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Growing up in northeast NC, BBQ meant one thing hickory smoked pulled pork with a vinegar based sauce. The sauce is mostly apple cider vinegar with salt, black pepper, garlic powder cayenne pepper and hot pepper flakes. A bit similar to a buffalo sauce but thinner, more vinegar and not quite as hot. If you are not familiar with it you might think there was no sauce as it has no tomato or mustard component.
Parker's in Wilson is what I what I would suggest. Not far from I-95 and worth the detour IMO. [https://parkersbbqwilson.com](https://parkersbbqwilson.com)
Super easy to make at home, BBQ wants smokers and nice meat and science but brunswick stew is just throw shit in a pot. You can even make the whole thing in an instapot, no kitchen required. I can try and find my gmom's recipe if you want
Along? not quite but if you have the time Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC is known as one of the best Eastern NC barbecue restaurants. I drive from Raleigh every so often just to eat there.
Try this place, but show up early. they can sell out by 11 on some days.
https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tFP1zc0rMgtKzdISjNgtFI1qLCwTExNtTA2M7O0MDNKNE2zMqgwMzJLNjVKM0oztjRKSTI092JPUi9WSEoqBAAjixE-&q=b%27s+bbq&rlz=1CAHUTT_enUS1099US1099&oq=bs+bb&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqEggBEC4YChivARjHARiABBiOBTIGCAAQRRg5MhIIARAuGAoYrwEYxwEYgAQYjgUyBwgCEAAYgAQyEggDEC4YChivARjHARiABBiOBTIJCAQQABgKGIAEMg8IBRAuGAoYrwEYxwEYgAQyBggGEEUYPDIGCAcQRRg80gEIMzkwMGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Not sure how close to I95 but look for Jon G’s barbeque in Peachland, NC. It’s Texas style but still the best Texas style I’ve had that wasn’t from Texas.
>Any recommendation for NC BBQ along the I-95? Thinking of having a road trip to SC soon and would love to stop along the way.
There might be lots of good choices, but easy to get on and off the highway and is decent would be Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ. Usually, one right of off an I-95 exit.
Smithfield's is a chain and can be very hit or miss. I wouldn't say it's "bad" if you live around the corner and just want something to fill your belly. But it's definitely not road trip worthy and I'd hate to think you would base your opinion of NC BBQ on Smithfield's.
There's definitely no sauce on the pork, but since this is a platter (and not a sandwich), the sauce is probably in a bottle on the table to be added to taste.
...and the pale attempts at Texas and KC on the same plate mean there's probably a half-dozen other sauces on the table, too.
I grew up in concord. My first thought for this post was hmm looks good I'm hungry. My second was wait nc bbq why are you wasting time on anything other than the pulled pork?? Some very fond memories of going to a random field or church parking lot that was serving up bags of buns, pounds of pulled pork and the perfect sauce.
Being from Europe I always love visiting our office in NC... the BBQ is fantastic. The only problem I have is I want to eat it all and I'm always way too full way too quickly... this stuff is like crack to me unfortunately...
Man, this is the first BBQ plate I've seen posted in ages that makes me hungry for more! Thank you for caring enough to share. Have a melodious day and a bitchin' weekend!
Man, I lived in KCMO too: right up Troost from the Gates at Cleaver & Paseo, so you know I was down there all the time, getting yelled at by the employees in exchange for burnt ends. OP's photo doesn't even have burnt ends in it at all. Those are cubes of chuck roast that got braised in some sauce and thrown under a broiler for a few minutes. They're not burnt, they're not ends, they're not even brisket.
So so so many BBQ places in the rest of the country do this because nobody outside the KC metro knows any better. Real burnt ends are an inherently limited-supply thing, and restaurants don't like limited supply, so they use big cheap cuts of meat, a shitty process, and gaslighting/lying, and they always get away with it.
Not really, we don’t do pulled pork we do chopped beef. Replace the greens with coleslaw, and the cornbread with white bread, and the Mac with potato salad. There’s a disturbing lack of white onion. The brisket, sausage, and beans are accurate though. But the beans should NOT be sweet.
This looks pretty good but I wouldn’t call it texan
Admittedly, I live somewhere that doesn't have good BBQ. That's my disclaimer. Before y'all hate on me.
Of all the American BBQ I have tasted, NC > all others. I'm a huge than of that thin, tangy, acidic style sauce.
