Carolina BBQ Festival News, World Food Champions & Collard Chowder Recipe

[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. This is The MESH.

[00:00:12] The Carolina climate is getting cooler, but things are heating up for the Carolina BBQ Festival.

[00:00:18] We've got details as well as an update on the new BBQ business coming to Hickory.

[00:00:24] Hurricane Helene relief efforts, more information from that as well.

[00:00:27] And in this episode of the Low & Slow Barbecue Show, we've got a listener shout out,

[00:00:32] some reader mail, and a great fall recipe from one of the Carolina's finest pitmasters.

[00:00:38] I'm Chigger Willard, and we'll fan those flames, but first a little fuel for your own BBQ knowledge.

[00:00:44] Just visit our website, LowSlowBBQShow.com.

[00:00:48] That's where you'll find our library podcast and our blogs.

[00:00:52] While you're there, you can subscribe to our BBQ newsletter, The Lowdown.

[00:00:56] It's got plenty of BBQ news, pitmaster recipes, links to all our new content,

[00:01:01] and of course the blogs also where you're going to find some important links to all of our great partners.

[00:01:06] And that's right, we've got breaking news from some of those partners today.

[00:01:10] Breaking news about some big links you'll want to get and find and get and make the best use out of.

[00:01:16] You'll get them at our blog.

[00:01:17] And that news is coming today from the Carolina BBQ Festival.

[00:01:20] They've got breaking news.

[00:01:22] This year's festival is set for April 4th and 5th at Victoria Yards in Charlotte.

[00:01:27] And that festival, as well as the team, have launched a smoking newsletter.

[00:01:32] That's where they'll be breaking news and providing some exclusive discounts for this year's festival.

[00:01:37] And just today, I talked with Aaron from Let's Meet Charlotte.

[00:01:41] And I'm not supposed to say it, but there's a huge discount on tickets being announced today, Thursday, November the 14th.

[00:01:50] As you're listening to this live, this is going to be a discount on top of the 15% early bird discount that you can get.

[00:01:57] And get that discount only with the link.

[00:02:00] And you're only going to get that link in the newsletter.

[00:02:02] And of course, the only way to get the newsletter from the Carolina BBQ Festival is to subscribe.

[00:02:08] Just visit Carolina BBQFest.org to sign up for that newsletter.

[00:02:13] And of course, I'll drop a link in our own blog as well as our own newsletter.

[00:02:17] And you can find out how to subscribe.

[00:02:19] You might even be able to find some of those discounted ticket links.

[00:02:23] I'm sure we'll be sharing those until the run up to the festival.

[00:02:26] Again, that's coming up April 4th and 5th.

[00:02:29] And that newsletter is going to share all the greatest news and the latest news from the festival as it runs up.

[00:02:35] And you'll hear about the music, the pitmasters, that venue, the VIP night.

[00:02:39] And just to let everybody know that VIP night, it's a great time to kind of hobnob with the pitmasters themselves out of their element.

[00:02:48] They're kind of in a social environment.

[00:02:50] And that's going on April 4th from 6 to 10.

[00:02:52] And then there's the big festival, April 5th from noon to 4 o'clock.

[00:02:56] And if you're VIP, you get in early at 11.

[00:02:59] And that's when you see the pitmasters in their working environment and dishing out all that great barbecue.

[00:03:04] And we've been a couple of years and we're excited to partner with the Carolina BBQ Festival again to help promote and talk about all the good things going on in our Carolina barbecue community.

[00:03:14] And of course, those great pitmasters that are going to be there again.

[00:03:18] So check out Carolina BBQ Festival, Carolina BBQ Fest dot org.

[00:03:24] That's where you can get all the details there about this year's event, as well as the early bird pricing.

[00:03:31] Again, it's only going to be good through the end of the year.

[00:03:33] And again, right now, only the people with direct links can access and buy those tickets.

[00:03:39] So you can't get the tickets unless you've got the link and you only get the link through the newsletter or the website.

