Barbeque

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 9 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Southern Craft Barbecue, a wood fired smokehouse serving BBQ, burgers, and tacos in a historic downtown warehouse in Johnson City, TN.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers
Free parking lot directly in front of the restaurant.

Dora here. Parking is free directly across from the restaurant, always a bonus in my opinion. I really liked the industrial rustic vibes and the spacious interior. That said, outside of the longer tables in the back for bigger parties, I didn’t see too many actual tables. Could just be because half walls cordoned off the restaurant into sections. We were seated at a high top next to the bar but would’ve preferred a regular table. 

Love the industrial rustic vibe!

For our appetizer, we opted for the Corn Bread Skillet. This corn bread was great if you like it with less sugar and more texture. You could never get enough of the maple butter and the caramelized onions were unnoticeable.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Corn Bread Skillet Appetizer

Dora here. Don’t call me a hater, but this wasn’t a great start for me. No bits of corn, no sugar, and not nearly enough butter. And the caramelized onions? Hmmm. Really?

For my meal, I ordered the BBQ Combo. My two meats were pork belly and burnt ends, and the two sides, fried okra and tater tots. The BBQ was great, the pork belly was fatty and meaty, just like it should be, and the burnt ends were large chunks of flavor with their original BBQ sauce. Both meats were very smoky and tender, and something that I would definitely order again.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

BBQ Combo: Pork belly, burnt ends, fried okra and tater tots

Dora here. They pack quite a bit of brisket between two hefty pieces of Texas toast. The brisket was cooked well, and not fatty or dry like some. It came with a tiny mound of slaw to top and a nice sized portion of seasoned tater tots. More than enough to fill your belly and I actually brought some home.

Southern Craft BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Brisket Sandwich. Cooked well, not fatty or dry like some.

Still Dora. If you’re in search of a restaurant to hold a conversation, this probably isn’t the spot. But if you want good BBQ and a hearty meal, go for it.

How do you like your cornbread?

We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.

 

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 15 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Banner Elk, NC, and to The Pedalin’ Pig BBQ, a locally owned and operated restaurant using local sourced ingredients. Besides the normal BBQ options, this regional favorite also offers tacos, salads, and a bunch of different sides.

The Pedalin' Pig BBQ Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Huge with several different eating spaces

Dora here. We’ve eaten at this location a couple of times now. The interior is a bit tired and worn, yet still gives off that homey, comfortable vibe. It’s also huge, with several different eating spaces. But I can’t wait until the weather warms and we can sit outdoors.

The Pedalin' Pig Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Huge interior. Homey and comfy, a bit tired and worn.

We started with the Pork Rinds with “pig spice.” Crispy, full of pork flavor, and as always with pork rinds, it’s hard to stop eating them once you start. Dora here. Actually, Ernie, you started with the pork rinds. Not a fan of pork rinds anywhere. 

The Pedalin' Pig Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Pork Rinds appetizer: hard to stop eating once you start

For my lunch, I chose The Worker’s Lunch Special, which included a pulled pork sandwich with house-made chips, slaw, and a drink all for $6.95, what a deal. The pulled pork was tender, smoky, and full of that wonderful pork bark. The slaw was sweet and made a perfect addition when I added it to my pulled pork sandwich and the chips were light, thin, and flawlessly cooked.

The Pedalin' Pig Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

The Worker’s Lunch Special: Pork sandwich was tender, smoky, and full of that wonderful pork bark

Dora here. Today, the Worker’s Lunch Special came with either brisket or pork. I opted for brisket. Can you believe you can get all this food plus the drink for only $6.95?? The brisket was tender, just enough fat to make it juicy, and blanketed with a light layer of sauce to give it a nice sheen. I don’t care for North Carolina Barbeque Red slaw (with ketchup). This is my favorite kind of slaw, creamy and sweet, and adds a nice texture when added to the sandwich. I only ate a few of the house-made chips, but they were nice and crispy.  

The Pedalin' Pig Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

The Worker’s Lunch Special with Brisket. Such a bargain for only $6.95, including drink!

Which would you choose, pork or brisket?

We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.

Pedalin' Pig Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments

This edition of Exciting about Eating takes us back to Winston-Salem and to Bib’s Downtown, a BBQ joint whose owner, Mark Little, won the 2013 BBQ Pitmasters and is a regular on the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) competition BBQ scene.

Bib's Downtown Excited about Eating Ernie Hiers

As a KCBS BBQ Master Judge, I have enjoyed BBQ at numerous establishments. I always appreciate good que and was not disappointed at this stop.

Bib's Downtown Excited about Eating Ernie Hiers

2013 BBQ Pitmasters Champion

Dora here. The restaurant was practically deserted the Saturday before Christmas, but hey, everyone was probably out shopping for last minute gifts. (Or all their gifts??) Plus you know we’re earlybirds. Also, this place is downtown. Probably packed during the week, what do you think? (Tell me after you see the pics below. lol) When you’re on wheels, it’s always tough to eat downtown because of parking, but you’ll find spots galore here. Bonus!

Bib's Downtown Excited about Eating Ernie Hiers

Not too packed for an early Saturday lunch.

For our lunch, we shared the half rack of ribs and pulled pork combo, but upgraded the pork to brisket. For sides, we chose white slaw, onion rings, hush puppies, and Texas toast. The standout winner on this plate was the brisket, tender, flavorful, and just the right amount of smoke. A close second was the St. Louis style ribs, cooked perfectly with just a little bite and more than I/we could finish in one seating. The hush puppies were golden brown but with a peppery soft inside, a taste that I have never experienced in a hush puppy.

Bib's Downtown Excited about Eating Ernie Hiers

The standout winner on this plate was the brisket!

Dora here. Just in case you need a better view…(yes, I’m evil like that, lol)

Bib's Downtown Excited about Eating Ernie Hiers

St. Louis style ribs, cooked perfectly with just a little bite and more than I/we could finish in one seating

Wow, just wow! The brisket was amazingly tender, so moist and lean. By far, my favorite over the ribs. I’m not a huge fan of St. Louis style ribs because they tend to be fatty. These were heavier on the meat and the sauce was finger-licking great, so it was easy to overlook the fat. I usually order slaw with my que, and this was sweet but not sugary, nothing to get excited over. But the onion rings? Golden brown excellence! And if a BBQ restaurant can’t serve great okra, there’s no hope for them, lol. No problem here. This okra was crispy and delicious.

What’s your must-have side to go along with BBQ?

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

Bib's Downtown Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato