Review: The Beast

Name: The Beast
Location: Paris, France
Price: $$$
Hours: Closed Monday and Sunday; Tuesday- Saturday 12:00PM - 2:30PM, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

In May I had the opportunity to go to Paris, France for work. While I was there I took advantage of the opportunity to see if there were any BBQ joints there. I found two and was able to go to one and try it. It was worth the walk.

Review: More BBQ and Grilling for the Big Green Egg & other Kamado-style cookers

More BBQ and Grilling is written by Eric Mitchell an award winning pitmaster who has been cooking on the Big Green Egg since 2000. He and his wife started the team, Yabba Dabba Que!, and compete in competitions throughout the North East. They have competed in both the Jack Daniel
s World Championship Invitational and the American Royal where they earned a perfect score for their crème brûlée.

I don't own a Kamado-style cooker but the recipes are easily adapted to other cookers and grills. If you have a Big Green Egg or similar cooker this cook book is great. Eric gives you the information to set up your your cooker correctly to get the temperatures you want. The last chapter talks about care and set up of your kamado-style cooker from purchase to use. The recipes cover everything from appetizers to desserts.

Review: The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook

The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook – The Whole Pig & Nothing but the Pig BBQ Recipes is written by championship pitmaster Bill Gillespie. He started cooking competitive BBQ in 2005 and won the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue in 2011 and in 2014 he won the American Royal Invitational, probably the two most coveted titles in the world of competitive BBQ. Bill knows what he’s talking about and shares his hog knowledge with us in this book.

Bill Gillespie covers everything in this book. From the rooter to the tooter (ok, not quite but pretty close). The recipes are easy to read and follow. He covers appetizers, snacks, drinks (with bacon in them) main courses, whole hog, and dessert (with bacon). The book is worth it just for the section on whole hog.

Review: Midwood Smokehouse

Name: Midwood Smokehouse 
Location: Charlotte, NC
Price: $$ - $6-$34 (that's for the Pig Out)
Hours: Sun - Wed • 11am - 10pm
Thurs - Sat • 11am - 11pm

Charlotte has a bad rap for BBQ joints. It's located in the center of the Carolina's, so you'd think they would have some great BBQ places. Well, over the last 10 years that has started to change. and it is AWESOME!

Recently my wife and I went to Midwood Smokehouse to try their BBQ. My friend Wayne of Big Wayner recommended it awhile back, but they had one location that I was rarely near it. In the past year they have opened up two other locations and one was much closer to me. I finally had a chance to get over there and try it. I was not disappointed.

Review - Grilled Pizza The Right Way

Title: Grilled Pizza the Right Way: The Best Technique for Cooking Incredible Tasting Pizza & Flatbread on Your Barbecue Perfectly Chewy & Crispy Every Time
Author: John Delpha
Price: $19.99

This is one of the three books I was sent to review back in April. It's been a little hectic lately with end of school and work so I haven't had a chance to review it until now.

The book is by John Delpha who is a former Army officer and Helicopter pilot. He became a chef and cooked in some of Bostons top kitchens such as Clio, Mistral, Harvest, Sorellina and La Campania. He is a member of iQue, who won the 2009 Jack Daniel's World Barbecue Championship and loves to cook with fire. He learned how to grill pizza at Al Forno in Providence, RI and brings his experience and skill to the masses via this book.

I love to use my grill and I love to eat pizza. This book is perfect for people with similar tastes. If you want to try something new on the grill this book will help you learn how to grill a pizza and other flatbreads. It starts with savory pizzas and ends with dessert pizzas. There are a couple parts I found a little confusing, but overall it is a pretty straight forward cook book.

Review - RockyTop Swine Shine and Carolina Q Rub

Company: Rocky Top BBQ Co. LLC
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
WebSite: http://www.rockytopsmokies.com/
Carolina Swine Shine: $6.25 + Shipping and Handeling
Carolina Q Rub: $7.95 + Shipping and Handling


It's been a while since my last post. Life and work have been busy, but I haven't stopped cooking, tasting and testing. You might recognize the name Rocky Top BBQ Co. from BBQ Pitmasters or the interview I did with them (you can read it here).

