Little Pig’s Barbecue, Cranford Brothers & Barbecue Landmarks Rebound

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

[00:00:13] Barbecue reviews are on the menu, as well as some of the top news stories and upcoming events that are on our barbecue radar.

[00:00:21] Welcome to the Low & Slow Barbecue Show. I'm Chigger Willard. Thanks for joining us for episode number 61.

[00:00:28] Today we're going to be talking about some of my visits to Little Pigs Barbecue in Newton, as well as Cranford Brothers Barbecue in Hickory.

[00:00:35] And Cranford Brothers has got a cool event coming up November 13th that's benefiting people working in the hospitality industry that have been affected by Hurricane Helene.

[00:00:44] So we've got details about that. And today we're also going to talk about some big fires that closed a couple of historic barbecue locations in the Carolinas.

[00:00:52] Of course, we're going to highlight how they quickly recovered from that.

[00:00:55] And also today we're celebrating the Southern Barbecue Network Invitational Grand Champions.

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[00:01:24] While you're at LowSlowBBQShow.com, be sure to look around, find our conversations with pit masters.

[00:01:30] We've got details and interviews with barbecue event organizers, as well as some barbecue reviews like today's stops on our Low and Slow Barbecue Show Barbecue Journey.

[00:01:41] First stop, Little Pigs Barbecue in Newton, North Carolina.

[00:01:45] Now it's located on North Main Avenue in Newton.

[00:01:48] It's open from 1030 to 2 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

[00:01:53] They're open 1030 to 530 on Thursdays and Fridays.

[00:01:57] So you've got a little bit of a chance to get an evening meal towards the weekend.

[00:02:00] And if you do that, you might be able to catch out the Newton Con over Red Devils playing basketball or football.

[00:02:05] They're just a couple of blocks away from Little Pigs there on North Main Avenue in Newton.

[00:02:09] Now, when you drive up to the location, you can't help but smell the hints of hardwood smoke that is wafting in the air outside.

[00:02:17] You know something good is going to be going on in there when you can smell the wood cooking.

[00:02:23] And they describe themselves as a hole in the wall barbecue business.

[00:02:26] And I'll tell you, they've been feeding people for generations around the Newton area.

[00:02:30] Full disclosure, I've been a Little Pigs patron probably for 20 years.

[00:02:35] It was a favorite lunch stop for me when I was making newspapers over in that Newton area.

[00:02:40] It's still a popular midday meal place for many of the folks that work around Newton and Con over in that part of the Hickory Metro of Catawba County.

[00:02:48] In fact, when I was there, I saw some familiar faces from back in the days in Newton.

[00:02:52] I also tell you that Little Pigs has catered most of the holiday meals that we had over that decade or so working at the newspaper plant,

[00:02:59] man, the smoked turkey and the sides that that team put together.

[00:03:02] They're always great for a holiday meal, whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas.

[00:03:06] But I'll tell you, it's been probably eight or ten years since I've been over to Little Pigs.

[00:03:09] And I finally got the chance to make the trip here this past week.

[00:03:13] And I'll tell you, nothing has changed except maybe a fresh coat of paint.

[00:03:17] You know, they've got some new seat covers, some upgraded signs around the building.

[00:03:21] But otherwise, it's the same great smoked meat that I've always come to expect from Mike Stansel and his team.

[00:03:27] And I'll tell you, a lot of those same people that were there 10 or so years ago, the last time I was there, they're still working there.

[00:03:34] So, you know, they're doing something good to kind of keep a tradition together at Little Pigs Barbecue.

[00:03:39] I'll confess, Mike and I kind of went head to head in newspaper world trying to pick the high school and college football games.

[00:03:45] And Mike never really could pick them as quite as good as I could.

[00:03:49] But we had a good time with that.

[00:03:51] And Little Pigs Barbecue is an important part of the barbecue environment here in Catawba County.

[00:03:57] So I definitely recommend it if you're in eastern Catawba County.

[00:04:00] Now, my order for the visit, I got a large chicken plate.

[00:04:04] It comes with two thighs, sweet white slaw and hush puppies.

[00:04:08] I also bought pork sliders.

[00:04:11] So those are pork with a little bit of sauce and some vinegar slaw on that, a couple of different kinds of slaw I got to taste.

[00:04:18] And let me tell you that Little Pigs sauce is one of a kind.

[00:04:21] It's not eastern.

[00:04:22] It's not Lexington.

[00:04:23] It's not western.

[00:04:24] It's just good.

[00:04:26] It's kind of like what they're serving up at Shelby Barbecue at Red Bridges.

[00:04:30] It's kind of a Shelby sauce, but different.

[00:04:32] And I mentioned getting the chicken.

[00:04:34] And if you know, you know, that's one thing you always want to get at Little Pigs.

[00:04:38] Their smoked chicken thighs are fantastic.

[00:04:41] The pork's good, but I confess I really haven't had any of the ribs or the pork shoulder or any of that other stuff.

[00:04:48] I had the chopped pork, but I always go for the chicken.

[00:04:50] I've had the turkey and it's on fire for the holiday meals.

[00:04:54] But I'm telling you, the smoked chicken thighs are where it's at.

[00:04:57] That's always tender.

[00:04:58] It's always moist, always full of a great smoky flavor.

[00:05:02] One more note, Little Pigs has Brunswick stew on the menu so that you know that Little Pigs is legit Carolina barbecue.

[00:05:10] You can check out some of the pictures at my Instagram account at low and slow barbecue show.

[00:05:14] I got some pictures there from Little Pigs.

[00:05:16] You can see what I ate a little bit about the environment there at the restaurant.

[00:05:20] It's a cool spot to visit.

[00:05:22] On to another review.

[00:05:23] I haven't posted pictures on the Instagram site for this one yet, but I took the family over to Cranford Brothers barbecue in Hickory over the weekend.

[00:05:30] We had a real nice experience.

[00:05:33] I got the Lone Star sandwich and I'll tell you that's brisket burn-ins with caramelized onions, jalapenos, and brie on a submarine roll.

[00:05:43] Man, it was really good.

[00:05:44] It's kind of outside the box for me when I go to a barbecue restaurant, but I was looking for something different on this particular visit.

[00:05:51] You know, a lot of folks say that all that sauce to onions and the candied jalapenos and the cheese, all that hides mistakes in the meat.

[00:05:58] And they're probably not wrong, but at Cranford Brothers, I'll tell you all that stuff together on the Lone Star really made for a nice sandwich is a great value for the amount of food that we got there.

[00:06:08] So I took my dad and wife and our two boys.

[00:06:10] We took them to Cranford Brothers and my dad, he got the turkey and the brisket with collards on the side.

[00:06:15] And the turkey's good. It has good flavor. And that's what I always tell people, get the turkey.

[00:06:21] My dad's brisket was, it had good flavor, but I tell you, there's probably a little too much fat in that piece of meat that he was sliced.

[00:06:28] So that would be my one kind of my detractor there.

[00:06:31] My wife got a turkey sandwich as well. She was pleased again.

[00:06:35] Like I said, my advice, you can't go wrong with the turkey at Cranford Brothers barbecue.

[00:06:39] Also got the sweet potato casserole. It was a really solid performance as far as their sides go.

[00:06:44] And I didn't need the collards. It has to be a special occasion for me to try the collards.

[00:06:48] Palmyra barbecue in Charleston, definitely a special occasions for collards.

[00:06:53] Wasn't really into it at Cranford. So I skipped that.

[00:06:56] Now we actually hit Cranford Brothers just before the Sunday afternoon dinner rush.

[00:07:01] And the place was pretty empty at the time we were there, but there were plenty of people over at the CityWalk Brewery,

[00:07:06] which in case you didn't know, it's right next door. It joins the building in the same barbecue restaurant.

[00:07:10] You can get a beer inside the barbecue restaurant from CityWalk Brewery.

[00:07:15] I like the Fallen Arches beer and it's named for Hickory's infamous Fallen Arches.

[00:07:20] If you don't know anything about our Fallen Arches in Hickory, go look it up or email me.

[00:07:24] I've got some great pictures from the scene of the accident.

[00:07:29] Back to Cranford Brothers. Their breakfast joint is in the same building.

[00:07:33] So it's breakfast, it's barbecue, it's beer all in one spot.

[00:07:36] They call it the Old Pawn Shop.

[00:07:37] That breakfast joint's main chick jam and biscuits.

[00:07:41] And they're now open and busy most mornings.

[00:07:43] I confess I haven't been there yet, but I hear and I see good things on Instagram.

