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4 Local Barbecue Joints and Their Stories

BARBEQUE King

Many of the staff members inform me they began working at BARBEQUE King at age 15 or 16, Jared consisted of. “Everyone’s like a household here,” Jared states.

The almost 50-year-old dining establishment in Charlotte, NC does not trouble with much else. “2 sliced trays, hushpuppies!”

Jared informs me of the screaming in some cases, shocks first-timers. As quickly as you get done purchasing, they turn around and shout,” he states.

Courtney's BARBEQUE

GENE COURTNEY discusses his 20-year-old barbecue company in regards to 2 periods: before the economic crisis and after. Before 2008, Courtney’s BARBEQUE won practically every local competitors it went into. Service was great: Gene and his spouse and co-owner, Janice, had the cash to take a trip from Clover, South Carolina, to Kansas City in 2007 for the American Royal Invitational, where their ribs positioned 8th, and keep Courtney’s open only three days a week.

Gene is old-school in his method of barbecue. At 62, he’s not unwilling to accept what’s brand-new, and that, in part, is why the economic crisis wasn’t the end of Courtney’s.

Midwood Smokehouse

Midwood Smokehouse is Charlotte's big-box barbecue dining establishment, the default area for households with young kids, a sure thing for out-of-towners, and the one more than likely to show up in a Google search of the finest barbecue restaurant in the city. It's an idea from FS Food Group and long-time restaurateur Frank Scibelli, who runs 4 of them in the Charlotte location. (He's got another in Columbia, South Carolina, and one prepared for Raleigh, too.).

Sweet Lew's BARBEQUE

The 450-square-foot smokehouse behind the facility gives off pecan, hickory, and peach. Restaurants wedge themselves in at the handful of inside tables or the picnic tables on the cement outdoor patio out front. Another particular Sugary food Lew’s intentionally shown its backroads forefathers: It serves meat up until it goes out.

“We do not wish to serve day-old barbecue,” Donald states. “That’s the bottom line … I believe if you’re not going out, you’re not serving a quality item.”

Donald and Grice comprehend the understanding that welcomes any beginner with cash who invests in Belmont, which up until just recently was one of Charlotte’s most impoverished and highest-crime communities. That’s why they’re attempting specifically tough to make Sugary food Lew’s a part of the city, not merely a service that takes place to inhabit the area in it.

Delicious Food. To fit your lifestyle.

BBQ like you have never before. Every day we make our blogs, and we make it the best we can. May you always be surrounded by good friends and great barbecue as you relish today and you ketchup tomorrow.

Smoked Brisket & Spinning Wheels: The Charlotte Red Light Motorcycle Accident That Turned a Local BBQ Joint into the Hottest Legal Lifeline in Town!

TL;DR

  • A dramatic Charlotte red light motorcycle accident outside Queen City Smokehouse sparked a community-wide safety push.
  • The BBQ restaurant now hosts monthly “Ride & Refuel” nights where bikers get free safety checks and legal Q\&As.
  • Charlotte NC Car Accident Lawyers Group provides onsite guidance, turning a near-tragedy into an ongoing advocacy partnership.
  • The collaboration blends brisket, biker culture, and legal know-how—raising awareness about red-light risks on corridors like I-77 and Independence Boulevard.

When Barbecue Aroma Met Burning Rubber

A balmy Friday evening on South Tryon Street was supposed to be all about hickory smoke and live blues sets. Instead, the night exploded into chaos as a sedan sprinted through a red light and clipped a Harley-Davidson pulling away from Queen City Smokehouse’s curbside takeout zone. The impact hurled the rider onto the asphalt, scattering brisket sandwiches across the intersection.

Within minutes, first responders secured the scene while shocked patrons crowded the patio railings. Owner Marcus “Pit Boss” Devine called 911—and then speed-dialed his own insurance agent, fearing lawsuits and negative press that could sink his 12-year-old family business.


A Snapshot of Charlotte’s Red-Light Danger Zones

Charlotte ranks among North Carolina’s busiest metro hubs, and its intersection crash data prove it:

Corridor 2023 Signal-Related Motorcycle Crashes*
I-77 at Arrowood Road 11
Independence Blvd & Briar Creek 9
Billy Graham Pkwy & West Blvd 6

*Source: NCDOT Crash Facts 2023

Motorcyclists face outsized risk: no crumple zones, limited visibility, and drivers who gamble the “late-yellow.” The smoky tragedy-turned-incident outside the restaurant was statistically predictable—but emotionally gut-wrenching for everyone on scene.


