The Grill and BBQ thread

[Dumbledorange]

He doesn't claim to be a big guy in BBQ. Just loves smoking and grilling. I'm sure we'd all be surprised how similar most rubs are. Still, he doesn't have his own storefront or anything so I am just gonna take it at his own word. Dude lives in Charlotte, too. And they know BBQ.

yeah i've had that BBQ

 

[zhangliao04]

yeah i've had that BBQ

Not huge fan of vinegar based. More of a thicker sauce and rub, guy. But I still enjoy it.

 

[Dumbledorange]

Not huge fan of vinegar based. More of a thicker sauce and rub, guy. But I still enjoy it.

I'm not a fan either, first time I tasted NC BBQ I thought it was rancid.

 

[JCHateSteve]

I'm not a fan either, first time I tasted NC BBQ I thought it was rancid.

East or West Carolina? Calling one NC BBQ on the wrong side of the state can get you stabbed.

 

[Dumbledorange]

East or West Carolina? Calling one NC BBQ on the wrong side of the state can get you stabbed.

lol I think we were going through Asheville (from K-ville) back in the days when the Interstate-Defense system stopped and you had to get off on state highways. Going to Myrtle Beach (??). The "Q" was chopped, smushed and vinegary.

 

[JCHateSteve]

Hard to say. Sounds like bad a example of either actually. Neither should be mushy. Asheville ain't exactly known for Q. I like the vinegar stuff well enough. But, everyone has that one kind of BBQ they hate. Mine is Alabama White. I've never been brave enough to try the Kentucky mutton stuff.

 

[zhangliao04]

I'm not a fan either, first time I tasted NC BBQ I thought it was rancid.

East or West Carolina? Calling one NC BBQ on the wrong side of the state can get you stabbed.

I just ended my almost 3-year stint of living in Charlotte. All I can say is the BBQ there is pretty good. Really good sauces, but some of the places upcharge you just because it's BBQ. Another place I went to was waaaaay too expensive. Something like $18-20 for a lb for chopped pork. That's not every place. There was this one small little joint that had great pulled chicken. Best I found in the area and their prices were normal. Also, everybody claims they are the best BBQ in Charlotte.

 

[JCHateSteve]

I just ended my almost 3-year stint of living in Charlotte. All I can say is the BBQ there is pretty good. Really good sauces, but some of the places upcharge you just because it's BBQ. Another place I went to was waaaaay too expensive. Something like $18-20 for a lb for chopped pork. That's not every place. There was this one small little joint that had great pulled chicken. Best I found in the area and their prices were normal. Also, everybody claims they are the best BBQ in Charlotte.

Yeah that's pricey. But I understand the best BBQ claims. I think the best BBQ in Tennessee comes off my smoker.

 

[zhangliao04]

Yeah that's pricey. But I understand the best BBQ claims. I think the best BBQ in Tennessee comes off my smoker.

IMO, the best BBQ always comes off a smoker in the backyard/frontyard of someone's house. Don't read that as "everybody", but I think some have done it for so long and gotten their BBQ down just the way they like it that you can't beat a good, home cooked/smoked/grilled piece of meat that you then share with family and friends. That, IMO, is true BBQ. Not trying to dis those places that have been doing it for years and are really good at it. I just get sorta meh with places that have like 10 joints in town or is found throughout the whole state/country. One of the reasons I love Sweet P's. Yeah, they have 2 places, but I hope they stay small because their BBQ is awesome.

Edit: And since you have the best BBQ in TN I warn you now that I will be asking some questions in the future

 

[Go aeiou]

Yeah that's pricey. But I understand the best BBQ claims. I think the best BBQ in Tennessee comes off my smoker.

I think it comes off mine. I think over time you get what you like. I honestly haven't found better bbq in Nashville. Some places have excellent sides though.
I thought Chattanooga had better bbq, but that was years ago.

I still think Memphis has the best in the state.

 

[JCHateSteve]

I think it comes off mine. I think over time you get what you like. I honestly haven't found better bbq in Nashville. Some places have excellent sides though.
I thought Chattanooga had better bbq, but that was years ago.

I still think Memphis has the best in the state.

I say it's Ridgewood, other than mine. I've only been to Memphis a couple of times though. It's hard to compare a lot of them with so many different kinds.

 

[volmanbill]

Bacon, pineapple, honey and garlic mop.

 

[Dumbledorange]

I say it's Ridgewood, other than mine. I've only been to Memphis a couple of times though. It's hard to compare a lot of them with so many different kinds.