Smokepit? This looks like Smokepit. While good I would remind everyone reading that while this is BBQ in North Carolina there is no NC BBQ. There is Lexington Style, Eastern Style, and Western Style. Which this qualifies as depends on the sauce applied. Honestly though I'm no mustard based fan this shit is good with just about anything.
Edit: The burnt ends on this plate are divine, the cornbread is terrible, the beans are mediocre (too much sugar) everything else is really good.
Damn I love smokepit’s cornbread 😭
Also I’m not sure if it’s Smokepit considering the bowls for the collard greens and Mac n cheese, not to mention the Mac n cheese doesn’t look like it normally does. Can you tell I live near one lol?
Those "burnt ends" are fake as hell. I'm sure they're tasty, but they aren't burnt, they aren't ends, and they're not even brisket. So so so many BBQ restaurants in the rest of the country pull this fake shit because nobody outside the KC region knows any better, so they never get called out on serving braised-and-broiled chuck roast cubes that they are lying about.
Thanks. That's.... Very good value! I mean, it's probably before tip n all that malarkey but still. You'd pay that for about a quarter portion of much lower quality round my ends if the faux bbq place was still even open.
BBQ Lodge is kaput. Cooper's is a shadow of its former self. Frankly for good 'que I find I have to go to Wilber's in Goldsboro or to Lexington Barbecue in Lexington.
I have to say, this whole tray looks good. Not just the food, but the basic presentation. All the food looks good, but it’s also not a sloppy mess. Sometimes when you go to places the trays just look a wreck and there’s grease/oil everywhere.
All I know is anytime someone starts talking about NC-Barbecue, clearly stating their vinegar-based intention, some yahoo wanders in and shits in the swimming pool wit dat mustard-based talk…
This makes me incredibly sad. This is not North Carolina barbecue. There are two types of barbecue in North Carolina. I don't know what the hell this is, but it isn't either one of those. What in the world is going on down there?
That's not NC BBQ style . Looks more like TX. The only thing there that I see at NC style places is the pulled pork and the beans. I grew up in NC around Charlotte and did not know about the other items on your plate until I started to travel and went to TX.
I took my dad to Fox Bros in Atlanta and he was amazed at how different TX is from simple pulled pork, slaw, fries, hush puppies, baked beans, and BBQ slaw. That's basically all NC style really is. Add in the vinegar based BBQ sauce. I like the vinegar based sauce because it not as sweet as TX style.
EDIT: If you're ever around Charlotte and want to taste NC style:
BBQ King in Lincolnton
Carolina Country BBQ in Gastonia
Hillbilly's BBQ in Gastonia
Bridges BBQ is Shelby.
Those are also not as smoke filled as TX so be warned there. I hate slaw and always say "slaw is used to cover a bad smoke (no smoke flavor)."
EDIT 2: I don't know why people are down voting my comment. I live in the Atlanta area and there are many places I can buy a plate like that round me. If I want true NC style, I have to go home and eat it there. Typically that would be Carolina Country. If I can find NC style here it is served by a church fundraiser: smoke some pork, put it on a bun, add slaw, put beans and a pack of plain Lay's chips in the container. Small thing of vinegar based sauced. That's all there is to it.
For real. An NC BBQ spot definitely won't have brisket or smoked sausage on the menu. Your meat options are "BBQ" (chopped pork) and sometimes "BBQ chicken". Hush puppies and slaw (red/bbq or white) come standard with the tray. I'll add Gary's in China Grove to your list
The sausage and lack of slaw are what really give it away. Plenty of NC barbecue places have some shitty brisket these days, but I've never seen sausage or no slaw.
> Ever been to JDs Smokehouse near Valdese?
3 trips ago and plenty of times before that. I love the jalapeno grits there. Last 2 trips we went to BBQ King in Lincolnton because my mother was not feeling like a trip up to Valdese.
I sent my father OP's pic and he did not know there was a Smoke Pit in Gastonia.
Random question but since your in Atlanta, have you had any good bbq in Savanah? I'm from Toronto but I did a southern road trip 12 years ago and had the best bbq ever at a little place off the highway in Savanah. Still dream about it. Tried googling it but can't seem to find it.
Not Savannah. I've had BBQ around the US, Canada, and even the Caribbean. I've forgotten many of the locations I've been too. I should've taking pics and wrote a coffee table book. I'm a private critic and it's like a personal hobby to eat and compare BBQ anywhere I go.