[00:07:47] So it's got to be good like a lot of the other stuff that Cranford Hospitality does.

[00:07:52] So just to give you a heads up, Cranford Brother Barbecue located on Main Avenue, Northeastern Hickory.

[00:07:57] And right now they're still operating on a dinner service only schedule.

[00:08:01] That starts each day about three in the afternoon.

[00:08:03] And they did that because back after Hurricane Helene,

[00:08:07] they dedicated their lunch service to providing food and some of those relief efforts.

[00:08:10] Following the hurricane, they've kept up that schedule.

[00:08:13] So that gives them a break between some of the businesses and also gives them help to do.

[00:08:17] It gives them a chance to do some other sort of help around the community.

[00:08:20] And speaking of that, Cranford Brothers has got a really cool event.

[00:08:24] It's going to be coming up Wednesday, November the 13th.

[00:08:27] There's going to be 12 chefs participating in a hurricane relief dinner.

[00:08:32] Again, that's going to benefit the North Carolina Hospitality Workers Relief Fund.

[00:08:37] I believe that's by the North Carolina Restaurant and Leisure Association.

[00:08:41] So again, it's benefiting the North Carolina Hospitality Workers Relief Fund.

[00:08:45] And it's a big dinner at Cranford Brothers Barbecue going on from 5 p.m. till 930.

[00:08:51] The stuff you get will include a cocktail reception at City Walk Brewing, as I was mentioning.

[00:08:55] You also get a five course dinner with beverage pairings from Cranford Brothers.

[00:09:00] They also have a distillery there.

[00:09:01] So they're making some gin and vodka, whiskey as well.

[00:09:05] So the five course dinner will have beverage pairings.

[00:09:07] Maybe it's beer.

[00:09:08] Maybe it's a hard liquor.

[00:09:10] You'll finally you'll get dessert and there'll be a nightcap probably involving one of those hard liquors.

[00:09:14] There'll be a silent auction there as well.

[00:09:17] All that part of the big hurricane relief dinner, November the 13th.

[00:09:20] Cranford is hosting and Cranford Hospitality is donating all the food and beverage supplies and the venue so that 100% of the funds that will be raised can all go towards some of those relief efforts for North Carolina hospitality workers.

[00:09:37] Tickets are $200 each.

[00:09:39] And I'll just give you a quick rundown of some of the chefs that will be at the event.

[00:09:42] I mentioned there's 12.

[00:09:43] I won't give them all of you.

[00:09:44] But Benjamin Sullivan's there from Cranford Hospitality and Cranford Brothers Barbecue.

[00:09:48] We had him here on the show.

[00:09:50] Go check out his interview on the Low and Slow Barbecue show.

[00:09:53] Jeremy Sollig from Cranford Hospitality will also be there.

[00:09:57] Rick Doher from Table Nomad.

[00:09:59] Calvin Reyes from North Hickory Market.

[00:10:02] Joyce Boston from JB's Rolling Bistro.

[00:10:05] And a lot of these places are around the Hickory Metro area.

[00:10:07] So folks will be familiar with them and it'll be a great opportunity to come out and see all 12 of them and get a five course meal.

[00:10:14] And like I said, the appetizer, the nightcap.

[00:10:16] Zach Harkins from Hatch Sandwich Shop is going to be there.

[00:10:19] Tucker Bell from Home Fair Catering.

[00:10:22] Several more.

[00:10:22] Sam Moore from Wentworth and Finn.

[00:10:24] A lot of familiar names around this area.

[00:10:26] So check those guys out.

[00:10:27] You can get more information at Cranford Brothers Barbecue.

[00:10:31] Just check out the Cranford Hospitality Hurricane Relief Fund to get some more details.

[00:10:37] Now, let's get to some more of the barbecue news.

[00:10:40] And I told you in the lead off that there's been a couple of October fires that burn some familiar Carolina barbecue destinations.

[00:10:47] It's kind of ironic.

[00:10:48] Folks with kids probably know that October is fire prevention month from Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over the bucket and starting that fire in Chicago years ago.

[00:10:57] That may or may not be completely true, but it is definitely fire prevention month.

[00:11:02] And so there were a couple of big fires that burned Carolina barbecue destinations.

[00:11:05] First in Shelby, it was Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge.

[00:11:09] 78 years serving citizens around Shelby and beyond.