Jonathan and his crew have added a few more trophies and catered a few more events and come out with a rub and sauce they use on their divine swine. I have tried both and both are good. Their sauce has become my go to Carolina sauce. It's that good.

Review - Ultimate Book of BBQ

I received an email a couple weeks ago asking if I would be interested in reviewing a BBQ cook book. My initial response was, "Is this a trick question?" I'm always looking for new recipes, tips on cooking and just improving my BBQ skills in general.

I agreed to review Southern Living Ultimate Book of BBQ - the complete year-round guide to grilling & smoking. A couple days later I received it and two other grilling books which I will be reviewing later.

Pitmaster Christopher Prieto of PRIME Barbecue in Wendell, NC has worked with Southern Living to compile over 200 recipes, creating a hefty cook book that covers the basics to the finer points of BBQ.

Review - Triple Whammy Sauces

Name: Triple Whammy Sauces
Location: Charlotte, NC
Price: $8
Link: http://www.triplewhammysauces.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Triple-Whammy-Sauces
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TriWhammySauce
Instagram: http://instagram.com/triplewhammysauces

At the 2014 Q City BBQ Championship I came across Triple Whammy Sauces selling their sauces. The samples they had were good so I got a bottle of each.

The sauces were created in 2007 by Tyler Fraiser. He started with a honey mustard sauce, then created an all purpose sauce for other foods. Each sauce has a unique flavor and works well on a variety of foods. Each one has a little sweet, a little savory and a little heat giving you the Triple Whammy.

Review - 521 BBQ

Name: 521 BBQ
Location: Fort Mill, SC 
Price: $$
Link: http://www.521bbq.com/


In my town it can be difficult to find good BBQ. It shouldn't be hard in SC, but if you want to go out for it, it can be. One of my favorite BBQ places opened up a second location closer to me and I was finally able to try it out. I was happy I did.

I took my family out to give it a try and we all enjoyed it. My first experience with 521 BBQ was about six years ago. We were looking for a local BBQ joint and found 521 BBQ off of highway 521. We headed out to get some food around 6pm and when we got there we were disappointed because they had sold out. This was a good sign. It meant they were doing something right. We went back a couple weeks later, earlier this time, and enjoyed generous helpings of chopped pork, ribs, hushpuppies and fries. We've been back a few times and have recommended it to others.

Review: Sograte Original BBQ Rub

Creator: Sograte BBQ and Brew
Location: Lubbock, TX
Cost: $7.99 + shipping
Link: Original BBQ Rub

This is another rub Sograte BBQ asked me to review for them. It's a good rub with BBQ flavors that enhance pork or chicken well. It stands up to the long slow cooks that define BBQ and helps to take the flavor of the meat to the next level. If you're looking for a good rub for your next cook give it a go.

Review: Virgil's Barbecue Road Trip Cookbook

I was contacted by St. Martin's Press and asked if I would be interested in reviewing Virgil's Barbecue Road Trip Cookbook: The Best Barbecue From Around the Country Without Ever Leaving Your Backyard which came out April 8th. I was more than happy to agree to reading and reviewing it. A couple days later a shiny new book showed up in the mail.

Virgil's is a popular restaurant in Times Square where they cook on a smoker and grill. From the sounds of it, it is a restaurant I would like to visit someday. Before opening, the chefs and owner took a road trip to find out what BBQ was so they could open an authentic BBQ restaurant in NY City. Their travels across the US influenced the food in the restaurant and the recipes in the book.

The book is a combination of grilling and barbecuing from across the country with recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts. It shares a short history of BBQ, thoughts when purchasing a grill, helpful tips and a menu planner. It is a great cookbook.

Review: Steak Magic - Made From Unicorn Horns

Creator: Sograte BBQ and Brew
Location: Lubbock, TX
Cost: @$7.99 +shipping
Link:  Steak Magic

Sograte BBQ and Brew sent me some samples of their rubs to review. I decided to try the Steak Magic first. At first I thought it said "Steele Magic" on the bag and was a bit curious about that. Was it due to the color? The persons last name who created it? Then I realized it was "Steak Magic."