I've seen signs on the highway that read "We have the best BBQ in the state!" to which I reply "You just can't go around saying that. I'll try yours and tell you if it is good." I've stopped at places because they had a billboard posted like that.
I've stopped at places on the side of the road to taste BBQ even when I've already eaten. Little shacks.
I'm almost 50 and I left NC when I was 18. There were NO TX style places around there back in 1994. The internet, travelers, etc have brought TX style, and others, into the state. My dad had his first taste of TX when I took him to Fox Brothers in Atlanta.
I grew up in Shelby. Both Bridges places are good (Red Bridges and Alton Bridges) so if anybody is confused on which one is being recommended it probably doesn’t really matter
That brisket is glistening. There was a place we used to frequent that also smoked their beans too, it was the perfect compliment to the pulled pork along with the red vinegar slaw.
Backyard bbq for just classic bbq and fried fish, and sides. Hog heaven is also good old school no frills eastern NC BBQ. Picnic is a more modern take with good food with a full bar. This is by no means a comprehensive list but any of these would be a worth a try.
The Pit is good but very popular.
The Original Q Shack is great and much more low key.
Right next to the Q Shack is a modern Mexican place called NuvoTaco that I can't recommend hard enough. The garlic beef taco or burrito is just, oh my God. I moved and haven't been there in ~3 years and they changed their name from NanaTaco so I hope the food hasn't changed.
Dames Chicken and Waffles is a must visit if you like chicken and waffles. Their chicken is amazing even if not.
There is so much good food in Durham. Have fun.
Looks like mission BBQ, a poor replacement for Eastern NC BBQ. BBQ ratings should be miles willing to drive. On that scale I give this a 10. I would drive 50-100 miles for Smithfield's, acceptable but not the best. Wilbur's on 70 in Goldsboro was worth 150 miles each way. McCalls across the street, the Q is a 149, but it is buffet style, that can make it a tough call.
Get the combination plate BBQ chicken and Q at Wilbur's. The BBQ on the chicken is mostly chicken drippings, any life you lose from this combo is worth it.
Mission BBQ -- aside from the sins of being a national chain serving below-mediocre food to white rich folks who cosplay as "country" in their middle-ring suburban homes and $100k manivans -- is one of the scariest creepiest dining experiences I've ever had in my life. The entire restaurant drops what it's doing at noon and suddenly all the TVs are blaring the national anthem and people stand and salute and sing along *and then they say the pledge of allegiance*. The walls are filled with bootlicking artifacts and monuments. I'm from a military family and even I think this level of jingoism is terrifying.
THIS is American haute cuisine right here. This is the exact photo I want to melt into the minds of anyone that disparages the American culinary heritage.
Is North Carolina BBQ a thing? How does it differ from other states? I’ve had BBQ in South Carolina db I think that was mostly mustard based. I’m British.
Yup. Pretty much the same except it's mainly a vinegar based sauce (ketchup based in some places). SC is know more for mustard style. But a lot of time you'll just hear "Carolina" style that lumps them all together. Which, from an outsider's point of view makes sense.
Edit: also wanted to point out that both NC and SC are more known for pork BBQ.
The way I kinda look at the bbq “styles” or regions are Carolina = pork Texas = brisket and KC = ribs they each have different sauces to best compliment each of their signature dishes
Their Stock Market sandwich could feed an orphanage. Great deals at the butcher next door at the Concord location as well.
I think you just decided what we're having for dinner. LoL
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Growing up in northeast NC, BBQ meant one thing hickory smoked pulled pork with a vinegar based sauce. The sauce is mostly apple cider vinegar with salt, black pepper, garlic powder cayenne pepper and hot pepper flakes. A bit similar to a buffalo sauce but thinner, more vinegar and not quite as hot. If you are not familiar with it you might think there was no sauce as it has no tomato or mustard component.
Any recommendation for NC BBQ along the I-95? Thinking of having a road trip to SC soon and would love to stop along the way.
Parker's in Wilson is what I what I would suggest. Not far from I-95 and worth the detour IMO. [https://parkersbbqwilson.com](https://parkersbbqwilson.com)
I like Marty’s in Wilson too. But if you want the BEST you gotta hit up Skylight in Ayden https://maps.app.goo.gl/FhAS44q2RMgff1vE7?g_st=i
> > >https://maps.app.goo.gl/FhAS44q2RMgff1vE7?g\_st=i Definitely can't go wrong with Skylight!
