Several weeks ago, we make the 8 hour trip to Charlotte to visit our son. He is in the restaurant business and during our several days there we visited several of his favorite eateries. All of them were excellent in their genre.

On the last day there he said he had saved a special treat. There was a lot of hype about a new BBQ restaurant that had just opened and he wanted to try it. This was our introduction to some of the finest BBQ and sides we’ve ever had.

Noble Smoke assorted meats & sides

We ordered a variety of our favorite meats and sides and each one was excellent in their own way. The Brisket was perfectly moist, tender and nice smoke flavor that can only be achieved on real wood coals. The pulled pork and ribs were also cooked and seasoned perfectly. Their secret rub? Salt and pepper. Our sides of choice were mac & cheese, collards, pickled veggies and slaw. All were excellent in their own right.

Chef Jim Noble claims this is the culmination of a 25 year dream and it’s clear that he knows BBQ as well as the restaurant business as this building is beautiful, the wait staff and chefs we met were wonderful and the food was terrific.

Owner Jim Noble, photo courtesy Lunah Zon Photography / Plaid Penguin

We chose a seat overlooking the kitchen and serving area so we could speak to the chefs as well as see them slicing and plating the dishes.

As we finished our meal I asked what it would cost to see the smokehouse and one of them said, “I just happen to have all my orders out and can take you back right now”. The smokehouse was as impressive as any I’ve seen with the 6 huge 1000 gal propane tank smokers and huge brick oven along the opposite wall. Equally impressive was his love for BBQ as he described their smoking process and his own cooking journey.

Besides seeing our son, this was the highlight of our Charlotte trip. If you’re ever within a few hours of Charlotte, NC a side trip to this excellent restaurant should be on your to-do list.