Once that was sorted out I decided I better give it a try. It's a nice blend of pepper, salt and other spices that work well with various meats but really enhances the flavors of beef.

Review: Sauceman's BBQ

Name: Sauceman's BBQ & Grill
Location: Charlotte, NC
Hours: Monday through Thursday: 11am to 6pm
Friday and Saturday: 11am to 9pm
Sunday: Closed (except for Home Panthers Games open 9-2)
Price range: $5-$12 (THE CLARK GRISWALD @$25)
Link: saucemans.com/
There's a local BBQ joint I have heard about but never had the chance to get to. I finally made it in. They've won Pitmasters on Destination America and other BBQ competitions. They are Sauceman's and they serve good BBQ.

Review: Baconstien - Sweet and spicy

Creator: Sograte BBQ and Brew
Location: Lubbock, TX
Cost: @$5.00 +shipping
Link:  Baconstein Bacon Bites

Sograte BBQ and Brew sent me some samples of their Baconstein bacon jerky and rubs for me to sample and review. I decided to start with the Baconstien jerky and then move on to the rubs.

I've been curious about bacon jerky since I've seen it popping up in stores around the area but hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. I finally had a chance to with the Baconstien. Overall it is flavorful and has a nice kick.

Review: Farm to Table fresh at Block & Grinder

Name: Block & Grinder
Location: Charlotte, NC
Price: $$-$$$
Link: blockandgrinder.com/

A few months ago I heard that Block & Grinder was going to open. When I heard the concept I was intrigued. I was told it would be a farm to table restaurant with a butcher shop that would also have wild game on the menu. In the butcher shop part they planned to sell sausage and other charcuterie that was made on premises. It sounded wonderful. My family and I happened to be in the area so decided to give it a try. I'm glad we did.

Review: Liquid Salsa - Tabañero Hot sauce

Creator: Tabasco Mexico
Name: Tabañero Hot Sauce Picante
Price: $6.50 per bottle
Link: Tabañero

I'm always on the look out for a flavorful hot sauce that brings a little something different to the flavors. I've found some that claim to have great flavor but are too spicy to taste the flavors and others that taste like a sauce with no heat. I started to see tweets about Tabañero and it got me interested. I decided to give it a try.

Review: BBQ & Bowling at 10 Park Lanes

10 Park Lanes

Name: 10 Park Lanes
Location: Charlotte, NC 
Price: $$
Link: rollten.com

BBQ and bowling makes for a fun evening and in Charlotte you can do just that. 10 Park Lanes is a full bowling alley with a restaurant and bar. They are smoking up the Q and serving up wings, burgers, BBQ and fun.

The building has a cool retro 50's feel to it but inside is up to date. There are two bars, an eating area, outside seating and a number of bowling lanes. On a Saturday night it gets busy and loud.

Review: Proud Piggy BBQ Sauce - Sauce shots anyone?

Creator: Southern Staple Foods
Location: Waxhaw, NC
Cost: $3.75 (15oz. Bottle)
Link: Proud Piggy BBQ Sauce

Every year Fort Mill has a Strawberry Festival. This year one of the vendors was Proud Piggy BBQ sauce, and I have to say any pig would be proud to swim in this. I was lucky enough to win a bottle due to an twitter contest Big Wayner was running with them. I'm glad I won it.

Review: Doomer's Q Dark - Chocolate makes everything better

Creator: Doomer's LLC
Location: Parkville, MD
Cost: $14
Link: Doomer's "Q" Sauce


I entered a drawing for Doomer's Q sauce around the Super Bowl and won their three sauce. I reviewed their original one and loved it. The Dark sauce is reminiscent of a molé sauce and works really well with grilled and BBQed meats.

Review: Amor de Brazil - Carnivores Paradise

Name: Amor de Brazil
Location: Matthews, NC
Price: $$$$
Link: amordebrazilsteakhouse.com

There's a taste of Brazil hidden in Matthews, NC. The service is friendly, the ambience intimate and the food plentiful. It's a great place to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or just hangout with a bunch of friends. But go hungry.