[00:03:45] Nobody else is going to find it out there.

[00:03:46] So check that stuff out for the Carolina BBQ Festival.

[00:03:50] Some other breaking news comes from another friend.

[00:03:53] That's the World Food Championships.

[00:03:55] Remember earlier this year, we had the founder Mike McLeod on the Low and Slow BBQ Show.

[00:04:01] So he's got some great big news.

[00:04:03] They just had their big World Food Championships this past weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana,

[00:04:08] and 12 folks walked away with championship titles.

[00:04:12] I won't break all the news to you.

[00:04:14] We'll share some of it, but you can get everything at worldfoodchampionships.com.

[00:04:18] That's where they got the news.

[00:04:20] And you'll find out that the World Barbecue Championship was won by Sean Williams from Rib Life in Butler, Alabama.

[00:04:28] Congratulations to Sean.

[00:04:30] Some of the other winners, folks in the barbecue world will probably care about.

[00:04:34] World Bacon Championship, that's Jack McMurray from Baldwin, Missouri.

[00:04:39] The World Burger Championship went to Hassan Najah from one more.

[00:04:43] He was from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

[00:04:46] So truly a World Food Championship.

[00:04:49] Congratulations to Hassan winning the World Burger Championship.

[00:04:52] The World Chef Champion went to Javon Brewer from St. Louis, Missouri.

[00:04:57] Some others, the World Sandwich Championship was Phil Johnson from Phil the Grill from Phoenix, Arizona.

[00:05:02] Other guys around our Carolina world is the World Seafood Championship went to Zachary Haselov from Fort Belvoir.

[00:05:11] Probably said that wrong.

[00:05:13] Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

[00:05:15] The World Chef Championship went to Javon Brewer again.

[00:05:19] He's from St. Louis, Missouri.

[00:05:21] So congratulations to all those folks at the World Chef Championship.

[00:05:24] And I saw one of our other friends, Erica Blue Smoke Blair was at the World Food Championships.

[00:05:28] I think she was involved in some of the judging there.

[00:05:31] Get more details at worldfoodchampionships.com or listen to our interview with Mike McLeod, our founder.

[00:05:38] He gives you all the details on the backstory and the history and what you can expect if you go to an event.

[00:05:44] And they'll have another big one coming up next year in 2025.

[00:05:47] Some other news that we're checking out here lately, the Smoke Sheet always shares good stuff.

[00:05:53] And our friends there have shared their guide to barbecue gifts for the holiday season.

[00:05:59] In fact, Bree Via from Smoke and Magic Competition Barbecue Team, she prepared this week's article.

[00:06:05] It's got tips and gift ideas.

[00:06:07] And some of those ideas are a little bit outside the box.

[00:06:10] So maybe something new out there if you're looking for barbecue gift ideas.

[00:06:13] And the Smoke Sheet also has a really great looking chili recipe in this week's edition and a link to Offset Smoker 101 video.

[00:06:22] I know a lot of folks out there may have some familiarity out there, but if you're new to the game, check out that link, Offset Smoker 101.

[00:06:29] Again, that's all on the Smoke Sheet.

[00:06:32] Oh, Smoke Sheet.

[00:06:34] Those guys do a great job there with the Smoke Sheet.

[00:06:39] You can get that at BBQNewsletter.substack.com.

[00:06:44] You might find some of their information helpful.

[00:06:46] And hey, if you want to write about barbecue and what's going on in your part of the barbecue world, just reach out to the team there at the Smoke Sheet.

[00:06:53] They accept guest articles and even featured yours truly not too long ago.

[00:06:58] Another newsletter we like to keep our eye on is Barbecue Bros.

[00:07:02] In fact, we've had Monk here on the episode here not too long ago of the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:07:07] Most recently, the Barbecue Bros asked, can a Nashville honky tonk have true cue?

[00:07:14] That's a good question.

[00:07:15] So Speedy and Monk go and review Rodney Scott's Whole Hog Barbecue at Chiefs.