Memphis has been at BBQ for so long starting well before Rendezvous's dry rub. It has evolved into many forms most of it through the Memphis in May where BBQ champions were highlighted in several different categories mostly by amateurs (non-restaurateurs). Diversity may be its strongest point.

 

[JCHateSteve]

Memphis has been at BBQ for so long starting well before Rendezvous's dry rub. It has evolved into many forms most of it through the Memphis in May where BBQ champions were highlighted in several different categories mostly by amateurs (non-restaurateurs). Diversity may be its strongest point.

Memphis bbq is awesome. No doubts there.

 

[volsarelife1]

Tried my chicken legs a little differently this time around. Quite impressed if I say so myself.

 

[Boca Vol]

Thanks for the tip! I will do that.

How many wood chunks should I put in? Gonna be smoking at 225 °F , will be using the Kamado Joe lump for charcoal and the Western brand for the hickory chunk. I don't know the good brands for wood chunk yet, but I've seen Western used in some videos on the Tube.

Welcome and good luck. There are lots of good lumps out there at varying prices. On the low end, Royal Oak is hard to beat. I'm on my 4th bag of Kamado Joe XL lump and it's good. Wood chunks, Western is good.

Don't be afraid to cook butts and ribs at 250-275. I did a rack of spares today at 250 and I cooked them for 2.5 hours, wrapped for 1.5, and finished for about 20 minutes. Perfect.

 

[volwindy]

I just ended my almost 3-year stint of living in Charlotte. All I can say is the BBQ there is pretty good. Really good sauces, but some of the places upcharge you just because it's BBQ. Another place I went to was waaaaay too expensive. Something like $18-20 for a lb for chopped pork. That's not every place. There was this one small little joint that had great pulled chicken. Best I found in the area and their prices were normal. Also, everybody claims they are the best BBQ in Charlotte.

I live in Charlotte..so I'm curious what is the pulled chicken place and what was your favorite bbq place? I definitely have my favorite and dislike some of the ones that claim to be the best.

 

[zhangliao04]

Welcome and good luck. There are lots of good lumps out there at varying prices. On the low end, Royal Oak is hard to beat. I'm on my 4th bag of Kamado Joe XL lump and it's good. Wood chunks, Western is good.

Don't be afraid to cook butts and ribs at 250-275. I did a rack of spares today at 250 and I cooked them for 2.5 hours, wrapped for 1.5, and finished for about 20 minutes. Perfect.

Thank you for the welcome. I've heard of Royal Oak. I will try that out after this bag of Joe XL lump is gone to see if I notice a difference.

I'm actually thinking about increasing the heat that I smoke the butts at up to 250 because of how big they are (2 butts weighing 20 lbs total). Right now I figure about 15-17 hours at 225 which is a long time. I realize BBQing is patience and I have that, but for a first go I kinda don't want to have it go for so long. Maybe once I get more experience under my belt? Haven't fully decided yet, though. I assume it's take 12-14 hours at 250.

 

[zhangliao04]

I live in Charlotte..so I'm curious what is the pulled chicken place and what was your favorite bbq place? I definitely have my favorite and dislike some of the ones that claim to be the best.

Nice! I lived in South Charlotte near the Arboretum shopping center so most of my BBQ experience is around that area. But, the best pulled chicken I got was from a small shack type of place on Old Monroe Rd. near Indian Trail called Stallings Rockstore BBQ. I can't tell you about the pulled pork or anything else cause I always got the pulled chicken.

The best BBQ I got in Charlotte was Smoke Pit. There are two, one in Concord (original) and one in Monroe. Go to the one in Concord for a more BBQ atmosphere and, IMO, better BBQ. Other places I've tried are Moe's Original BBQ (Matthews), Oowee BBQ (Pineville), South Main Street BBQ (Waxhaw), Noble Smoke (near downtown), Midwood Smokehouse, and City BBQ. I'm sure I've been to more, but that's what I remember. Just FYI, Noble Smoke...not worth it. Neat setup, but definitely not worth the price at all. I'm sure I missed out on some other good places, though.

 

[kiddiedoc]

So I grilled Friday and Saturday (pizzas and flat irons), but the highlight of the weekend was air fryer wings. Hear me out: 1) use a dusting of ARROWROOT powder. I read online that it is ideal for crisping the skin, and it worked perfectly. 2) branch out and try an authentic Korean chili glaze. I used the following recipe, and my awesome neighbor across the street hooked me up with the necessary gochujang. It has a unique flavor profile, and I don't think my Sriracha chili paste would have been as good. Seriously, 10/10. Whole family agreed.

