2018 Road Trip - Day 10

Thursday 09.13.18 - Our Last Day in Charlotte, North Carolina

After sleeping in far later than we intended, we hurriedly ran out in search of BBQ. Along the way we happened upon Bank of America Stadium where the Carolina Panthers play.

Pictures are fun, but let's eat already! We rolled into Mac's Speed Shop ready to try some of the legendary Carolina style pulled pork BBQ. Our waitress Hailey, greeted us with a complementary basket of hush puppies. This was a great surprise. Turns out, hush puppies go great with BBQ. I really think we need to adopt this back in Texas. Everything on the menu sound good, so we ended up ordering several small things to share. Cracklins, deviled eggs, & of course some mandatory pulled pork served along with some magnificent mac n cheese. I was also finally able to try some Brunswick stew.

Complementary Hush Puppies

Kick Ass Pork Cracklings
House-fried pork rinds tossed in Mac’s Dry Rub with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Huevos Rellenos
Deviled eggs with crumbled bacon and sliced, pickled jalapeños

Hickory Smoked & Pulled Pork BBQ (small) with Mac 'N' Cheese, Brunswick Stew & Texas toast
Dry rubbed then hickory wood smoked for 12 hours and lightly tossed with our Carolina BBQ sauce

Review:

• Hush Puppies - I’ve never had hush puppies with BBQ, what great addition.
• Cracklins - Served still crackling fresh from fryer. The rub added good flavor & went well with BBQ.
• Deviled Eggs - I’ve never met a deviled egg that I didn't like. The sliced jalapeno was a great twist.
• Pulled Pork - This was okay, not smokey or much flavor. Definitely had to use sauce.
• Mac N Cheese - The mac was amazing and everything mac should be.  
• Brunswick Stew - The stew was good and glad we did as a side instead of a cup. Its stew nothing outstanding. Now I can say I have had it. 
• I loved all 4 sauces & bought one of each to take home.

Our next stop was at Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. The plan was to try to pick up more item's for Shelly's antique shop. What happened instead, was we got a few things for our house.

The same thing happened when we went to Catawba River Antique Mall.

Next, we stopped by Sonic because I was thirsty & love their sweet green tea.

Then we needed to restock toiletries & drinks so, off to BI-Lo Grocery we went.

By this time, I was getting tired. A nap was in order.

I woke up hungry & in search of more BBQ. This led us to dine at the Midwood Smokehouse. Our waitress, Becca was so friendly & personable. It made the whole experience so enjoyable. Again we wanted to sample many of their items, so we shared the "Well Fed" combo plate, with a few personal changes. Combo Platters Pick 4 Proteins: Served with your choice of any two side items, hush puppies and pickled onions. Carolina Chopped Pork, Beef Brisket, Saint Louis Style Pork Ribs, Pulled Chicken BBQ, Hickory Smoked Sausage.

Well Fed (4 protein combo platter) beef burnt ends, pork burnt ends, chopped pork, jalapeno sausage w/ mac n cheese, bbq slaw & Texas toast.

Pork Burnt Ends
Caramelized cubed pork tossed in our house made Cheerwine BBQ Sauce

Burnt Ends
Crispy caramelized cubes of brisket tossed in our cola BBQ sauce

Mac N Cheese

BBQ Slaw

Pulled Pork & Hush Puppies

Texas Toast

Banana Pudding

Our favorites in order:

• Sauces - These were awesome. I wish they sold them by the bottle.
• Jalapeno Sausage - This was good but, could have been hotter.
• Mac N Cheese - Nice, thick & creamy mac. They do it right!
• Beef Burnt Ends - This is one of my favorite BBQ items. No disappointments here.
• Banana Pudding - Straight forward old school nanner puddin'
• Pork Burnt Ends - I ordered this simply based on the menu description & that it was another first for me. The flavors were good, but the mouth feel was a bit off putting. I’d skip these next time.
• BBQ Slaw - this was an interesting dish, I prefer creamy slaw.
• Chopped Pork - boring until sauce is added.

After all that smoky meaty goodness, it was time to go back to the hotel to rest up. Tomorrow we leave for Atlanta, Georgia.