[00:07:21] You folks may know that Chiefs is owned by Eric Church.

[00:07:26] That's his joint there on Broadway.

[00:07:28] And of course, folks from the Carolinas probably also know Eric Church, a native of this area.

[00:07:32] In fact, Granite Falls, north of where I am here in the Hickory Metro.

[00:07:36] So Speedy and Monk go and give their review of Rodney Scott's Whole Hog.

[00:07:41] And the Barbecue Bros give all the details as well as their final hog rating.

[00:07:46] I won't reveal it.

[00:07:47] Go check it out.

[00:07:48] They have the mouthwatering story there.

[00:07:50] That's at BarbecueBros.co.

[00:07:53] Speaking of Rodney Scott's, Rodney Scott partnered with the Penn Hockus Restaurant Group to open a location in Homewood, Alabama a while back.

[00:08:01] And now that location in conjunction with Weber has held a cookout for the Carolinas.

[00:08:07] That happened November 10th in Homewood.

[00:08:10] So excited to see Rodney Scott kind of work to help prepare, support some of those folks in the Carolinas.

[00:08:15] Here in the Hickory Metro last night, the Cranford Brothers Barbecue hosted a hurricane relief dinner.

[00:08:21] And that brought together more than a dozen chefs.

[00:08:24] They raised $50,000 or more for the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Foundation for the North Carolina hospitality workers.

[00:08:34] So that's supporting folks affected in the food and services industry by Hurricane Helene.

[00:08:39] So it's great to see some local folks continuing those relief efforts.

[00:08:43] And actually, Cranford Brothers Hospitality donated the location, the beverages, a whole bunch of food and other stuff really helped make all this a great success and raise some money where it's really needed.

[00:08:55] So congratulations to those guys.

[00:08:56] If you were able to go to that event, congratulations to you.

[00:08:59] And thanks to everybody who's still supporting the relief efforts.

[00:09:03] Is there much needed Kingsford, Kingsford Charcoal?

[00:09:06] They're also providing relief efforts and supporting some meals for folks in need.

[00:09:11] In fact, our friend Ron Simmons from Master Blend Family Farms was out and about and helping the Man of Food Bank in Asheville deliver some meals for volunteers

[00:09:21] and some of the teams that are supporting efforts following the Hurricane Helene disaster.

[00:09:26] And you folks may remember we had a great interview with Ben from Ben's Backdraft.

[00:09:31] He's one of the firefighters who's still up in the Waynesville area that's providing food services and really trying to provide barbecue and support his own business right now.

[00:09:40] But he tells some great stories in our podcast about some of the relief and recovery efforts that happened during Hurricane Helene, and they're still ongoing.

[00:09:50] So thanks to everybody who's supporting that.

[00:09:53] Some other barbecue news from the Hickory Metro.

[00:09:56] A lot is going on in the Hickory barbecue world.

[00:09:59] There's a new contender in town.

[00:10:01] Jim and Nick's Barbecue has just opened up on Highway 70 near the Interstate Convention and Visitors Bureau and a lot of hotels in that area.

[00:10:10] So they've hit kind of a hot spot.

[00:10:12] It turns out they're actually just down the road from one of my favorites, Hughes Q.

[00:10:16] So it'll be curious to see how Jim and Nick's affects Hughes Q business.

[00:10:21] There are definitely a couple of different operations.

[00:10:23] Hughes Q is a little bit, you know, small time local barbecue joint.

[00:10:28] And definitely Jim and Nick's is more of the chain environment.

[00:10:32] In fact, they've got 53 locations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida.

[00:10:38] Again, they've just opened here in the Hickory Metro chain actually started in 1985 in Claremont Avenue in Birmingham, my hometown, kind of in the Lakeview district.

[00:10:48] I can remember going there for many years and they've had a lot of success over these many years.

[00:10:53] And I'll tell you, I'm going to withhold any opinions.

[00:10:56] Am I going to let you know what I think about Jim and Nick's yet?