Crispy Korean Air Fried Chicken Wings - My Forking Life

 

[Boca Vol]

So I grilled Friday and Saturday (pizzas and flat irons), but the highlight of the weekend was air fryer wings. Hear me out: 1) use a dusting of ARROWROOT powder. I read online that it is ideal for crisping the skin, and it worked perfectly. 2) branch out and try an authentic Korean chili glaze. I used the following recipe, and my awesome neighbor across the street hooked me up with the necessary gochujang. It has a unique flavor profile, and I don't think my Sriracha chili paste would have been as good. Seriously, 10/10. Whole family agreed.

Crispy Korean Air Fried Chicken Wings - My Forking Life

View attachment 286695

Nice. Will check out Arrowroot. Better than corn starch?

Agree about authentic condiments and spices. We have an amazing Asian market in Bradenton and for the most part it's very inexpensive.

 

[Boca Vol]

Thank you for the welcome. I've heard of Royal Oak. I will try that out after this bag of Joe XL lump is gone to see if I notice a difference.

I'm actually thinking about increasing the heat that I smoke the butts at up to 250 because of how big they are (2 butts weighing 20 lbs total). Right now I figure about 15-17 hours at 225 which is a long time. I realize BBQing is patience and I have that, but for a first go I kinda don't want to have it go for so long. Maybe once I get more experience under my belt? Haven't fully decided yet, though. I assume it's take 12-14 hours at 250.

Also, when the butts hit about 160 you're going to run into the "stall". To quote Aaron Franklin (Check out his vids): "The stall happens as a result of something called “evaporative cooling.” It’s the same mechanism that allows sweat to cool down the body. Sweat works like this: when moisture sits on the surface of the skin, it’s evaporated by heat energy given off by the body. So when the water changes from liquid to gas form, it absorbs a significant amount of heat energy…creating a cooling effect…. Inside a cooker, the piece of meat is sort of sweating too. It’s losing moisture to the air in the form of evaporation. Interestingly, air turbulence and humidity has a greater impact on evaporation than actual temperature—and since there’s a huge amount of air movement in a smoker, the evaporation is quite significant. "

So a trick is to wrap your butts at 160, The steaming effect will significantly shorten the stall time. Also, your butt isn't going to absorb any more smoke at that point so you aren't losing anything in that regard. My recommended pull temp is about 198....and leave wrapped for at least an hour if you can. You'll see/jhear about "FTC" which is: Foil, Towel, Cooler.

Nice! I lived in South Charlotte near the Arboretum shopping center so most of my BBQ experience is around that area. But, the best pulled chicken I got was from a small shack type of place on Old Monroe Rd. near Indian Trail called Stallings Rockstore BBQ. I can't tell you about the pulled pork or anything else cause I always got the pulled chicken.

The best BBQ I got in Charlotte was Smoke Pit. There are two, one in Concord (original) and one in Monroe. Go to the one in Concord for a more BBQ atmosphere and, IMO, better BBQ. Other places I've tried are Moe's Original BBQ (Matthews), Oowee BBQ (Pineville), South Main Street BBQ (Waxhaw), Noble Smoke (near downtown), Midwood Smokehouse, and City BBQ. I'm sure I've been to more, but that's what I remember. Just FYI, Noble Smoke...not worth it. Neat setup, but definitely not worth the price at all. I'm sure I missed out on some other good places, though.

Interesting. I used to live in Raintree CC near the Arboretum. I graduated HS at Providence HS.

 

[volwindy]

Nice! I lived in South Charlotte near the Arboretum shopping center so most of my BBQ experience is around that area. But, the best pulled chicken I got was from a small shack type of place on Old Monroe Rd. near Indian Trail called Stallings Rockstore BBQ. I can't tell you about the pulled pork or anything else cause I always got the pulled chicken.

The best BBQ I got in Charlotte was Smoke Pit. There are two, one in Concord (original) and one in Monroe. Go to the one in Concord for a more BBQ atmosphere and, IMO, better BBQ. Other places I've tried are Moe's Original BBQ (Matthews), Oowee BBQ (Pineville), South Main Street BBQ (Waxhaw), Noble Smoke (near downtown), Midwood Smokehouse, and City BBQ. I'm sure I've been to more, but that's what I remember. Just FYI, Noble Smoke...not worth it. Neat setup, but definitely not worth the price at all. I'm sure I missed out on some other good places, though.

