fix. The tots and the slaw that came with the meal were standard, and of course Speedy stayed away from the mayo slaw.
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.
Monk: As we've hit most of the Charlotte-area joints, you may start to notice that from time to time there will be some re-reviewing of joints that only one of us hit up the first time around. I went to Moe's Original Bar-B-Que just over two years ago by myself, so I figured The Barbecue Bros should give this Alabama-style chain from Colorado another shot with Speedy in tow. Though Speedy assured me before hand that there would be no chicken and white sauce ordered by him.
It also gave us an opportunity to finally meet up with Big Wayner before he moved from the Charlotte area. Three-plus years ago as we were starting Barbecue Bros, I remember coming across Big Wayner BBQ and using it as a reference point for our blog. Wayne's a super nice guy who is very knowledgeable about barbecue, and I wish it hadn't taken so long for us to finally meet up with him.
Monk: The pork was the saddest of the three meats we tried. It was dry and lacking in smoke and any bark or discernible flavor, even with the red sauce drizzled over it. I remember being pretty much the same way last time around and if I ever make it back I'll go with wings or *gasp* chicken instead.
Speedy: Not so fast, Monk… the ribs were actually pretty decent. They had a nice bite, indicating they weren't overcooked, and had a nice smoky flavor. And they were topped off with just the right amount of glaze – not over-sauced by any means, but adding a bit of flavor. These ribs weren't the best I've had by any means, but I did enjoy them.
Monk: The sides were another low point of the meal. The jalapeno cheese grits were better than average but the collards lacked taste and Speedy couldn't bring himself to finish his Brunswick stew. The platters come with cornbread and that was merely ok.
Speedy: Overall, this was a very mediocre barbecue experience. It took Big Wayner to get me out that far into the Charlotte suburbs (editor's note: Speedy considers everything outside of a 2 mile radius from downtown a "suburb"), and I don't regret going, but I won't be making any trips out that way just to visit Moe's Original Bar-B-Que anytime soon.
Speedy: On the second day of my college friend bro weekend, I had to lay the smack down. "Dudes," I said, "I'm a Barbecue Bro. My readers expect – nay! – my readers deserve a second review from my time in Charleston. So what if we had 'cue yesterday? We're running it back!" And so we found ourselves at Swig & Swine, which I had driven by a couple of times on Savannah Highway.
Monk: I applaud your dedication to the cause, comrade Speedski!
Speedy: From an atmosphere perspective, this restaurant has everything you want from a new school 'cue joint – a nice rustic feel, a great bar, and large beer selection. We took a seat in the bar section and our waitress quickly approached. We immediately ordered some smoked wings for appies. I added on to that by ordering the three meat combo (because I was having a hard time making decisions).
Monk:This wouldn't have anything to do with your previous night's activities impairing your thinking ability would it?
Speedy: I would prefer to not answer that question, Monk. Anywho, due to the events at Home Team BBQ, I have extended my brisket ban to South Carolina (with one notable exception), so I ordered the pulled pork, homemade sausage, and tacked on the pork belly, which I was excited to see. Traditional NC side vinegar slaw and traditional SC side hash and rice rounded out my order.
Monk: Ohhh, hash and rice. Really curious how you found this? I thought it was a bit weird myself.
The wings came out first and they were divine. Smoked perfectly and tossed in a red 'cue sauce, these wings were meaty, tender, and full of smoke flavor. They were nearly perfect. This got me super excited for the rest of the meal.
Speedy: Sadly, I was let down.
Speedy: The pork was decent, but lacked smoke and was a little dry. The table was stacked with several sauces (red, vinegar, mustard, white), so I added some vinegar sauce and it did help. Overall, the pork is passable, but not great. Which is more than I can say for the pork belly. Pork belly should be crisp on the outside and melt in the mouth on the inside, which this was not. Instead, it was tough and lacking of flavor. I'm certainly no expert in smoking pork belly, but I expected more.
The sausage was actually good – the best meat of my entree. It was definitely homemade and had a nice snap and really good flavor. I would've preferred it to be a little spicier, but that's just me. Overall, I'd get this again.
Monk: Could you tell what smoking method Swig & Swine used? Sounds like a gasser to me.
Speedy: I'm not sure – that would be my guess as well, but I didn't go check it out. The slaw was forgettable and the hash was decent, and something I'd order again, though I'm not familiar enough to know how it stacks up.
Overall, I was really hoping for a special meal, especially after tasting the wings. Unfortunately, I ended up with an average experience.
Monk: So far, between this place and the two Home Team BBQ's you've been to it doesn't seem like there is much to Charleston barbecue. I expect this to change when John Lewis opens his place later this year.
Speedy: I recently took a trip to Nashville to see the greatest band of all-time, The Beach Boys, live at one of the greatest music venues ever, the Ryman. My bud Drew is well aware of my love of 'cue, so wanted to take me to a new place that has become his favorite joint in town – Peg Leg Porker.
Monk: Beach Boys and barbecue? Talk about "good vibrations" am I right?
Speedy: *Face palm* We arrived on Friday night to a sizable crowd. Peg leg has a decent sized dining room and a large bar. There's a counter for ordering, and you just sit wherever you can find a seat, which was more difficult than anticipated as there was a pretty big line ahead of us. I really liked the atmosphere – it's not a typical old-timey joint by any means, but it doesn't have any pretentiousness about it. I really dug it.
Monk: If there's anything that Speedy won't stand for, its pretentiousness. Looking at you, Panera.
Speedy: I had trouble deciding what to order, but ultimately went with the dry ribs (I always prefer dry, given the option) and the smoked wings, as I knew I would be able to snake some pulled pork from someone else in our party.
After getting the meal, I first tried a bit of pork. I was pretty pleased. It's no secret that I prefer chopped to pulled, and I would like to have seen a little bit more bark in there, but the smoke flavor was evident. I think it could've used a little tang from a vinegar based dip, but that may just be my North Carolina roots talking.
Monk: So did the pork have a particular style in the cut of meat and/or sauce? Tennessee is definitely a pork state but I'm curious if it was whole hog or shoulders and if it was sauced any.
Speedy: You know, Monk, unfortunately, I didn't get to interview the pitmaster, but it did seem like pulled shoulder meat to me. It came unsauced, but there was a spicy and regular red sauce available. I tried the spicy and it was decent.
The ribs were really good. They had the right amount of dry rub – accentuating but not eliminating the flavor of the meat. They were cooked perfectly – tender without falling of the bone. The ribs were certainly the star of the show.
Monk: So would you call this a good version of the Memphis-style rib?
Speedy: Yes, absolutely. I think it can be difficult to have dry ribs not taste like dry meat, but here, the meat was tender and juicy, even though it wasn't saucy.
The wings were also really good. They were served as full wings, smoked and tossed in hot buffalo sauce. I was really happy with that, as I get annoyed when barbecue joints serve fried wings.
Peg Leg gets a small bonus in terms of sides for offering Brunswick stew, which was very good. But those points are subsequently lost due to the lack of hushpuppies. And of course, they had white slaw instead of red, which I didn't touch.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Peg Leg Porker. It's the best 'cue I've had in Nashville, which, unfortunately doesn't say much, despite Travel & Leisure's ludicrous article. However, I expect that this is not my last trip to Peg Leg Porker.