[00:10:59] I'm going to go try their location here in Hickory before we start talking about what I think about it.

[00:11:04] But they've had a lot of success for many years, in fact, since 1985.

[00:11:07] So now they've got a new location here in the Hickory Metro.

[00:11:11] If you're there, check it out.

[00:11:13] Thanksgiving, of course, is quickly approaching.

[00:11:15] So it's time to get those orders in.

[00:11:17] I've been seeing a lot in that kind of thing in my Instagram feed.

[00:11:21] A lot of our favorite barbecue joints have pre-orders and you've got to get in there and get them in advance.

[00:11:28] Folks, save yourself some hassle.

[00:11:30] You don't want to deal with it on Thanksgiving and ensure yourself you're going to get a good turkey.

[00:11:35] If you let Keith Hennings at Black Powder cook it for you or Adam Dula at Apple City Barbecue or Mike Stansel at Little Pigs,

[00:11:43] you know, just make sure you get your order in soon.

[00:11:45] Most of these folks have deadlines that are approaching quickly here in the middle part of November.

[00:11:49] So try to catch them for Thanksgiving.

[00:11:51] If you don't get them for Thanksgiving, catch them for Christmas.

[00:11:54] You'll definitely be glad you did.

[00:11:56] You like turkey.

[00:11:57] You'll love this smoked turkey that a lot of these barbecue guys put out there into the world.

[00:12:03] Hey, quick listener shout out.

[00:12:05] I want to say thank you to Clint and David in Denton, Texas.

[00:12:09] I know these guys are avid smokers and avid listeners to the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:12:14] So thanks you guys so much for listening to our podcast and for sharing it with your friends.

[00:12:19] In fact, some of those friends are my sister and her family.

[00:12:22] And they were visiting from Denton, Texas over the past weekend.

[00:12:26] And, you know, while they were here, naturally I smoked up a pork shoulder and made some Lexington sauce and Lexington slaw for them.

[00:12:33] I mean, I felt like this is one of my best pork performances in many years.

[00:12:37] I smoked it 12 hours in my Weber Smoky Mountain over cherry and apple wood.

[00:12:42] I used some Rufus Teague spicy rub on the outside of it, man.

[00:12:47] And it was super moist.

[00:12:49] It really held a lot of moisture.

[00:12:50] Super tender.

[00:12:51] Very good.

[00:12:52] Serve it up to everybody just like we like it with the homemade sauce and slaw.

[00:12:57] And here are these Texas people looking at it.

[00:13:02] Well, they were polite.

[00:13:03] I'll just say that.

[00:13:04] They didn't have anything else much more to say that.

[00:13:06] They didn't say they didn't like it.

[00:13:08] I got to think they like it.

[00:13:10] I liked it.

[00:13:11] My family liked it.

[00:13:12] All the Carolina people liked it.

[00:13:14] Not sure how the Texas folk liked it.

[00:13:17] I think they probably liked it.

[00:13:18] Surely, surely they liked it.

[00:13:19] But thanks to Clint and David.

[00:13:22] Appreciate you guys listening.

[00:13:24] I got some stickers.

[00:13:25] I sent them back with my sister and her family.

[00:13:28] Make sure you get those stickers.

[00:13:30] And please stick them somewhere.

[00:13:32] People will see them.

[00:13:33] And again, invite your friends to listen to the podcast.

[00:13:36] Speaking of stickers, you can send us an email at the show and share details about your favorite Carolina barbecue experience.

[00:13:44] And I'll send you a sticker as well.

[00:13:46] You can do that to lowandslowbarbecueshowatgmail.com.

[00:13:51] It's all spelled out.

[00:13:52] Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:13:54] In fact, that's where Andy Knight connected with the show.

[00:13:57] Andy sent me an email this week.

[00:13:59] He says he's a displaced North Carolina barbecue connoisseur without a place to get the good stuff in his home.

[00:14:06] And that's somewhere up in Virginia.

[00:14:08] And actually, Andy's coming to North Carolina with a group of volunteers from Samaritan's Purse.

