Smoke Show BBQ, a new pop-up from chef Brandon Belfer, was born out of homesickness. Belfer grew up in Pleasanton, Texas — the town known as the birthplace of the cowboy — eating brisket with a dark bark and a slice of Wonder Bread.

“Carolina is known for pork barbecue, and they love smoking whole hogs and pork,” Belfer says. “I think you guys can do good brisket. But in my findings everywhere I went, I just never found anything that felt like the brisket I got back home.”

Smoke Show’s first pop-up took place over the weekend at Crown Station in NoDa, serving brisket, smoked chicken, and beef and pork ribs. Sides included mac-and-cheese, beans, pickles, and potato salad, with banana pudding for dessert. Portions were generous, and the meat was tender and flavorful, with subtle smoke notes.

The Texas way of barbecuing calls for meat to be smoked at a higher temperature than traditionally done in North Carolina. This leads to a more pronounced bark on the meat, as well as a less pronounced smoke taste in the meat, according to Belfer.

“I know that sounds contradictory, because you think Texas barbecue, you think mesquite and real heavy smoke flavor — it’s a misconception people get about it,” he says. “But the Texas barbecue I grew up on is actually smoked over oak and it’s a very nice balance between the meat and the smoke flavor.”

Texas barbecue is made mostly of beef, whereas North Carolina’s barbecue comes from cuts of pork or whole hogs. As for the sauce, Texas-style is closer to Western Carolina’s sweeter, tomato sauce than Eastern Carolina’s vinegar sauce.

Before Belfer started Smoke Show, the Johnson & Wales graduate worked at some of the city’s top restaurants, including Kindred, The Stanley, and The Crunkleton. Follow Smoke Show BBQ on Instagram for the next pop-up announcement.

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