This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Charlotte and to a BBQ joint whose team has competed and won on the BBQ trail. Mac’s Speed Shop offers a wide range of food including wings, salads, mexicue, and, of course, BBQ.

Dora here. Anyone else curious as to how they came up with that name? Just wondering. lol. We were among the few to brave high 90 degree temps to enjoy their spacious outdoor patio, which really was quite nice. Most everyone opted for a/c and chose to eat inside. 🙂 Even so, service was fast and efficient, and the server helpful with suggestions.

We were among the few to brave high 90 temperatures, but even so, the patio was quite nice.

Spacious interior

The Onion Rings Basket appetizer came with a spicy horseradish dipping sauce. These rings were great–dredged in what appeared to be corn meal?– crunchy on the outside and tender enough to bite through. The dipping sauce complimented nicely, although a bit spicy. Dora here. A bit spicy? That cayenne and horseradish kicked big time, but soooo good! Yowza! Make sure you ask for extra napkins to wipe your forehead. Fair warning.

Onion Rings…that dipping sauce kicks big time! But soooo good!

For our meal, we chose to share the Little Bit of Stuff, a combo platter which included our choice of St. Louis ribs, Texas beef sausage, beef brisket, and smoked turkey with sides of mac n cheese and cream corn.

Little Bit of Stuff…really? Even sharing, we still brought home leftovers. YUM!

The ribs were great, competition grade, smoky, and cooked perfectly, moist and not fatty. The sausage was equally good, not spicy at all, but with a hardy beef flavor.

Dora here. Wow, I’m glad we ordered the little platter. Even sharing, we still brought home leftovers. For some reason, I expected the turkey to be sliced, so I was surprised when it came out pulled. A tad dry for my liking, probably because I can’t help but compare it to my favorite holiday meal, fried turkey. Still, it was tender and will make awesome sandwiches later. The brisket was chewy with just a hint of sweet at the end. Yum! This was some of my favorite BBQ besides hubby’s. They score big points for great sides, too. The mac n cheese was firm, not moist like some cheesy pastas, just the way I like it, and those kernels of corn snapped with freshness. Mac’s Speed Shop definitely gets added to our “must go back” list. Maybe then we’ll find out how they got their name. lol. 

What’s the most unusual name for one of your favorite restaurants?

We would rate the restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family-friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.