Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, Shelby, North Carolina

How great to be back! 

I first learned of Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge some years back when Garden and Gun readers picked it as the best barbecue place in the South, and by implication, the world. What was this place that had escaped my notice? At first opportunity I was off on my initial Piedmont Tour de Barbecue and ate my way down to 2000 East Dixon Boulevard in Shelby, North Carolina, where Red Bridges has been cooking pork shoulders over wood coals in a masonry pit for nearly 80 years.

There I had one of my favorite meals ever, as recounted here, and Red Bridges promptly earned a spot on my  Ten Best Piedmont Style Barbecue Places list.

Red Bridges was started by Red and Lyttle Bridges in 1946 during the burst of barbecue openings after the end of World War II. Red passed in 1966, and Lyttle ran the business herself for decades until her 80th year, when her daughter Debbie took over. Lyttle earned a place in the Barbecue Hall of Fame, and Red Bridges remains a family place, now run by granddaughter Natalie and grandson Chase. The family feel is very real. Red Bridges is about as friendly a place as you will ever find — as you will see if you read on.

I rolled into Red Bridges around the end of the lunch hour after my late, great breakfast at the Park Road Soda Shoppe in Charlotte. I sat at the counter and ordered a pork plate with green beans and potato salad. It came with the red slaw characteristic of Piedmont barbecue places.

That’s a whole lot of food, a big helping of meat and three sides. And it came with hushpuppies, a half dozen very large, beautifully cooked hushpuppies with an excellent crunch. Outstanding.

Everything else was good. The potato salad wan’t overcooked or overdressed, and the green beans were a treat. The red slaw was sensational, a great example of the freshness and tang of that treat. Is it the very best red slaw around?

The pork was amazing. As I ate I kept pausing unconsciously with my fork in the air, still level with my mouth, for long seconds as I thought about just how extraordinarily flavorful it was, and how the the elements of texture, smoke, pork, and sauce blended and enhanced each other in wondrous whole.

Apparently I couldn’t contain my enthusiasm, and soon I was discussing the barbecue and sides with Mr. Tony Henson, a friendly fellow who delivers auto parts around the western Carolinas. He’s an expert in top places to eat lunch, like Red Bridges, and particularly recommended the Hungry Drover, a good meat and three in Travelers Rest, just north of Greenville, South Carolina. He also mentioned some others but I was still busy eating. We got around to where I was from and why I was in Shelby, and Natalie Webb overheard that I had a blog — a blog that she wisely follows. She told me that I just had to try their rough chop pork and brought out a sample.

Pure pork barbecue. No sauce, I dare say no fancy rubs, just pork, heat and smoke — and some kind of magic. I usually prefer pork with some vinegar-based sauce to balance and lighten the richness of the pork. This rough cut, however, was just about perfect all by itself. You need to try some.

I shared some with Tony Henson, and he reciprocated with a taste of his banana pudding.

That’s some good banana pudding.

Natalie is endlessly charming and vivacious and just plain fun, even when she isn’t giving you barbecue. 

She reminded me a bit of Dear. As you can see, Natalie gave me a quick tour of the pit where shoulders for the late afternoon and dinner hours were in the final stages, just waiting to satisfy hungry diners.

Isn’t that magnificent?

I finally had to pull myself away lest I eat something else. I went to the counter to pay and the bill for the barbecue plate was $12 plus tax and tip. I stood there agog for a few seconds, thinking about the wonderful meal I’d just eaten, and repeated the amount. Concerned, the cashier asked, “Is anything wrong? I’m sorry but we really had to raise prices just this week.” I responded, “This is amazing. Last week I paid $50 for a light pound of barbecue, two sides, and a soft drink.” It was their turn to be agog.

I just love Red Bridges. It’s one of the best barbecue places in the United States. If you haven’t been, make arrangements now.

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