Charlotte ranked third on a controversial barbecue list, so here: 5 best local spots.
Editor’s note: This story originally ran in October 2020. With Charlotte recently being named the No. 3 barbecue city in the U.S. on this controversial list, we thought it’d be a great time to revisit some of our city’s best barbecue spots.
No category of restaurant is doing all that well right now. But in Charlotte, we seem to be having a particularly rough time with barbecue disappearing in a puff of smoke. Even the Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church barbecue has been canceled.
Bill Spoon’s, Art’s BBQ & Deli and Queen City Q are all closed. Bubba’s Barbecue is closed for the moment, although there are plans to reopen eventually. Sauceman’s, which moved from West Boulevard to Sugar Creek Brewing on Southside Drive last year, is closed, although it’s not clear if that’s temporary or permanent.
What’s a lover of chopped pork, ribs, brisket and Brunswick stew to do? There’s Bojangles, of course: The fried chicken chain recently added pulled pork barbecue. (I got a taste and give it a solid “not bad.”) But there are definitely better options. Let’s look at a few, ranked by preference:
(1) Jon G’s Barbecue
116 Glenn Falls St., Peachland (on U.S. 74 just east of Monroe)
Hours: 11 a.m. until sold out Saturdays.
Price range: $7.50 and $11 for half-pounds of pork or brisket, $13 a pound for ribs, $7 to $9 for sandwiches.
Barbecue fanatics love quests – going to an effort to experience a particular barbecue brings bragging rights. And you’ll have to go to an effort for this one: It’s a 40-minute drive from Charlotte, it’s only open on Saturdays, it opens at 11 a.m. and closes when they sell out (usually around 4 p.m.).
The lines can be epic: At 10:50 a.m. on a recent Saturday, the wait was already an hour. They do what they can to help – servers offer water or complimentary beer (several people in line had cans of PBR), and there’s an outside bathroom and a box of umbrella chairs.
Is it worth it? Ohhhhh, yeah. It’s Texas-style, with peppery, well-barked ribs and specialties like Cheerwine sausage links ($5 each). The brisket is so tender, you can cut it with a sharp look. Watch for specials, like Brunswick stew and sweet/hot jalapeno slices they call Cowboy Candy.
You can sit inside at socially distanced booths or there’s a little outdoor seating. Takeout orders come with white bread, generous piles of housemade bread-and-butter pickles, pickled onions and tubs of cumin-scented sauce.
(2) Sweet Lew’s
923 Belmont Ave.
Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday for dine-in; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. curbside pickup.
Price range: $11 to $16 for platters, $18 for a sampler, $6 to $9 for sandwiches.
Since opening, Lewis Donald has brought actual wood-cooked barbecue back into the city, with ribs, brisket, pulled pork and other offerings. My favorite: Smoked chicken with the Alabama-style white sauce.
Great sides include macaroni and cheese, collards, coleslaw and boiled peanuts. (Skip the beans if you’re expecting the kind baked in a sweet/smoky sauce: These are cooked in liquid and tend to be a little hard.)
The picnic tables are pleasant on a nice fall day.
(3) Noble Smoke
2216 Freedom Drive
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
Price range: Meats from $5 to $9 for 1/4 pound, $15 to $29 for a pound, ribs $16 to $30, sandwiches $8 to $11, sides $4 to $7.
Chef and restaurateur Jim Noble has pursued his barbecue dreams for a long time, and the quality of the meat shows it in pedigrees like Cheshire pork and prime beef for the brisket. It can get pricey, though: There’s no combination platter, so take a friend if you want to try several things (you can add pork, brisket, chicken or turkey by the quarter-pound, but for ribs, you have to get at least a half-rack for $16). But the list of starters and sides are inventive, and many will be familiar if you’re a regular at Rooster’s or King’s Kitchen, like pan-fried corn and butter beans. There’s also a full bar with cocktails and a wine list.
COVID-19 social distancing is no problem: The space is massive, with three indoor dining areas and several sitting areas outside. You’ve also got several options for getting it to go, including curbside pickup and takeout from a separate check-out area inside.
(4) Midwood Smokehouse
Multiple locations
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at 1401 Central Ave.; hours vary at other locations).
Price range: $7.50 to $15 for sandwiches, $10 to $16.50 for small plates, $13 to $21.50 for large plates, $16 to $26 for ribs.
Every visiting politician and celebrity seems to show up at the original Plaza Midwood location of Frank Scibelli’s smoke palace. The menu includes touches of Scibelli’s other restaurants, like Italian (smoked meatballs) and Tex-Mex (queso, nachos and tacos). But the barbecue portions of the menu are pretty straightforward: Carolina-style pork, brisket, smoked chicken and St. Louis ribs, all well-smoked. There’s also a long list of traditional sides (even steamed broccoli and cauliflower, if you need to ease your fatty-brisket guilt).
(5) Bobbee O’s BBQ
9401 Statesville Road
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Sunday.
Price range: $7.99 to $13.99 for platters, $16.99 to $26.99 for ribs, $5.99 to $6.99 for sandwiches.
Their slogan is “It’s All in Da Sauce,” and dat sauce is very good – red, sweet and smoky with a little heat. The pulled pork has flecks of red pepper and a hint of vinegar, true to the North Carolina style, while the ribs are tender, soft and coated with sauce. (Nice touch: You can add up to three ribs to your order for $2 each).
The macaroni and cheese is very saucy, with bits of onion, and even the baked beans have bits of onion and pepper.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
