I went to the cutest BBQ restaurant when I visited Concord, North Carolina. R&R Bar-B-Que has been serving fresh Carolina style BBQ for 20 years.
As soon as I walked in I noticed a theme to the restaurant, it was all about trains. They had several trains running on tracks that were mounted to the ceiling.
The also decorated all the walls with railroad signs. These signs were from all over the country.
I was looking forward to having some good Carolina BBQ. What makes Carolina BBQ different from what you get in Texas, Memphis, or Kansas City? The sauce used on the BBQ is vinegar based and Carolina BBQ focus of pork. This is why Carolina style is my favorite, I love pork BBQ.
I ordered the Engineer’s BBQ Plate. This apparently is their most popular dish. I for the slow cooked pork shoulder that was hand chopped rather than pulled. I like it this way because it chops up the bark from the edges into every bite of meat. Their pork was extremely moist and had a wonderful smoky taste. I made sure to eat some plain before I tried their BBQ sauces.
There were three sauces that I tried:
- Bar-B-Que: A classic sauce
- Sweet Sauce: This was my favorite because of the sweetness. It paired well with the smokiness from the meat.
- Sweet & Spicy: This did have a slight sweetness but that was overshadowed by the kick of heat that filled my mouth as I continued to eat the pork.
To accompany the pork BBQ I got three homemade hush puppies. These were fried to a crispy brown on the outside. As I took a bite, the cornmeal flavor came through the soft center. I enjoyed these plain, however, they did taste great dipped in some BBQ sauce.
My BBQ plate also came with two sides. Naturally I got the baked beans. They are a must have when I am enjoying BBQ. The beans were sweet and cooked till they were nice and tender.
The other side I ordered was the fried corn on the cob. The main reason I ordered this was because I needed to know what this really was. As soon as I saw the corn it reminded me of something I could get at a state fair (just minus the stick).
The ear of corn was dipped on a batter that had a little pepper mixed in. Then they deep fried the ear of corn until the batter was crispy. When I took a bite there was a little crunch with a salty taste. That went well with the sweetness of the corn itself. This was a really interesting take for a corn on the cob.
I love trying local restaurants when I am visiting a town or city. R&R Bar-B-Que fit the bill. They had amazing food and a cute theme. The staff was also very friendly. You should check them out if you are in the Concord area. Visit their website at http://rrbbq.net/
Enjoy!
T
