I’ve been a fan from a distance of Fiery Ron’s Home Team BBQ, chef/owner Aaron Siegel, and his two joints in South Carolina (Sullivan’s Island and Charleston) for a while now. I know that he’s been working hard to put out quality BBQ with a sophisticated yet rustic (if that makes any sense) twist.

Here’s some additional info: “Aaron opened Fiery Ron’s Home Team BBQ in the Fall of 2006 with the feel of an old Mississippi juke joint. The restaurant features traditional BBQ fair with Memphis-style dry rubbed Ribs and Chicken, a Texas-style braised and smoked Brisket along with Eastern North Carolina-style Pork Butts.”

“The BBQ is surrounded with traditional Southern sides such as creamy grits, smoked gouda mac and cheese, corn bread, squash casserole, and collard greens. After two successful years, Aaron ad his investors decided to pursue the idea of BBQ and Southern cuisine at the beach.”

“The Sullivan’s Island location opened in May of 2009 with the addition of a full service dining room, an extended menu, combined with the BBQ shack/juke joint concept.”

Have you been to either of their locations? What are your thoughts? If you want to order any of their BBQ or merch sent to you you can do so HERE.

Follow them on twitter HERE
See them on facebook HERE

First off, I wanted to thank everyone for entering the Pork Barrel BBQ Giveaway. It was by far the most popular that I’ve run with over 500 entries. I hit up random.org to choose the three lucky winners which you can see below pics of the prizes again:

Here’s a photo of the sauces and rubs:

Here’s a photo of their peanuts:

Third Place Prize – Carol B. via a comment on my blog
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Original BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Mustard BBQ Sauce
1 jar of Pork Barrel BBQ All-American Spice Rub
1 can of Pork Barrel BBQ Peanuts

Second Place Prize – Caleb Laughlin via Facebook Entry
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Original BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Mustard BBQ Sauce
1 jar of Pork Barrel BBQ All-American Spice Rub
1 can of Pork Barrel BBQ Peanuts

Grand Prize – Lisa Vigna @lavesq via Twitter Entry
2 bottles of Pork Barrel BBQ Original BBQ Sauce
2 bottles of Pork Barrel BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce
2 bottles of Pork Barrel BBQ Mustard BBQ Sauce
2 jars of Pork Barrel BBQ All-American Spice Rub
1 can of Pork Barrel BBQ Peanuts

Congrats to the winners. Please email me (or DM me) your address and I’ll have Pork Barrel get your prizes out to you. Thanks again to Heath Hall and Brett Thompson from Pork Barrel BBQ.

Here’s a great video of Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue in Cave Creek, Arizona by ABC15.com.

Photo of Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue courtesy of @hedrives

Have you been here before? What are your thoughts?

I recently read a small write-up on Larry J’s House of Q in Chelsea, Massachusetts at BostonGlobe.com, so to learn more I instantly went to Pigtrip.net which is my go to source for anything New England area BBQ.

Photo of the beef rib courtesy of Pigtrip.net

Since I haven’t been yet, I figured Pigtrip.net could put it best, “A usual downside of over-the-counter joints is lack of appetizers, but Larry J’s is almost singlehandedly changing that paradigm with a bevy of innovative treats: rib tips, burnt ends, Fire Balls (spicy meatballs with spicier dipping sauce), wings, chili, Hawg Wings (pork shanks), catfish bites and more.”

Photo of their sausage courtesy of Pigtrip.net

Pigtrip.net continues, “The barbecue menu is equally far reaching, with both pork ribs (St Louis cut spares) and beef shortribs, pulled pork, sliced brisket, two varieties of sausage, smoked and pulled chicken. Beyond ‘cue, there’s a burger, a veggie burger, a catfish sandwich, assorted stuffed baked potatoes and four salads. Although not mentioned as such on the menu, cornbread is included with platters. I like that chili is available as one of the choices for sides. I almost like the way the combo plates (up to four meats) are configured, with different prices depending on whether ribs are included, but the only way you can get chicken on a combo is paired with ribs.”

Photo of the brisket courtesy of Pigtrip.net

Photo of the burnt ends courtesy of Pigtrip.net

Photo of the pulled pork sandwich courtesy of Pigtrip.net

Read the rest of the review HERE and do yourself a huge favor and check out his site for information on BBQ joints in New York City, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. If there’s a BBQ joint in any of these states chances are he knows about them.

Check out Larry J’s House of Q yourself here:

View Larger Map

Thanks to Eater – San Francisco for cluing me in to a new BBQ Joint called Southpaw BBQ. It looks like they are offering a mix of BBQ taken from many different regions.

Photo courtesy of Thrillist

They have smoked & pulled pork shoulder, dry rubbed & smoked ribs, braised (not smoked?) beef brisket, whiskey brined chicken, fried catfish and fried oysters. Their sandwiches (which are served with house pickles & chips) are: Pulled BBQ pork sandwich with coleslaw, Grilled Pimento Cheese with spicy tomato soup, Fried Catfish with lettuce, tomato, and Helen’s roumelade, and a Fried Oyster and Bacon sandwich with spicy aioli, marinated onions, and fresh herbs. You ‘sides’ options are: black eyed peas, chili, vinegar coleslaw, sautéed zucchini w/ roasted garlic, brussel sprouts w/ bacon, Delta Grind cheese grits, vinegar braised collard greens, Creole mustard potato salad, and baked mac & cheese.

