October 14, 2008 Edibles » Cover Story

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Eating high on the hog in Charlotte 

What is Carolina BBQ?

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click to flip through (2) ANGUS LAMOND - Mmmmm, barbeque
 

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The Old Hickory House is owned by the Carter family who came to Charlotte in the 1950s. They also cooked the first brisket in town in 1957. The dining room at the Old Hickory House not changed since it opened with its Old West motif and covered wagon lanterns, pine panels walls, and turquoise chairs. More importantly this is also one of the only places in town to get "outside brown," which for barbecue aficionados is the best part: the crusty exterior of the meat that you can only get when the meat is sliced and not chopped. The Old Hickory House, however, serves both chopped and sliced meat. They also serve a noteworthy, old-styled Brunswick stew that uses bread as a thickener.

For Eastern-styled barbecue, Bill Spoon's Barbecue is the place. With the death of the founder earlier this year, grandson Steve Spoon is now at the helm. He's been working in the family business since he was 9 years old. He reports that nothing has been changed in the business since it was founded in 1963 with recipes from the legendary Bob Melton of Rocky Mount. At Spoon's, the whole pig is cooked for 15 hours then chopped and served with a simple vinegar based sauce. "Barbecue is good old soul food. You can be mad and go and get barbecue. Everything's all right," says Spoon. For those not used to Eastern-styled barbecue, Spoon says they offer a sample. "We educate people. If people want Texas barbecue, we tell them we're not that. But we're always glad to give you a try of our barbecue." He further notes they only serve pork saying "there's no beef barbecue in Eastern North Carolina."

At one point Bill Spoon wanted to get out of the business and sold his restaurant and recipes, and leased the building to Ralph Miller. That was in 1987. In 1994, Miller moved the business from South Boulevard to Sunset Road and renamed it Bubba's Barbecue (allowing the Spoon's to reopen the original site as Bill Spoon's). Miller said he wanted to move into a bigger place. Bubba seats 120 and is right off the I-77. "The South Boulevard location had changing demographics and was small. They serve on paper plates because the kitchen can't accommodate a dishwasher. I wanted real plates." Miller, who is known to say barbecue is one of the basic food groups in North Carolina, has a loyal following, He also reports that he has kept the taste profile of his barbecue, but modernized the cooking system. Miller is proud of his compliance to rigorous health codes and safety standards of the county. His barbecue is cooked via electricity, which he says is easier to control than gas, with a wood fire pit for flavor. But even though Bubba's serves Eastern-styled barbecue, Miller has changed from cooking the whole pig to selected portions. "Whole pigs has become cost prohibitive." He cooks whole pigs when he can, but now uses shoulders, even hams.

Changing demographics around some older barbecue places have contributed to their demise. Earlier this year Hog Heaven, a spit of a spot serving Lexington-styled barbecue on Eastway, closed and is now a Latino eatery.

But new places are opening. Barbecue had been on the mind of restaurateur J.D. Duncan soon after he opened his upscale Bonterra in Dilworth. He and his sous chef Dan Boone discussed it often. "We wanted to do a Bill Spoon's type place," says Duncan. The opportunity came up with a space on South Boulevard in which the landlords wanted a biker bar and nondescript food. Duncan pushed for barbecue. Today Mac's Speed Shop is opening a third location in January on Lake Wylie (the second is at Lake Norman). The recipes for this barbecue, described as neither Lexington or Eastern-styled, and many of the side dishes came from Boone's family (Boone is no longer with the company). Mac's meat is cooked in a gas-fired rotisserie with wood added for flavor. Even this "modernized" method of cooking, Mac's has met with Bob Garner enthusiasm who noted how "impressed" he was with the different styles of barbecue.

Recently, the Charlotte area has also seen a few openings from backyard pit masters. Champions Candy and Brian Elkins opened EB Bar-B-Que in Indian Trail in 2005, but recently closed the restaurant and went back to catering only.

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