Bridges Barbecue Lodge

2000 E. Dixon Blvd., Shelby, NC - (704) 482-8567

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Posted By Michael Stern on 5/9/2009 10:38:00 PM

Bridges cooks its meat in a huge pit the size of a small motel adjacent to the restaurant; and the hickory-pork aroma seeping from this pit is a temptation to the Roadfood passer-by more alluring than perfume from Paris, France.

There is no menu, just the slip of paper used by the waitress to take orders. It has the short list of what is available, which she explains if you are not an experienced North Carolina barbecue eater. Our waitress turned out to be a big fan of local soft drinks to accompany the Q. “Cheerwine is cherry,” she told us, “but my favorite is Sundrop, which is like Sprite but more citrusy, and better. You’ll like it with your pork.” We sure did.

Basically you get a sandwich, a tray, or a plate. A tray is simply barbecue and barbecue slaw; a plate also holds French fries, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. Both are accompanied by a basket of hushpuppies, and whether you select sandwich, tray, or plate, you will have to decide if you want your meat minced, chopped, or sliced. It is a major decision, for they are almost like two different foods. Minced meat is really hacked up, pulverized into moist hash with some little shreds of darkened, chewy crust among the distressed pork. The mound is held together by a smidgen of uniquely North Carolinian sauce - tomato based, but with a strong vinegar tang. Chopped is chunky, and sliced barbecue comes as big, soft flaps. With the pork comes a Styrofoam cup of warm sauce for dipping.

The hushpuppies are curious: elongated crescents with a wickedly brittle, sandy-textured crust. The slaw is strange, too, if you are expecting anything like typical cole slaw. This is barbecue slaw, meaning finely chopped cabbage bound together with – what else? – barbecue sauce! It’s got zest and crunch, and a pearly-red color that handsomely complements your pork of choice. The small tray, by the way, is only about three by five inches and an inch-and-a-half deep, but it is astounding how much meat and slaw get packed into it.

Note: Bridges is closed Monday and Tuesday

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

chopped pork	Iced Tea
sliced pork	Hushpuppies

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"The barbecue slaw is unusual and is something of an acquired taste. I loved it; my cousin did not. But the reason you come here is for the BBQ pork (here chopped and covered with the vinegary BBQ sauce) and Bridges' is among the best anywhere!"
Cliff Strutz

"We noticed every table at Bridges was drinking the iced tea and now we know why. It is ultra-sweet and addictively delicious. "
Cliff Strutz

"Like any good Carolina barbecue parlor, Bridges crunchy hushpuppies automatically come with your meal."
Cliff Strutz

"For a barbecue parlor, Bridges makes a fine pimento cheese sandwich."
Cliff Strutz

"My cousin called Bridges peach cobbler "the closest he has ever tasted to grandma's." In our family, that is the ultimate praise!"
Cliff Strutz

"This is as close as Bridges comes to a menu. The waitress writes your order on the slip of paper and you are expected to take it to the cash register to pay on your way out. (Click on the photo for a readable view.)"
Cliff Strutz

"Bridges is oddly named, since the inside certainly doesn't resemble a lodge."
Cliff Strutz

"Happy, frolicking pigs almost always mean great barbecue!"
Cliff Strutz

"Founded in 1946 by Red Bridges, who apprenticed with Walter Stamey, Bridges is one of the great pits of North Carolina ... operated by Bridges' widow, "Mama B," since the mid-1960s."
Michael Stern