[00:14:14] And they're going to help in recovery efforts following Hurricane Helena.

[00:14:18] Again, big thanks to you guys, all the people from Samaritan's Purse and Andy and all the people volunteering for that.

[00:14:24] So Andy emailed me.

[00:14:25] He asked my recommendations for restaurants between his place in Virginia and in Asheville.

[00:14:30] And you know I was happy to help him out.

[00:14:32] So now it sounds like Andy is going to be making a stop at J.D.'s Smokehouse in Conley Springs.

[00:14:38] Got to hit there Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

[00:14:40] It's a weekend tradition there for J.D.'s.

[00:14:43] He's also going to probably hit Boulevard Barbecue in Morganton maybe on the return trip.

[00:14:48] Love Boulevard Barbecue.

[00:14:49] He's going to hit some other places around Asheville.

[00:14:51] I shared some suggestions for him.

[00:14:54] He says he was happy to get those.

[00:14:56] He also says he has become a big fan of one of our other friends, Ken Hess, at County Smoke in Lynchburg, Virginia.

[00:15:03] So thanks, Andy, for listening.

[00:15:05] Thanks for writing.

[00:15:06] And thanks for requesting some advice and letting us know you've made that connection to County Smoke.

[00:15:12] It's really cool to kind of make those connections between all the barbecue folks in our community.

[00:15:17] So thank you for listening and for emailing and for all you folks listening.

[00:15:21] Don't hesitate to email the show with your questions, your advice, your recommendations.

[00:15:27] That's lowandslowbarbecueshow at gmail.com.

[00:15:30] All right.

[00:15:30] Quickly, got a recipe.

[00:15:32] I'm going to give that to you here and then wrap it up for this week's episode.

[00:15:36] Things have been kind of crazy here for the old chigger here at the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:15:40] High school football season is here.

[00:15:43] Maybe you've shared.

[00:15:44] I get to broadcast that on Friday night.

[00:15:47] Check us out if you're in the Hickory Metro.

[00:15:48] It's on WNNC 101.3 WNNC.

[00:15:53] Or you can check it out at mytotalradio.com or wnncradio.com on Friday nights.

[00:15:59] And we'll be following the Hickory Metro teams as long as they're staying alive in high school football.

[00:16:04] One of those things we love to do.

[00:16:06] Something that's really true and pure about life in the Carolinas, just like our barbecue.

[00:16:11] And nobody knows barbecue in the Carolinas quite like Matthew Register.

[00:16:15] Of course, he's a pit master at Southern Smoke Barbecue in Garland.

[00:16:19] His book, Southern Smoke, was published in May 19.

[00:16:23] That's May 2019.

[00:16:25] Great cookbook.

[00:16:26] And you can find Southern Smoke Barbecue and Matthew on Instagram.

[00:16:30] And you can get his book on Amazon or wherever you like to buy your books.

[00:16:34] I encourage you to do that.

[00:16:36] That's where you're going to find the collard green chowder recipe.

[00:16:39] Matthew actually shared it with us during our podcast.

[00:16:42] And you can find it on the blog at the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:16:45] Just look for Southern Smoke BBQ and collard green chowder.

[00:16:50] And I've got the recipe for you right now.

[00:16:53] So stay tuned.

[00:16:54] This recipe serves eight.

[00:16:55] It takes about an hour and 40 minutes to cook it.

[00:16:58] Your ingredients.

[00:17:00] And of course, I'll have these all on the blog.

[00:17:02] And they're there at the blog already.

[00:17:03] But I'll give them to you anyway.

[00:17:05] You're looking for two and a half pounds of collard greens, coarsely chopped.

[00:17:09] A tablespoon of kosher salt.

[00:17:11] Eight ounces of country ham, coarsely chopped.

[00:17:14] Might be about a cup and a half.

[00:17:16] One large sweet onion, finely chopped.

[00:17:19] About two cups.

[00:17:21] Two tablespoons of salted butter.

