That's My Cue

Barbecued beef brisket, with purchased potato salad and cole slaw:

Barbecue time

Pulled chicken (from barbecued chicken leg quarters) on a slider bun; potato salad; cole slaw:

Lynx to Food: Tyvola Road

Today's Lynx to Food is a visit to the venerable Charlotte institution Bill Spoon's Barbecue, which has been serving up delicious 'cue for nearly half a century. Their slogan: "We Cook The Whole Pig - It Makes The Difference". Unfortunately, dim lighting meant that my photos did not come out, so no pictures with this entry. I had a pork barbecue sandwich and unsweet iced tea. The sandwich at Bill Spoon's is definitely one of the best in town. The pork is very finely chopped, mildly smoky, and only lightly seasoned with Spoon's vinegar-pepper sauce, which allows the rich flavor of the pork to dominate. (There's more sauce available on the table for people who prefer to spice it up.) The pork is topped with mild white cole slaw. Presentation at Bill Spoon's is decidedly no-frills -  the pork sandwich came on a small paper plate, the tea in a red Solo cup - but when it comes to great barbecue, who needs anything fancy?

I can't pretend that a barbecue sandwich is health food, but I didn't order any side dishes, so at least the 'cue wasn't augmented by mac'n'cheese or french fries or - sigh - sweet potato pie.

Out to Lunch: The Q Shack

Friday lunch at The Q Shack
Attempting to keep things lower-fat, I eschewed the traditional pulled pork in favor of turkey, and got baked beans instead of a side of fries.
Smoked turkey breast with cole slaw, baked beans and hush puppies

The turkey had a great smoked flavor and was not dried out. I like the Q Shack cole slaw. It's very vinegary and makes a good contrast to smoked meat. I tried the baked beans for the first time and didn't really like them. They didn't have a lot of flavor. Hush puppies hot and tasty as always. No calorie counts here.