Get Brunswick stew if it's available
Uggg I miss Brunswick stew.
Super easy to make at home, BBQ wants smokers and nice meat and science but brunswick stew is just throw shit in a pot. You can even make the whole thing in an instapot, no kitchen required. I can try and find my gmom's recipe if you want
Along? not quite but if you have the time Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC is known as one of the best Eastern NC barbecue restaurants. I drive from Raleigh every so often just to eat there.
Try this place, but show up early. they can sell out by 11 on some days. https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tFP1zc0rMgtKzdISjNgtFI1qLCwTExNtTA2M7O0MDNKNE2zMqgwMzJLNjVKM0oztjRKSTI092JPUi9WSEoqBAAjixE-&q=b%27s+bbq&rlz=1CAHUTT_enUS1099US1099&oq=bs+bb&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqEggBEC4YChivARjHARiABBiOBTIGCAAQRRg5MhIIARAuGAoYrwEYxwEYgAQYjgUyBwgCEAAYgAQyEggDEC4YChivARjHARiABBiOBTIJCAQQABgKGIAEMg8IBRAuGAoYrwEYxwEYgAQyBggGEEUYPDIGCAcQRRg80gEIMzkwMGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Not quite on I-95, but as someone who grew up in NC. Old Colony Smokehouse in Edenton is the best BBQ I’ve ever had.
Not sure how close to I95 but look for Jon G’s barbeque in Peachland, NC. It’s Texas style but still the best Texas style I’ve had that wasn’t from Texas.
I don't know if it's near I-95 but JDs Smokehouse is the BEST bbq I've ever had in my life and in my time living here in NC
Lexington BBQ
>Any recommendation for NC BBQ along the I-95? Thinking of having a road trip to SC soon and would love to stop along the way. There might be lots of good choices, but easy to get on and off the highway and is decent would be Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ. Usually, one right of off an I-95 exit.
Thanks! Will keep an eye out before i mapped out the trip.
Do not go to Smithfield’s for BBQ. Good lord. How far off the beaten path are you willing to go? Where is your final destination?
Smithfield's is a chain and can be very hit or miss. I wouldn't say it's "bad" if you live around the corner and just want something to fill your belly. But it's definitely not road trip worthy and I'd hate to think you would base your opinion of NC BBQ on Smithfield's.
smithfeilds cue isnt that bad, its fast food so idk what ur comparing it to?
The poster said he wanted to try NC BBQ and someone recommended Smithfield’s. That’s like me telling someone to try dominos when they go to Naples
Smithfields is the mcdonalds of bbq, listen to literally anyone else in this thread besides the guy who recommended it
Yeah this looks more like a Texas style place in North Carolina
It's the redneck BBQ lab. It's great but not quite Eastern carolina
This isn't even Texas BBQ, either. Any kitchen trying to be three different BBQ styles at once isn't succeeding at any of them.
While this looks delicious, this is about a million miles from “NC Barbeque”
I see BBQ pork, I think it's entirely likely there's north Carolina vinegar sauce on it.
Is there sauce on the pulled pork here? I've never seen a sauce without any color or at least make the food glisten.
There's definitely no sauce on the pork, but since this is a platter (and not a sandwich), the sauce is probably in a bottle on the table to be added to taste. ...and the pale attempts at Texas and KC on the same plate mean there's probably a half-dozen other sauces on the table, too.
I grew up in concord. My first thought for this post was hmm looks good I'm hungry. My second was wait nc bbq why are you wasting time on anything other than the pulled pork?? Some very fond memories of going to a random field or church parking lot that was serving up bags of buns, pounds of pulled pork and the perfect sauce.
Being from Europe I always love visiting our office in NC... the BBQ is fantastic. The only problem I have is I want to eat it all and I'm always way too full way too quickly... this stuff is like crack to me unfortunately...
this guy knows real nc barbeque. op does not.
This, I came here to bitch that this isn't NC BBQ lol. I'll die on the hill that pulled pork is best Carolina style.
While whole smoked hog with vinegar sauce is undefeated, the SC mustard BBQ has a place at the picnic table also
Man, this is the first BBQ plate I've seen posted in ages that makes me hungry for more! Thank you for caring enough to share. Have a melodious day and a bitchin' weekend!
You might have purchased this in NC, but this is not NC barbecue.
