First stop on our North Carolina trip was at Red Bridges Barbeque Lodge in Shelby, NC.
I had what is simply called the BBQ Plate. This consists of chopped pork shoulder, beans, fries, hush puppies, and BBQ slaw. The only other bbq choice was chopped chicken, but I couldn't get the GF to give it a go. She instead opted for the deviled egg sandwich with fries, and said it was very good. Looked a lot like egg salad to me, and was made with mayo, and not a drop of mustard. If you don't like mustard, this would work for you. I do like mustard, and it didn't work for me. But then again I didn't come to try the egg salad either.
​​​​​​The bbq plate, at $11 was good sized pile of food, and more than I could finish comfortably, so needless to say, I was a little uncomfortable when we left.
The meat is your choice of either sliced or chopped pork shoulder, and it is very good. It didn't knock my socks off, but I was by no means disappointed. The sauce at Bridges is an Eastern style vinegar sauce with a moderate kick of heat that blended well with the pork. The pork itself was nicely cooked, staying juicy and tender without being mushy. There was a bit of smoke flavor in the bark, but sadly my order didn't come with much bark. If I were to stop again, I think I would try it with the sliced pork instead of the chopped. The sides were a mixed bag of very good, okay, and what the hell is that?. The hush puppies and the fries were very good. Crispy, properly cooked, and very tasty. The hush puppies also had a little kick of sweetness that I thought worked well. The beans were just okay. There was nothing wrong with them, but nothing that made them stand out either. The BBQ slaw on the other hand was interesting to say the least. If you take a finely chopped vinegar based coleslaw, add some more vinegar, and then mix in a vinegar based sauce with it, you get the BBQ slaw at Bridges. If you enjoy crunchy, vinegar sour bombs, you're going to love this stuff. I stopped at 2 bites simply because the first one was such a surprise, it had to be confirmed with a second.
We got our desert to go, and it was an easy choice since it was the only choice. The banana pudding at Bridges is a very good, homemade treat that I recommend. When you combine the quality of the food, the fast and friendly service, and a good desert, Red Bridges Barbeque is definitely a winner, and a fine way to kick off our trip.
I had what is simply called the BBQ Plate. This consists of chopped pork shoulder, beans, fries, hush puppies, and BBQ slaw. The only other bbq choice was chopped chicken, but I couldn't get the GF to give it a go. She instead opted for the deviled egg sandwich with fries, and said it was very good. Looked a lot like egg salad to me, and was made with mayo, and not a drop of mustard. If you don't like mustard, this would work for you. I do like mustard, and it didn't work for me. But then again I didn't come to try the egg salad either.
​​​​​​The bbq plate, at $11 was good sized pile of food, and more than I could finish comfortably, so needless to say, I was a little uncomfortable when we left.
The meat is your choice of either sliced or chopped pork shoulder, and it is very good. It didn't knock my socks off, but I was by no means disappointed. The sauce at Bridges is an Eastern style vinegar sauce with a moderate kick of heat that blended well with the pork. The pork itself was nicely cooked, staying juicy and tender without being mushy. There was a bit of smoke flavor in the bark, but sadly my order didn't come with much bark. If I were to stop again, I think I would try it with the sliced pork instead of the chopped. The sides were a mixed bag of very good, okay, and what the hell is that?. The hush puppies and the fries were very good. Crispy, properly cooked, and very tasty. The hush puppies also had a little kick of sweetness that I thought worked well. The beans were just okay. There was nothing wrong with them, but nothing that made them stand out either. The BBQ slaw on the other hand was interesting to say the least. If you take a finely chopped vinegar based coleslaw, add some more vinegar, and then mix in a vinegar based sauce with it, you get the BBQ slaw at Bridges. If you enjoy crunchy, vinegar sour bombs, you're going to love this stuff. I stopped at 2 bites simply because the first one was such a surprise, it had to be confirmed with a second.
We got our desert to go, and it was an easy choice since it was the only choice. The banana pudding at Bridges is a very good, homemade treat that I recommend. When you combine the quality of the food, the fast and friendly service, and a good desert, Red Bridges Barbeque is definitely a winner, and a fine way to kick off our trip.
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