Clay Blair is bringing North Carolina-style barbecue to the greater Los Angeles area through his pop-up Edna Jane’s BBQ. Using our flavorful brioche buns, Blair cooks up some pulled pork sandwiches that balance the buttery richness of brioche with the tang of his vinegar-pepper sauce, slaw, and pickled red onions. All together, they make for a heavenly barbecue meal.
Blair only somewhat recently opened up Edna Jane’s BBQ for business with the onset of the pandemic as a supplement to his main gig in the music industry. Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, Blair isn’t new to barbecue, having grown up with family who would smoke whole hogs and gather for pig picking parties where the whole hog would be supplemented by sides the guests would bring. It’s from these roots that Blair gets his inspiration for both his cooking and his restaurant’s name — Edna Jane is Blair’s grandmother.
Of course, barbecue in Los Angeles is an entirely different thing to Carolina barbecue. But while Blair mostly sticks to the barbecue culture he grew up around, this doesn’t keep him from embracing the Los Angeles barbecue scene. For one, he has adopted pastrami brisket which he described to the BREADBAR team as a uniquely Los Angeles thing thanks to the history of great pastrami and delis in the area. Blair also enjoys experimenting with the brines he uses in his cooking as well as with pickling food.
One more part where Blair deviates from the barbecue he grew up with is the bread for the sandwiches. Blair told the BREADBAR team that growing up, everyone would just use simple, thin, cheap potato buns that barely hold up against all the meat and sauce. And he might have stuck to ordinary potato buns if he hadn’t reached out to a friend early in the process of launching Edna Jane’s BBQ for bread recommendations.
That’s how Blair first heard about BREADBAR. Blair recounted that after visiting our bakery to meet the team and sample some bread, he was completely sold on both the bread and the company. Blair even added that BREADBAR reminds him of his father’s work ethic and respect for both customers and employees. And when it comes to our bread, Blair said, “The BREADBAR brioche is the Edna Jane sandwich,” and later adding, “I don’t ever want to eat another pork sandwich without one of these buns.”
In the future, Blair plans to expand Edna Jane’s BBQ in a variety of ways. From hosting some whole hog smokings like the ones he grew up with to offering more new sandwiches and maybe even one day opening up a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Regardless of how Edna Jane’s BBQ may grow, Blair definitely plans to keep BREADBAR by his side. And if anyone asks him for bread recommendations, he’s got one answer for all your bakery needs: BREADBAR.
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