I have not been to some of these places, definitely haven't heard of Rockstore but it does look good.

I held off on saying my favorites because everyone has their own opinions. Which is just that, we all have different tastes. I'm like you and have come to like home cooked bbq better than what I can get in a restaurant these days, especially since they always seem to be great at 1-2 meats and not all. I also like the meat to shine, not to have to add sauce to make it taste good.

I'm a big yelper and I went back to look at my reviews. I gave the Smoke Pit in Concord 3 stars and City BBQ 1. I've been to a number of others you haven't listed - lots of people love Mac's. Midwood is my favorite for pulled pork, but I gave them 4 stars because they are great at 1-2 meats and I still feel like I can find a restaurant in Charlotte that will be better. Just not sure who it is. I've been to better in other cities, so I know there is potential!

I haven't been to Noble just for that reason, seems absurdly high. They are owned by the same people as Roosters, not sure if you went there. Great food, but expensive.

On a sad note, Queen City Q, decided to close their doors and not reopen after all this with COVID.

 

[zhangliao04]

Also, when the butts hit about 160 you're going to run into the "stall". To quote Aaron Franklin (Check out his vids): "The stall happens as a result of something called “evaporative cooling.” It’s the same mechanism that allows sweat to cool down the body. Sweat works like this: when moisture sits on the surface of the skin, it’s evaporated by heat energy given off by the body. So when the water changes from liquid to gas form, it absorbs a significant amount of heat energy…creating a cooling effect…. Inside a cooker, the piece of meat is sort of sweating too. It’s losing moisture to the air in the form of evaporation. Interestingly, air turbulence and humidity has a greater impact on evaporation than actual temperature—and since there’s a huge amount of air movement in a smoker, the evaporation is quite significant. "

So a trick is to wrap your butts at 160, The steaming effect will significantly shorten the stall time. Also, your butt isn't going to absorb any more smoke at that point so you aren't losing anything in that regard. My recommended pull temp is about 198....and leave wrapped for at least an hour if you can. You'll see/jhear about "FTC" which is: Foil, Towel, Cooler.



Interesting. I used to live in Raintree CC near the Arboretum. I graduated HS at Providence HS.

As a chemist, I get to experience the evaporating cool down effect alllll the time. Acetone. If you ever get a bit of acetone on your hand (gloves on or off) while trying to dry glassware it will leave your hand prettt cold because of that effect hah. So it makes sense when you told me about that with the butt.

I've been having a battle in my mind about how long to smoke the butt. Sounds like the answer is "once it hits 160", but some places were giving times like 3-4 hours. I'm going to use 4 wood chunks tomorrow since this is a pretty large butt (10 lbs) so hopefully those chunks will last until 160.

Nice, I drove by that HS all the time to go to Matthews. The CTO of my company, his daughter is getting ready to graduate from there.

 

[zhangliao04]

I have not been to some of these places, definitely haven't heard of Rockstore but it does look good.

I held off on saying my favorites because everyone has their own opinions. Which is just that, we all have different tastes. I'm like you and have come to like home cooked bbq better than what I can get in a restaurant these days, especially since they always seem to be great at 1-2 meats and not all. I also like the meat to shine, not to have to add sauce to make it taste good.

I'm a big yelper and I went back to look at my reviews. I gave the Smoke Pit in Concord 3 stars and City BBQ 1. I've been to a number of others you haven't listed - lots of people love Mac's. Midwood is my favorite for pulled pork, but I gave them 4 stars because they are great at 1-2 meats and I still feel like I can find a restaurant in Charlotte that will be better. Just not sure who it is. I've been to better in other cities, so I know there is potential!

I haven't been to Noble just for that reason, seems absurdly high. They are owned by the same people as Roosters, not sure if you went there. Great food, but expensive.

On a sad note, Queen City Q, decided to close their doors and not reopen after all this with COVID.

Sad to hear about City Q. I thought it was good. If I remember correctly they had some good sides, too. I figured they would be able to make it since they had multiple places, but I guess not.

Been the Mac's in Matthews a few times. It was good! Although I always thought of it as a chain place. Famouse Dave's in Indian Land was good. I enjoyed Midwood as well. Another place I though was a chain. I guess these places are just Charlotte places, but with multiple stores. Never heard of Roosters, but sounds like I would go haha .

Have you ever been to Duckworths?