Reviews featured in the 013 edition of Southern Grit Magazine.
To order a physical copy of the magazine visit HERE
Reviews and photography by Joshua Fitzwater
With all due respect, when it comes to much of the popular food media out there, they need to re-familiarize themselves with American history and barbecue. American barbecue, after all, began in Virginia. Here is just one recent example of them snubbing the Commonwealth. I recently picked up the August/ September 2019 Garden & Gun magazine, and the Barbecue Nation section features only one Virginian barbecue joint, ZZQ, which specializes in Texas-style barbecue. Well, long before Texans and Texas enthusiasts started essentially smoke roasting meat, as Joe Haynes, author of Virginia Barbecue: A History can better explain than me, Virginians – Africans/African Americans, indigenous people, and Europeans – were barbecuing meat, with direct heat mind you. And here is a reality check, Lonestar loving media faithful – Virginians are still barbecuing the hell out of meat the Virginian way. Now don’t get me wrong, I love good Texas barbecue, but it’s not the only game in town, and it is long past due to pay homage to the barbecue O.G. whose style traveled out to the rest of the country to help form all the other genres you so revere. With that in mind, here are just three places that do Virginia-style well and essentially hold true to its ideals, the use of salt, pepper, red pepper, maybe some cayenne and a little mustard, often on hickory wood or white oak. Pay attention. You all should familiarize yourself with at least one of them for your next “Best Of” article.
Below: Hagaman Bros. pulled pork, barbecue set up, and sauces
In a trailer parked behind an Exxon off of Broad Street near Goochland is the best pulled pork barbecue sandwich I’ve ever had in Virginia. Their juicy ass pork, yeah I said it, seasoned with red pepper, some salt, some vinegar and sprinkled with little bits of seared barbecue bark (aka outermeat), all on a steamed bun with Duke’s made slaw, calls my name about once a week now. In fact, if I’m being honest, I’m damn near addicted to this sandwich. My girlfriend often gets the chicken, which is quite good, but for me, it’s that pulled pork barbecue sandwich, all day, everyday.
The pulled pork and other barbecue there is the work of two brothers, Jason and Robbie. When I asked them, after they recognized me from coming back so often, what type of barbecue they are doing, Virginia Style, or Carolina Style, they told me, “It’s Hagaman style.” That response tickled me, but I pressed on to see if I could get more clarity. It turns out the brothers picked up barbecue from their father and uncle while living in rural southern Virginia. Couple that with their insistence on not being like some other barbecue outfits and over seasoning with a random assortment of spices, plus using wood, and I’m leaning towards there being a decent argument for Hagaman being Virginia barbecue. If not Virginia style, at the very least Virginia inspired, or maybe better yet they are making Virginia barbecue offerings. Here’s the thing, it’s really good and beats the hell out of some touted Virginia barbecue I’ve had recently. I’m looking at you, King’s Barbecue. Full side eye.
If you are anywhere near Goochland or Short Pump and have never heard of Hagaman Brothers until reading this, trust me, stop in.
For more on Hagaman Bros. Barbeque visit hagamanbrosbbq.com
Below: Original Ronnie’s BBQ street view, pulled pork sandwich, Sunday only baked mac and cheese
In Varina, Virginia, just a few minutes outside of Richmond on Route 5, sits a humble looking father and son family run barbecue joint that I’ve been urging friends and pitmasters to stop into ever since first experiencing it myself in May of this year. In terms of style of barbecue, Original Ronnie’s is simply “Ronnie’s Richmond style” and “can’t [be said to be] Carolina, […] Memphis, [or] Kansas City [style]” according to Darrell Logan, son of Pitmaster Ronnie Logan in Richmond Magazine in 2019.
