This is not for the particularly health-conscious, but for those who are willing to turn a blind eye to cholesterol count, I recommend a stop at Mac’s Speed Shop (“Beer, Bikes and BBQ”) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The crowd is a strange mix of buttoned-up business types from nearby downtown — Charlotte is the number two banking center in the US behind New York — bikers, college students and general BBQ enthusiasts.
The food is classic western North Carolina BBQ (with fresh coleslaw on top of the pulled pork sandwiches) plus the usual bar-type grub like quesadillas and wings. The cup next to the sandwich above is full of collard greens, and they were pretty yummy, along with the deep-fried little round cornbread gut bombs called hushpuppies that you can see mounded in the basket.
The beer? Local Carolina Blonde, brewed just down the road from Charlotte in Mooresville NC. It was a most satisfying meal, suggested by Delilah at the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority. Thank you, Delilah!
Related:
- A North Carolina BBQ tour on CHOW.com
- A road trip plus NASCAR fun in “Southern Comfort” on Automotive Traveler
Sheila,
That looks wonderful. And Charlotte is a gorgeous city to visit.
Sheesh, Sheila, you’ve made me wildly hungry for a good Southern barbecue. Now I’m rifling through my cookbooks to see if I can find anything to fill the craving!
** Hiya Dan, Now I KNOW you know good BBQ from all of your travels (but we also know that Texas beef brisket BBQ is really the good stuff, right?) Stay safe on the road….
** Hi there Nia, no cookbook in the world could convince me to go through the time and grease splatters to get tasty collard greens or hushpuppies. I’m eatin’ out.
Well, see you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where you can eat out! Unless I want mediocre pizza or really dodgy Japanese … it’s home cookin’ up here. Seriously, a couple weeks ago we even made our own Southern Fried Chicken (I’ve had better). But take me down to Carolina anytime!