Photo courtesy of Sins Spices Survival

They have (7) different sauces. They are: Memphis, Alabama white, Eastern North Carolina, mustard herb vinaigrette, sweet potato habanero, sweet chili vinegar, and sangre de Memo hot sauce.

Photo courtesy of Daily Candy

You can see their menu HERE
Follow them on twitter HERE
Check them out on facebook HERE

I had a chance to visit Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew about two weeks ago with two icons of Austin BBQ.

This is the only interior shot I have which doesn’t show how large the actual restaurant is.

The BBQ was really good. You can tell that Lance Kilpatrick is putting great effort into providing consistent, quality BBQ. We ordered brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, and sausage. My favorite was the pork ribs followed by the brisket and beef ribs. The sausage didn’t blow me away, but possibly as second helping of them on my next visit might change my opinion.

I definitely feel that I’d hit up Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew if I was in the area again. You’re going to get a great meal and of course be able to partake in their numerous beer offerings. They also have several large screen TV’s so it would be great to check out a game in the evening or weekend and be able to get some BBQ to compliment.

Follow them on twitter HERE
Check them out on facebook HERE

If you follow my blog you know I’m a huge fan of Mike and Amy Mills from 17th Street Bar & Grill and their company OnCue Hospitality. If you’re not familiar with them, you should check out their website as they are always putting on classes that transcend the every day you might come across.

January 23-24 (next week) they are putting on something special. It’s a Whole Hog Extravaganza featuring the two of them with their 17th Street crew along with some of the best whole hog cookers and food/BBQ marketing minds in the industry.

Here’s a list of speakers:
Kat Kinsman, editor of CNN/Eatocracy.com
Sam Jones, 3rd generation pitmaster, Skylight Inn
Pat Martin, Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Amy Mills, 17th Street BBQ/OnCue Consulting
Mike Mills, 17th Street BBQ
Aric Nissen, Famous Dave’s
Brad Orrison, The Shed
Dave Raymond, Sweet Baby Ray’s
John Stage, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

The price is $ 899.00 per person and as of two days ago there were only (6) spots left. You can get additional information as well as how to sign up HERE

Thanks to London Loves Business and The Skinny Bib for alerting me to a new BBQ joint in London (Soho district) called Pitt Cue Co. You know how I love how people spin traditional barbecue outside of the United States so it’s nice to see that they are working on putting out what appears to be Carolina style mixed with Texas with a little St. Louis thrown in (still waiting to find out what type of wood and type of smoker they use).

Here are some pics:

Photo courtesy of The Skinny Bib

Photo courtesy of The Skinny Bib

Here’s a photo of their menu:

Photo courtesy of The Skinny Bib

The review by The Skinny Bib was very favorable (a 5/5 score) so I have to go with that review at the moment. Have you been here? What are your thoughts? Real deal or close to real deal?

If you’re in and around London, you can find them here:

View Larger Map

Follow Pitt Cue Co. on Twitter HERE
Check them out on Facebook HERE

I’ve wanted to visit Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ (both their Kansas City and Olathe locations) for a long time now. Since it hasn’t been in the cards yet, I can only visit through photos. Here are some that will make you both hungry and eager to catch a plane flight to Kansas City.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kocourek

Photo courtesy of Matt Kocourek

Photo courtesy of Matt Kocourek

Photo courtesy of Matt Kocourek

Photo courtesy of Pork Barrel BBQ

Have you been to Oklahoma Joe’s? What are your thoughts? Your favorite BBQ items?

If you love BBQ, you already know about Pork Barrel BBQ, but if for some reason they aren’t a familiar name here’s some additional info. They are first off a BBQ Sauce and Rub Company (in over 1,000 stores across the country and really knock it out of the park on taste and consistency) started by Heath Hall and Brett Thompson (you can read their interesting story here), but are really expanding their BBQ net so to speak. After appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank they have slowly become an amazing internet/entrepreneurial success story in their own right (they have over 4,700 facebook fans and over 31,000 twitter followers) having launched a BBQ cologne called Que, Pork Barrel BBQ Peanuts, and just opened their first BBQ joint (aptly named Pork Barrel BBQ) in Del Ray, Virginia.

They are really nice guys too, which makes me even prouder to announce my new giveaway partnering with them. Here’s the prize packages:

Grand Prize
2 bottles of Pork Barrel BBQ Original BBQ Sauce
2 bottles of Pork Barrel BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce
2 bottles of Pork Barrel BBQ Mustard BBQ Sauce
2 jars of Pork Barrel BBQ All-American Spice Rub
1 can of Pork Barrel BBQ Peanuts

Second Prize/Third Prize
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Original BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Pork Barrel BBQ Mustard BBQ Sauce
1 jar of Pork Barrel BBQ All-American Spice Rub
1 can of Pork Barrel BBQ Peanuts

Here’s a photo of the sauces and rubs:

Here’s a photo of their peanuts:

There are (3) easy ways to enter. All you have to do is ONE of the following:

(1) Tweet (or Retweet) about the contest including @kevinsbbqjoints and @porkbarrelbbq so we can track it. (2) Post a comment about your favorite type of BBQ Sauce on the facebook page for Kevin’s BBQ Joints AND Pork Barrel BBQ. (3) Post a comment below about why you feel you should win this contest you will get an additional entry (so that’s up to 3 per day!).

To up your odds, you can enter every day.

The giveaway will run through Tuesday January 24th at Midnight Pacific and we will be randomly drawing three random winners for the (3) prizes within the next two to three days.

Thanks so much to Heath Hall and Brett Thompson from Pork Barrel BBQ and good luck everyone!