[00:17:23] One teaspoon of ground turmeric.

[00:17:25] Two medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced.

[00:17:29] That'll be about two and a half cup of those russet potatoes.

[00:17:33] One cup of heavy cream.

[00:17:34] And a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

[00:17:37] So those are your ingredients for your collard green chowder recipe.

[00:17:41] Here's your steps.

[00:17:42] First, combine the collard greens, the salt, and six cups of cold water in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.

[00:17:50] You want to bring that to a boil.

[00:17:52] Lower the heat.

[00:17:53] Simmer.

[00:17:54] Stir occasionally.

[00:17:55] You're going to do that until the greens are tender but not mushy.

[00:17:59] About 50 or 60 minutes.

[00:18:01] You know greens.

[00:18:02] If you cook greens, about that point, they'll be ready.

[00:18:05] Drain.

[00:18:06] You're going to save that pot liquor and set the greens and the pot liquor aside.

[00:18:11] Now rinse out your pot.

[00:18:12] Return it to medium heat.

[00:18:15] Add the ham and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the fat begins to render and the edges begin to brown.

[00:18:22] That'll be three to five minutes.

[00:18:24] Add the onion and the butter and cook.

[00:18:26] Stir frequently until the onion is translucent.

[00:18:30] About another four to six minutes.

[00:18:31] Stir in the turmeric and then add three cups of the reserved pot liquor and the potatoes.

[00:18:37] Bring that to a simmer and cook until those potatoes are tender.

[00:18:41] About four to six more minutes.

[00:18:43] Now you're going to stir in three cups of the reserved greens, your heavy cream, and your black pepper.

[00:18:49] Bring all that to a simmer and cook until those greens are tender and heated through.

[00:18:54] Probably another six to eight minutes.

[00:18:56] Then serve it up while it's hot.

[00:18:58] Again, that's Matthew Register's recipe for collard green chowder.

[00:19:03] And again, while the temperatures are cooling off here in the Carolinas, this will be a great cool weather recipe for the fall.

[00:19:10] We'll certainly warm you up and right around collard season time.

[00:19:14] That, my friends, is the lowdown for this week's episode.

[00:19:17] So, you've been listening to the Low and Slow Barbecue Show on the Mesh.TV network of podcasts.

[00:19:23] Visit us online at LowSlowBBQShow.com.

[00:19:26] Again, you find the blog as well as our other podcasts.

[00:19:29] If you like what you hear in the Low and Slow Barbecue Show, be sure to give us a five-star rating in your favorite podcast network.

[00:19:36] That helps other people find our podcast.

[00:19:38] So, to sharing it with your barbecue friends like Clint and David do out in Denton, Texas.

[00:19:43] Please share it with us.

[00:19:45] Share the podcast with your friends as well.

[00:19:47] Hey, also find us at YouTube.

[00:19:49] And you can subscribe there and see all the action of our podcast.

[00:19:53] I'm not sure you want to see me or whatever it is I got going on here in the Low and Slow Barbecue Show studio.

[00:19:59] But you can.

[00:20:00] You can see that on YouTube.

[00:20:01] And I'll tell you, coming up in December, we've got some exciting stuff coming.

[00:20:05] Maybe a barbecue blind taste test.

[00:20:07] Maybe another couple of podcast crossovers.

[00:20:10] We're going to have all that up on YouTube.

[00:20:12] So, look for it there.

[00:20:13] Subscribe.

[00:20:13] We'll push it to you as soon as something new comes out.

[00:20:16] And, of course, if you subscribe to the Lowdown newsletter, we'll send you all the latest podcasts, the blogs, recipes, or barbecue events.

[00:20:24] All that and more right into your email inbox on Tuesday mornings.

[00:20:29] Special thanks to our producer, Andrew Moose, and the whole team at the Mesh.TV Network of Podcasts.

[00:20:34] Most especially, thank you for listening to the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:20:39] Remember, for the best barbecue and the best barbecue podcast, make it low and slow.

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