Making AR History - Spring 2023 North Carolina Amazing Ribs Pitmaster Club Meat-Up Page 2

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So... best bite of pork (except for a sample of competition pork one time) I've had in NC... seriously after consideration it was better than anything I've personally turned out. The brisket? Seriously the best I've ever had at a restaurant.

As to the sides... everything it came with was great. The beans were nothing special, just simple and perfectly executed with minimal seasoning (in a good way). I dont like homestyle mac n cheese, but honestly I coulda ate the whole bowl. And finally, Mexican places have been put on notice, this is how many tortillas you serve with fajitas... there were a ton of tortillas.

Literally I will drive here again at some point just to eat at East of Texas.

[Sid P]

WayneT. Just don’t plan it for a Sunday. Jfrosty27 and I went there today, but were very disappointed. They’re “open” on Sunday, but the kitchen is closed.

We went to Pancho Villa, and I loved it just as much the second time.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Sid P what a bummer. Was today the food truck day? We were discussing how it was odd they had a day with direct competition, but if it was today and only the bar is open that makes more sense, but a total bummer for you guys.

[Sid P]

ItsAllGoneToTheDogs Yes, some crap about food trucks. We were there for three minutes and met two other people that were there for BBQ.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

A few bonus pit pics...




And this is how I knew it would be good when we rolled up just after these fine folks.

[CaptainMike]

Firefighters and cops know where all the good eats are.

[Elton's BBQ]

Ofcourse firefighters need smokeflavor to their food..

[DavidNorcross]

To add a few more bonus pics. Truly some awesome food.

[Panhead John]

In case anyone’s wondering this was at East of Texas.

[DaveD]

That "Butt Life" t-shirt!!

[Jim White]

What Greg was too nice to mention was that he and I were at the front of our group in the ordering line and we each told the group that we were getting the medium platters that serve 4 to 6 people. Greg got the brisket and I got the pork. The rest of the group promptly ordered full individual lunches for themselves, leaving us to look like gluttons. Oh well, he and I sighed and dug in to eat what we could.

My sides were the tots John has already raved about and the squash-potato casserole. I love the old midwestern squash casserole that has Ritz Crackers crumbled up in it, but don’t think I’ve had it with potatoes in it before. This stuff was just incredible. Anyway, here’s my massive platter and a close-up of the bark on the pork:



Going back to their smoker, that is one huge beast. The fire box is on the outside of the building right where the oak is stacked. But the carousel the meat rides on is accessed from inside the building. Just an ingenious and eminently practical design.

With apologies to David for catching him unaware in this shot, it’s the only one I got that shows the drain on the cooker. At least for the Ole Hickory carousel smokers I helped clean on Operation BBQ Relief deployment, this isn’t just a grease drain. These smokers can be run with several inches of water in the base of the food chamber. The water helps to keep things moist during long cooks (brisket here gets 11 hours we were told) but the mixture of grease and water is easier to clean out than grease alone would be.

East of Texas can hold its own with any barbecue on the planet and should be on every bucket list.

[Panhead John]

Well said Jim!

[WayneT]

I never was good at following directions but then, there was very little of all that food that was wasted.

[Panhead John]

Jim White Here’s a closeup I got of the grease drain and pan….

[RonB]

And I saw John walking towards the grease pan with a straw.

[Panhead John]

Well, I just gotta say folks, WayneT has set the bar pretty high for any future MeatUps. Lookey hear what he and his MUCH better half Mary Jo gave out to each member in attendance, including one for the wives. They arranged for a Swag Bag of goodies to be given to everyone! Some pretty cool stuff was included in each bag.

Cool Travel Bag


MeatUp coffee mug, Texas Pete’s BBQ Sauce and Hot Sauce and some special cookies.


Pamphlets of visitors info. about NC places to visit etc.

[WayneT]

It’s time for some sincere gratitude and thanks to be given for making this historic Amazing Ribs Meat-Up in North Carolina an overwhelming success.

Visit Winston-Salem, the local visitor’s bureau, started this event off right by providing the planning committee with great hotel selections from which we chose the Hampton Inn. They did all the leg work regarding the accommodation options, so all the committee simply had to do was choose the best one based on the criteria we set. They also supplied each attendee with brochures and other swag items for the goodie bags. For more information, go to Visit Winston-Salem.

A huge shout-out and debt of gratitude goes to Meathead and the entire AmazingRibs organization for donating the one-of-a-kind, Pitmaster Club coffee mugs, soon to become priceless collectibles. I’m sure they will be seen in lots of future posts from Pit members on the What are you drinking right now topic pages. These mugs are great for promoting the AR brand, so show them off frequently. For more information, do nothing.

The TW Garner Food Company is home to the Texas Pete brand of BBQ products. They donated DUST dry seasoning rub, Original Hot Sauce, and multiple flavors of BBQ sauce for attendees. Thanks, Garner Foods, for your contributions to making this a special event. For more information, go to Garner Foods.

The Wilkerson Moravian Bakery is home to the original and authentic Moravian cookies. They graciously donated a jar of various cookies for every attendee. Wilkerson ships all over the world so if you like your cookies, order additional options for the holidays or any other time of year – they make great gifts! For more information, go to Wilkerson Bakery.