[00:11:13] It caught fire October the 25th.

[00:11:15] About $30,000 in damages.

[00:11:18] All of that was contained into the pits area.

[00:11:21] It turns out a cook that works at the business is also a firefighter.

[00:11:24] Help prevent that fire from spreading even further through the rest of the business.

[00:11:28] So again, it was contained to $30,000 in damage in the pit area.

[00:11:32] They're renovating it and trying to get it worked out and then repaired so they can get back serving inside soon.

[00:11:37] But I can tell you that Bridges Barbecue was back up and running just a few days later.

[00:11:43] Fire happened the 25th.

[00:11:44] They're up and serving on October 30th.

[00:11:47] And right now they're open from 11 until 7, Wednesday through Saturday and 11 until 3 on Sunday.

[00:11:53] And if you know Red Bridges Barbecue, they're kind of on the main bypass there in the Shelby area.

[00:11:59] They're still at the location, but the setup's a little bit different.

[00:12:02] They got portable smokers cooking the meat.

[00:12:04] And it's, although it's portable smokers, don't worry.

[00:12:08] Same barbecue, same recipe, same people, same sauce, all the same folks that have been doing it nearly 80 years.

[00:12:13] So you know, you're getting good stuff there.

[00:12:15] And one of the things they've noted kind of on their social media as they're kind of in this temporary setup is that they say they're going to cook as much as they can.

[00:12:22] But remember, once it's gone, it is gone.

[00:12:24] So again, Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until it's gone or Sunday from 11 a.m. until it's gone, 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. on Sunday.

[00:12:33] So they thank everybody for your support during this difficult time.

[00:12:37] Now, a little bit of secret sauce behind Shelby and Red Bridges Barbecue.

[00:12:41] The founders of the restaurant, that was Elmer Red Bridges and his wife Little Bridges.

[00:12:46] They developed a style of North Carolina barbecue slaw and sauce that was all their own.

[00:12:50] They call it the Shelby style.

[00:12:52] It's kind of a cross between Western and Eastern styles with a ketchup vinegar base.

[00:12:57] I mentioned that's kind of how Little Pigs does it.

[00:12:58] I think Little Pigs got a little more kick than what they've got in the Red Bridges stuff.

[00:13:02] But that's how they came up with their unique Shelby style sauce.

[00:13:06] And Little Bridges is considered to be the first woman barbecue entrepreneur in North Carolina.

[00:13:11] And she, quote, perfected the recipes that have made the restaurant a national standard for pork barbecue.

[00:13:17] That was from her barbecue hall of fame nomination when she was announced as a selection there.

[00:13:22] So again, they've recovered and they're serving again and trying to repair things at Red Bridges Barbecue in Shelby.

[00:13:28] A couple of days after that fire at Bridges Barbecue, another one destroyed the headquarters for Maurice's Piggy Park in West Columbia.

[00:13:37] That was on October the 27th.

[00:13:39] And you may know that Maurice's has been on that site in West Columbia since 1953.

[00:13:44] It's always been instrumental, at least since 1992, in preparing meats and sods that are served at that chain's eight locations all around Columbia and Lexington, South Carolina.

[00:13:55] So with the fire, they were not able to serve any of that food.

[00:13:59] And fortunately, the restaurants right across the street from the district, excuse me, they've got a restaurant right across the street from the distribution center that was not damaged.

[00:14:08] And a week after the fire, although the distribution center and the main headquarters, the operating offices, the administrative space, all that was burned with the restaurant across the street still operational.

[00:14:19] That restaurant has reopened. It's serving customers that's on Charleston highway.

[00:14:24] And they've also got locations in Irmo and Devon street that have all reopened now.

[00:14:28] So they're still producing meat and they're doing it like Bridges and some portable smokers.

[00:14:34] They've also rented out an additional kitchen space that's supporting preparation for those restaurants.

[00:14:41] Again, you know, the primary headquarters and a lot of that prep space was destroyed in the fire that they've been working at that site since 1953.

[00:14:49] But good news, they're up and serving.

[00:14:51] And of the eight locations, three are back in operational.

[00:14:54] Look for those guys to try to get everything back online real soon.

[00:14:58] Let's smoke up some good news for a quick minute.

[00:15:00] Shaw's Barbecue in Williamston is going to be on America's Best Restaurants.