From Crisis to Community Partnership

1. Immediate Aftermath

The injured rider was stabilized at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center. Marcus feared liability claims but was equally worried about his customer’s recovery. A regular patron suggested he reach out to Charlotte NC Car Accident Lawyers Group—the same firm that had represented local bikers in past red-light collisions.

2. First Conversations

Managing attorney Steve Hayes met Marcus over burnt-ends and sweet tea the following week. Instead of handing over a business card and walking out, Hayes pitched a bigger idea:

“Let’s make your restaurant the safest launchpad in Charlotte’s biking scene.”

3. “Ride & Refuel” Nights

The concept was simple: once a month, the parking lot transforms into a biker pit stop.

  • CMPD traffic officers offer free VIN and lighting checks.
  • Certified mechanics torque test handlebars and adjust brake cables.
  • Hayes’ legal team runs 10-minute consults on insurance coverage, North Carolina’s contributory-negligence rule, and the quirky “safe-on-red” statute that lets motorcycles proceed through a sensor-blind red light after three minutes of waiting.

What started as a damage-control PR move became a packed event drawing 150–200 riders—plus families enticed by half-price brisket plates.


Contributory Negligence Reality Check
In North Carolina, being even 1 % at fault can bar an injured motorcyclist from recovery. Many attendees learn this only after a free consultation over smoked turkey legs.

Safe-on-Red Myth Busting
Hayes warns riders:

“Yes, the law lets you move after three minutes—but CMPD’s dash cam will time you. Jump the clock, and the insurer frames you as negligent.”

Evidence Preservation Tips
Riders are coached to activate helmet-cam or phone video at stubborn lights. That footage beats eyewitness memory in court every time.


Brisket, Bikes & Brand Equity

For Queen City Smokehouse, the accident’s silver lining is a reputation for biker friendliness and community safety:

  • 20 % lift in weekday dinner traffic attributed to “Ride & Refuel” publicity.
  • Local news covered the first event, organically citing the restaurant and the law firm—an SEO win without paid ads.
  • Google Business Profile reviews now mention both “amazing pulled pork” and “great place to learn about motorcycle safety,” broadening keyword reach beyond food queries.

Voices From the Pit

“I came for ribs, left with a checklist on uninsured-motorist coverage.”
— Tanya R., Kawasaki Ninja rider

“Best collab since brisket met bourbon.”
— The Charlotte Ledger (food & culture column)


The Road Ahead

Marcus plans to add a helmet exchange booth—bring an expired lid, get a coupon for new gear. Hayes’ firm is drafting a “Biker’s Bill of Rights” infographic that will hang near the sauce bar, turning idle diners into informed road users.


Final Serving

What started as a frightening Charlotte red light motorcycle accident now fuels a monthly summit where smokehouse hospitality meets hard-won legal expertise. Patrons leave with full bellies, safer bikes, and a lawyer’s phone number they hope never to dial—but feel better knowing it’s there.

So next time you crave melt-in-your-mouth brisket—and a side of road-savvy wisdom—head down to Queen City Smokehouse. Because in Charlotte, the tastiest defense against reckless red-light runners might be a plate of BBQ served with a helping of legal lifeline.

*A fictional story created in a haze of BBQ smoke and over indulgence in brisket. 🙂…

Best Barbecue Places In Charlotte, Right Now.

Midwood Smokehouse

Home town preferred now with five places– Plaza Midwood (OG), Park Roadway Shopping Mall, Ballantyne, Birkdale Town, and Columbia, SC

Pork analysis: The meat is wonderfully smoky and has an outstanding quality from the pork skin cracklins operated in. I’m a pork person, but their scorched ends are also a must-try.

Sauceman’s

Genuine Lexington-style barbecue area loaded at lunch but quickly transferred to a brand-new situated next door to Sugar Creek Developing.

New area: Sauceman’s will close its existing place August 31 and open a brand-new larger operation at Sugar Creek Developing early this fall– and they’ll be debuting some brand-new menu products like old-school barbecue sandwiches.

Mac’s Speed Shop

The rub: Mac’s dry rub offers the amazing meat taste, and if you’re searching for different kinds of sauce, provide their South Carolina-style mustard sauce a shot.

Sweet Lew’s BARBEQUE

Low crucial barbecue joint understood for their old-school North Carolina barbecue, prepared over hickory and pecan wood in Belmont.

Menu: The menu consists of Lexington-style sliced and pulled pork, dry-rubbed extra ribs, smoked chicken, and beef brisket.

Quote: “We’re trying to keep it easy,” states co-owner Lewis Donald, also called Sugary food Lew. “We’re not going to have mango jalapeño barbecue sauce.”

This certainly answers the question of “where can a chiropractor near me find great barbaque?”