Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Smoke Pit. Salisbury NC.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    The Smoke Pit. Salisbury NC.

    Our next stop was based on recommendations from our friends here in The Pit. The problem we face was no small one. We had just come from Granny's house, and being the fine Southern lady that she is, you could not go 15 minutes with getting the current inventory of food available, followed by the question, "Can I fix you something?"
    Despite not being hungry, we ordered enough food for four people, and rolled out of there fat and happy.

    Click image for larger version  Name:	PXL_20211005_224925429.MP.jpg Views:	22 Size:	2.17 MB ID:	1106624
    The term "a little dry" runs rampant in this review. It is entirely possible that the lack of moisture is a result of us showing up 90 minutes before closing. It is entirely possible that showing up closer to lunch would make all the difference in the world, so I can't hold that against them.

    Click image for larger version  Name:	PXL_20211005_232830330.jpg Views:	19 Size:	4.11 MB ID:	1106625
    ​​​​​​For meat we got brisket, burnt ends, spare ribs, and pulled chicken. For sides we went with white slaw, pit beans, potato salad, and hush puppies.

    We asked for a mix of flat and point brisket, but what showed up was four slices of flat. It was pretty good but on the dry side. My guess is the rub was a simple SPG, and that's fine by me. The smoke flavor was pronounced, and again, I was fine with it. The GF thought it had a little too much smoke, but she prefers a lighter smoke than I do.

    The ribs were a solid effort. Not the better the my best, but easily the equal to my average. The GF and I differed on the smoke level. She thought it was just right, I thought was a little light.

    The pulled chicken was nice and tender but like the brisket was a little drier than I would have liked. Sauce options were sweet, spicy, or Alabama white. I would have gone with the white, but the GF wasn't feeling that adventurous.

    The burnt ends were a little confusing. They were definitely not from the point end of a brisket. If I had to guess they were poor mans burnt ends made from chuck. This is not to say they were not tasty morsels of meat. The pieces has a nice thick bark on them and were sauced with a sweet tomato based sauce.

    The sides were all good examples of what they were. None really stood out, but all were enjoyable. All in all The Smoke Pit is a good place to fix a craving. But I strongly recommend waiting a day or two after you visit Granny.

    Edit: I forgot to mention that the service was top notch. Our waitress seemed to really enjoy her work, and that goes a long way to making a good dining experience.
    Last edited by willxfmr; October 7, 2021, 09:05 PM.

    #2
    Is it common to ask for a mix of point and flat in a BBQ place? And then not get it?

    How did the hush puppies compare to Reds? I figured if they are a NC special, then it would be interesting to see how they vary.

    You are a good and thoughtful reviewer!

    Comment


    • willxfmr
      willxfmr commented
      Editing a comment
      Thank you for your kind words.
      This was the first time we were asked if we had a preference, so I can't speak to "normal".
      Don't try to skip ahead! I'm planning a wrap up post that will have rankings of things we tried.

    • STEbbq
      STEbbq commented
      Editing a comment
      I typically avoid BBQ places, so that's helpful. I can't recall ever being asked either. I guess that makes it a bit worse: asking and then not delivering.

      Still, definitely sounds like a place I'd like to visit.

    • Huskee
      Huskee commented
      Editing a comment
      When I order I *always* ask for a mix of "fatty & lean". I say that because I'm not sure, even at BBQ places, if the wait staff knows what "point & flat" mean. That could be the case here, hard to say.

    #3
    Arriving an hour and a half before closing shouldn’t be an excuse for dry meat, IMO. They’re a restaurant, they should have the technique down. Anyway, I’m enjoying your reviews. Good job!

    Comment


      #4
      So Granny gets slammed in a good way!
      Nice write up & it’s good to see ya had some good victuals. 👍
      Last edited by FireMan; October 8, 2021, 07:19 AM.

      Comment


        #5
        Hey, sorry your experience at the Pit was less than stellar. I rarely have dinner there (most always lunch) and it is always a good experience. I have a good friend that works at this location and I will share your experience with her tomorrow. Overall though I hope you are enjoying your NC BBQ rounds.

        Comment


        • willxfmr
          willxfmr commented
          Editing a comment
          If somebody asked me for a good place to eat in that area, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Smoke Pit. The food was very good, and would have been excellent if it wasn't for being a little dry.

        #6
        It frightens me to say this, but I agree with Panhead John . If a restaurant's food is only good at lunchtime, it should only be open at lunchtime.

        On the other hand, even when the food isn't great, your reviews have been willxfmr . Thank you for taking us along on your trek.

        Comment


        • willxfmr
          willxfmr commented
          Editing a comment
          I don't disagree, but I want to cut them some slack.
          Close to closing, only one visit to judge them on, and so on. If it was the same on a return trip, then I would have no problem knocking them for it.

        • Draznnl
          Draznnl commented
          Editing a comment
          That’s one of the reasons, willxfmr , professional food critics usually visit places more than once before writing their reviews. We in the Pit don’t usually have that luxury. Maybe we hold restaurants to a higher standard - not accepting off nights. But, given an area like you’re in, I don’t think it’s an unrealistic standard. Why go back to the place with dry meat when there are other options right down the road?

        #7
        Thanks for sharing!

        Comment


          #8
          willxfmr Are you by chance going to SC? If so I HIGHLY recommend Lewis BBQ in Charleston. It's a can't miss IMO.

          Comment


          • willxfmr
            willxfmr commented
            Editing a comment
            Not on this trip, but thanks for the recommendation. We will be back down here at some point.

        Announcement

        Collapse
        No announcement yet.
        Working...
        X
        false
        0
        Guest
        Guest
        500
        ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
        false
        false
        {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
        Yes
        ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
        /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here