[00:15:05] Williamston, if you don't know, is about 40 minutes northeast of Greenville, North Carolina.

[00:15:10] And Shaw's Barbecue serves eastern North Carolina barbecue, of course.

[00:15:14] And that episode of America's Best Restaurants is expected to air around Christmas on the Food Network.

[00:15:20] Shaw's Barbecue recently supported hurricane relief efforts in western North Carolina as well.

[00:15:25] They fed 1,500 pounds of barbecue to more than 1,000 people in the western part of our state.

[00:15:30] And Shaw says they're planning to be handing out turkeys in western North Carolina around Thanksgiving as well.

[00:15:36] More good news, Southern Barbecue Network's SBN Invitational happened during the weekend, November 1st and 2nd.

[00:15:43] Congratulations to Hey Good Buddy Barbecue.

[00:15:46] They won the grand championship.

[00:15:48] We're looking forward to having those guys on the podcast real soon.

[00:15:51] Just a couple more events for Southern Barbecue left in their event calendar for this year.

[00:15:56] First, November 8th and 9th for the Veterans Golfers Association Race of the Pines in Pinehurst.

[00:16:02] And then on November 15th and 16th is the Vicious Pig Barbecue Battle.

[00:16:07] And it's going to happen in the annual showdown hosted by Vicious Pigs Barbecue.

[00:16:11] It's going on in Stedman, North Carolina.

[00:16:14] That's about 15 minutes east of Fayetteville.

[00:16:16] That event also supports the Veterans Golf Association.

[00:16:20] For more details, just find Southern Barbecue Network online and look for the events.

[00:16:24] They've got all the information on those next couple of things coming up.

[00:16:28] One more event that's going on this weekend is the Big Holy Smokes Barbecue Festival in Charleston.

[00:16:34] This is the fourth year of the event.

[00:16:36] A ton of great pitmasters in that lineup, including a lot of friends of the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:16:42] Some of those guys include Holy City Hogs and Tank Jackson.

[00:16:45] He's also working with Lawrence's Seafood Company down on the low country coast.

[00:16:49] City Limits Barbecue and Robbie Robinson's going to be there.

[00:16:52] Elliot Moss from Buxton Hall.

[00:16:54] And now with his new project, Elliot's in Florence is going to be there.

[00:16:58] Matt Register from Southern Smoke.

[00:17:00] All these guys are going to be at Holy Smokes Barbecue Fest.

[00:17:02] There's more than 50 chefs all together that will be present, including others like Palmeira Barbecue,

[00:17:08] Wright's Barbecue from Arkansas, Big Bob Gibson from North Alabama.

[00:17:12] You know, he kind of perfected that white sauce in Alabama, Big Bob Gibson.

[00:17:16] So tickets are still available.

[00:17:18] If you're in the low country or you want to get there,

[00:17:24] HolySmokesCHS.com.

[00:17:25] That's HolySmokesCHS.com.

[00:17:28] $95 for general admission ticket.

[00:17:30] VIP all-inclusive is $250.

[00:17:34] That's going to be a great event.

[00:17:35] Again, you get taste from 50 chefs that are all going to be participating there in Charleston,

[00:17:40] November 8th and 9th.

[00:17:42] Another one of our favorite events is preparing for its fourth year as well.

[00:17:45] That's the Carolina Barbecue Festival set for April 4th and 5th.

[00:17:49] Again, it's going to be at Victoria Yards in Charlotte.

[00:17:52] So save that date.

[00:17:54] In case you didn't know, it's only 148 days away from the launch of this podcast.

[00:17:59] That's right.

[00:18:00] 148 days.

[00:18:01] So still got time to get tickets, but not much time.

[00:18:04] Sponsor and vendor applications are now open for the Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte.

[00:18:09] And you can get details at carolinabbqfest.org.

[00:18:12] Check those folks out.

[00:18:14] They're good friends of the podcast.

[00:18:15] We enjoy working with them every day.

[00:18:17] And while you're at carolinabbqfest.org, be sure to sign up for their festival newsletter.

[00:18:22] They just launched it recently.

[00:18:24] Not completely sure what it includes.

[00:18:26] I'll let you know as soon as I get my first newsletter edition in the mail.

[00:18:31] That, my friends, is the lowdown for this week's episode of the Low and Slow Barbecue Show.

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