Although they are most passionately known for their ribs, with noted Chef Delilah Winder giving said ribs some love on the Food Network show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” in 2009, I personally can’t get enough of their chicken. In fact, with the exception of Ronnie’s brisket which was just pretty good, I highly recommend every single other protein and side I’ve tried on my many visits there, most notably the perfectly seasoned pulled pork, the mac and cheese – which makes all other mac and cheese in drivable distance curdle with jealousy – and, of course, the aforementioned ribs. Sunday is the only day their mac and cheese is available so for first timers I highly recommend following your day with Jesus (should that be your thing) with a visit to Ronnie’s. There are several barbecue joints in Richmond that best Ronnie’s when it comes to signage and decor. When it comes to barbecue, however, they fall well short. This father and son team who began their foray into barbecue first with family functions, later with a food truck, and finally with their restaurant, really know what they are doing when it comes to barbecue. My hope is that more and more lovers of America’s signature style of food familiarize themselves with one of Virginia’s best pitmasters and get to know Original Ronnie’s.
For more on Original Ronnie’s BBQ visit them online at facebook.com/OriginalRonniesBBQ
When Virginia barbecue historian Joe Haynes, author of Virginia Barbecue: A History, tells you that you have to try an up and coming barbecue spot making Virginia ‘cue, you make time to do so. Along with Haynes’ recommendation, Redemption BBQ founder John Vest also has garnered some solid exposure, recently appearing on the Richmond television show “Virginia This Morning,” for his small batch Virginia pork shoulder. Suffice to say, I had to restrain myself from over-hyping the expectations for this emerging Richmond-based barbecue food truck before visiting it myself on June 9th, when it was set up at the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church.
I arrived roughly five minutes into the scheduled start of service to a line of eight customers. Vest, aka Rev. Dr. Porkchop, was running a two man crew out of the truck and it took upwards of 20 to 25 minutes to get my food. With each order chopped to order by Vest himself, the service time was reasonable to me. Watching Dr. Porkchop drop his cleaver onto dancing meat jostled with each impact of his blade was, after all, mouthwatering.
In total I ordered the Small Batch Virginia Barbecue Sandwich (large – a slider option was also available) along with the Midnight in Virginia Sandwich and an order of baked beans with beer sausage. Both of the sandwiches featured Berkshire pork shoulder from Autumn Olive Farms out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, and the Midnight in Virginia Sandwich also included house cured and smoked Berkshire pork loin from Black Boar Farm in Essex County Virginia. These local proteins of choice were joined on the menu by, from what I was able to surmise, strictly Virginian ingredients. For me, this strict adherence to using ingredients from Virginia illustrates Vest’s dedication to sourcing locally.
Between the two sandwiches, I preferred the Midnight in Virginia Sandwich over the Small Batch Virginia Barbecue Sandwich due to the addition of the pork loin. Unfortunately, I felt the pressed panini the barbecue was served on didn’t work as well with the meats as, say, a fluffy bun, which would have better soaked up the meat juices associated with a more classic barbecue sandwich for the perfect bite. Instead, the juices tended to run off onto the paper serving tray.
The Small Batch Virginia Barbecue Sandwich did feature a challah roll from Flour Garden Bakery which was better suited to absorb the juices of the barbecue. In the case of the panini used on the Midnight in Virginia Sandwich, it may have also been the same roll before being pressed but I wasn’t able to confirm that. The Autumn Olive pork shoulder used on the Small Batch Virginia Sandwich was juicy and tender, a testament to Vest’s skill for cooking with wood, but the meat lacked some seasoning for my taste. I found myself gravitating towards Vest’s variety of handmade sauces to liven up the flavor a bit.
In addition to the barbecue, Vest’s pickling and side items really delivered when it came to bold flavors. The pickles and pickled onions on the Midnight in Virginia Sandwich brought bright notes of tartness to the savory juices of the pork loin and pork shoulder. The beer sausage present in the baked beans also demanded attention with rich malty reduced flavor packed into each addictive spoonful.
John Vest is clearly on his way to cultivating a distinctive barbecue taste experience at Redemption BBQ. It’s unique in large part due to his insistence on keeping it distinctly Virginian in approach and style. More pitmasters in the state looking to stand out amongst the pack should follow in Vest’s footsteps and combine their craft with the tried and true foundations of the birthplace of American barbecue.
For more on Redemption BBQ visit them online at redemptionbbq.com
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