The Hispanic League, my wife's former employer, donated the SWAG bags. Embracing diversity and multi-culturalism for the entire community, they just celebrated their 30th anniversary last year. For more information, visit HispanicLeague.org .

The Hampton Inn by Hilton, Hanes Mall, provided convenient and first-class lodging for our event. I only heard positive feedback from Pit members about their stay here. The sales, front desk, and housekeeping staff all went above and beyond to make each of us feel welcome and appreciated. They were all professional, courteous, and friendly. For more information, visit Hampton Inn Hanes Mall Winston-Salem.

The Village Tavern, one of my personal favorite restaurants in Winston-Salem, did an outstanding job of accommodating our entire group on one of their busiest nights of the week. Admittedly, I had to do some serious groveling to convince them to allow such a large group to make a reservation, but they ultimately did so with grace and style. A special thanks to Connie and Aaron at VT for their help in securing the reservations. Our hand-picked wait staff, Michelle and Brie, were professional, friendly and exuded confidence as they effortlessly plied their trade. Guillermo, the grill master, provided us with perfectly cooked steaks, burgers, chops, etc. For more information, visit Village Tavern Winston-Salem.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Meat-Up Planning Committee, Panhead John, Clawbear57, DavidNorcross, and my wonderful wife, Mari Jo. They talked me down from the ledge if necessary and encouraged me when appropriate. No one could ask for a better group of folks to help plan such an amazing event. Also, a shout-out and tip o’ the ol’ hat to gboss for bringing the delicious pretzels and Prosecco, the latter being used to raise a toast on Friday night.

I want to personally thank everyone who posted on the Meat-Up topic pages, whether as a potential attendee, attendee, provocateur, and/or cheerleader. The TX Pit members were some of our biggest supporters throughout the planning process because they already know how special a meat-up can be and are secure in the knowledge that their meat-up legacy is firmly established.

This Meat-Up would not have been a huge success without each of the attendees who traveled from across the United States, some for endless hours and days, to partake in some of our best food, enjoyable conversations, and banter about BBQ. I sincerely hope everyone had a great time, established lasting friendships, and made unforgettable memories. See all the photos to prove the fun! We appreciate you!

[WayneT]

Thank you all for the kind words. As I told gboss there were indeed a lot of moving parts but I thoroughly enjoyed making them all work together for the benefit of the group. Seeing all the smiling faces and hearing all the good-natured banter among attendees was a reward in itself.

[Richard Chrz]

Sounds and looked all so fantastic, such great welcoming from your visitor’s bureau!

[Sid P]

Don’t know how I missed this, but WayneT and crew truly did an amazing job. Thank you!

[Jfrosty27]

I’m a little late with my lunch update. But here’s a photo of my bbq plate at Blackpowder Smokehouse. Just awesome. I put together a plate from the ala carte menu of brisket, jalapeño sausage, brisket burnt ends, mac and cheese, and greens. All was delicious. A truly authentic bbq spot.

[WayneT]

It’s unforgivable that this place wasn’t reviewed in the News and Observer newspaper article I reference in the Meat-Up BBQ joints flyer. East of TX didn’t exist when the article came out so that’s understandable.

[Sid P]

As mentioned by gboss Jfrosty27 and mcook2201 , Blackpowder Smokehouse was very good. Even the fries and collard greens were top notch.

[WayneT]

Collard greens like only southerners can cook them. I was never a fan and my dad always doused his with vinegar.

[Michael_in_TX]

The weather out there looks just perfect!

[WayneT]

It has been and continues to be. Couldn’t have asked for better weather.

[WillTravelForFood]

Did *anybody* have a salad at all this trip?

[Jim White]

There was some slaw on my platter. Does that count?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

There's some salad under the guacamole and sourcream w/my brisket

[Panhead John]

Of course silly, I had lettuce and tomatoes on my 1/2 lb burger today!

[Panhead John]

BREAKING NEWS!!! No one at the MeatUp wanted any of my Coors Light! 😳 Shocking but true!

[RiverJeff]

And a 5 pack at that!

[DavidNorcross]

I love Coors Light!

[Starsky]

No surprise (:

[LA Pork Butt]

I am glad y’all were able to pull this MeatUp off! Boy, do I wish I could have been there. Seeing Panhead John stash of Coors Light I thought he had given up drinking!

[CaptainMike]

You were conspicuous by your absence. I must say I did brag you up a bit.

[WayneT]

Thanks for all your encouragement and support!

[Uncle Bob]

Coors light means he has given it up Sunny.........

[scottranda]

Looks like a great time! Wish I could’ve been there; my schedule just didn’t allow!!

Hopefully next time I’ll be able to come and hang with you Pit Masters!

[Mosca]

Let us not forget the first annual mrteddyprincess Lexington Food Lion parking lot bbq meetup!



I’ll let him tell the story. It all worked out beautifully though!

[gboss]

I have never seen better unintentional thug shots. Bravo.

[RonB]

We still had a good time.