You should order this book, whether you like barbecue or not. About much more than barbecue, it’s about culture and change and homogenization and human idiosyncrasies. And it’s a truly wonderful read, with an oh so rare mixture of scholarship and wit. The Godfather, of course, is John Shelton Reed, distinguished scholar and Scott Griffin’s favorite professor at Chapel Hill; co-author of the seminal work … Continue reading The Godfather “On Barbecue”
I’ve mentioned Robert Moss and his weekly barbecue newsletter, The ‘Cue Sheet, many times. I especially enjoyed the current issue (June 14). It features a lovely profile of Little Bridges Cabannis, the woman behind Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, one of the great barbecue places. She married “Red” Bridges and they started the first Bridges barbecue in 1946, and she was the driving force behind the … Continue reading The ‘Cue Sheet, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, and John Shelton Reed
I haven’t had a lot of eating time in Georgia (i.e., time outside the Atlanta airport) since I started the Blog, and there are no trips on the horizon. That’s a shame because there’s a lot of good barbecue in Georgia. I have reviewed a few good places fairly recently — Heritage Market in Atlanta comes to mind, as does B’s Cracklin’ in Savannah and … Continue reading Georgia Barbecue
I’d had a full day of barbecue at The Pit in Raleigh, Rick’s Smokehouse in Lexington, and the Barbecue Center in Lexington, with a recuperative evening in Salisbury. I woke up the next morning, drank coffee, deleted a bunch of email messages, figured out how to unsubscribe from political emails (tell them that each time you get an email you’ll send a check to their … Continue reading Midwood Smokehouse, Charlotte, North Carolina
I met Jeff Frederick at the historic 3rd Annual Beer Snob Pig Picking in Lumberton, North Carolina, back in April. Jeff is Dean of the School or Arts and Sciences at UNC Pembroke, a noted historian, an expert on Alabama politics, and a real good guy. He’s also an Auburn fan, which is a fine thing to be 364 days of the year. Maybe 365 … Continue reading The Best Barbecue Joint in Each Southern State According to Yelp
UPDATE: Alas, South Fork has closed. The owner got sick of people wandering in and asking if he served chicken tenders, so he went back to Texas where people appreciate brisket. He may have left too soon. Brisket is booming all over the place, as is the state of barbecue in Virginia. So here’s an update. I have since tried several of the places mentioned in … Continue reading Some Barbecue Possibilities in Virginia
Thanks to my first cousin, Sinclair Griffin Lee of Charlotte (one of the Bill’s Barbecue Griffins) pointed out Southern Living magazine’s 2016 list of what they consider the 50 best barbecue places in the US. http://www.southernliving.com/travel/bbq-restaurants?iid=newsletter-sl-06302016 I haven’t been to all of the places, but the ones I have visited are good, so the list is a handy travel reference. (I haven’t been to the … Continue reading Southern Living’s 2016 50 Best List
There is much news in the world about rebellion agains the Establishment. The success of the Brexit proponents and Donald Trump, and the near-success of Bernie Sanders, are just the most prominent signs of widespread disgust with the Establishment, with Brussels and Washington, of a feeling that government leaders don’t care about their citizens, don’t understand their grievances, and don’t tell them the truth. Regardless of … Continue reading Why People Hate Washington
There are other ways to cook barbecue, of course. Naturally, I think that my way makes the Best Barbecue in the World, but then I’ve been doing this for, what, 38 years now? I’m at the point where I’m comfortable with my method. It’s the closest I can get to cooking over an open pit, which is indisputably the best way to cook barbecue. That’s … Continue reading Other Approaches to Barbecuing
This article by Jim Shahin came out while our internet was down, so I’m very late in posting it: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/they-fed-the-civil-rights-movement-now-are-black-owned-barbecue-joints-dying/2016/02/22/382079de-d506-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html You should read the article. It focuses on the role of black-owned barbecue places and the role they played in the Civil Rights Movement, and discusses their future and the lack of respect that they get in most discussions of barbecue. I remember someone bringing … Continue reading Jim Shahin’s Latest
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