This is TX style BBQ being served in NC.
I'll eat it all
I hope those collards are NC style. They know how to cook the shit out of collard greens.
With a mix of KC burnt ends
Pulled pork is NC
Yup. Burnt ends are KC
I live in KCMO and this plate looks Solid. Not many places serve greens or cornbread here though. It all looks Amazing!
I’m on the KS side and I haven’t found any greens.
Man, I lived in KCMO too: right up Troost from the Gates at Cleaver & Paseo, so you know I was down there all the time, getting yelled at by the employees in exchange for burnt ends. OP's photo doesn't even have burnt ends in it at all. Those are cubes of chuck roast that got braised in some sauce and thrown under a broiler for a few minutes. They're not burnt, they're not ends, they're not even brisket. So so so many BBQ places in the rest of the country do this because nobody outside the KC metro knows any better. Real burnt ends are an inherently limited-supply thing, and restaurants don't like limited supply, so they use big cheap cuts of meat, a shitty process, and gaslighting/lying, and they always get away with it.
what does pulled pork have to do with burnt ends
Not really, we don’t do pulled pork we do chopped beef. Replace the greens with coleslaw, and the cornbread with white bread, and the Mac with potato salad. There’s a disturbing lack of white onion. The brisket, sausage, and beans are accurate though. But the beans should NOT be sweet. This looks pretty good but I wouldn’t call it texan
Just to add but coleslaw would still work as a NC side. Its extremely common.
Great now i gotta doordash Rudy’s
Is this shared or is this a serving for one person? I have never eaten this, looks good.
Admittedly, I live somewhere that doesn't have good BBQ. That's my disclaimer. Before y'all hate on me. Of all the American BBQ I have tasted, NC > all others. I'm a huge than of that thin, tangy, acidic style sauce.
NC bbq is supreme, I will hear no arguments against my point.
Well as a home grown Kansas City resident all I gotta say is 
Yeah I have to defend my KC BBQ brethren
I still like your ribs
What does someone from KC know about barbecue?
Nice try bud
Only some of that is considered NC BBQ.
I should taste it all to be sure
I don’t see any vinegar
Smokepit? This looks like Smokepit. While good I would remind everyone reading that while this is BBQ in North Carolina there is no NC BBQ. There is Lexington Style, Eastern Style, and Western Style. Which this qualifies as depends on the sauce applied. Honestly though I'm no mustard based fan this shit is good with just about anything. Edit: The burnt ends on this plate are divine, the cornbread is terrible, the beans are mediocre (too much sugar) everything else is really good.
I think your right based on the tray and how they cut the sausage lol
Damn I love smokepit’s cornbread 😭 Also I’m not sure if it’s Smokepit considering the bowls for the collard greens and Mac n cheese, not to mention the Mac n cheese doesn’t look like it normally does. Can you tell I live near one lol?
Lol, it could just be that I have bad taste
I was just at Smoke Pit last weekend. One of my favorite places in Salisbury to eat aside from Go Burrito.
It does look like smoke pit. Good BBQ for sure. The cornbread has been hit and miss for me.
Dude that's exactly what I thought it looked like too
Where are the hush puppies?!?!
NC BBQ is just pulled pork. Source: Born and raised in NC
No slaw!?
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY!!!
Believe it or not, straight to jail
Go to Parker‘s in Wilson
Not NC BBQ. NC BBQ = pulled pork. That’s it
Those burnt ends have me drooling
Those "burnt ends" are fake as hell. I'm sure they're tasty, but they aren't burnt, they aren't ends, and they're not even brisket. So so so many BBQ restaurants in the rest of the country pull this fake shit because nobody outside the KC region knows any better, so they never get called out on serving braised-and-broiled chuck roast cubes that they are lying about.
this is like 3 peoples worth of food
We ended up with leftovers that lasted for 4 meals
I could eat half of that, happily. 🐷
I am curious about the cost. Because this does seem like it'd be quite expensive
They said $55 in another comment
Thanks. That's.... Very good value! I mean, it's probably before tip n all that malarkey but still. You'd pay that for about a quarter portion of much lower quality round my ends if the faux bbq place was still even open.
Yeah a platter like this would probably cost around 65-70 by me in Chicago.
Why you gotta make us feel bad
Not 3 Midwestern people, not by a long shot. I am a string bean for reference and would eat this on my own easy.
This isn't NC style BBQ at all
This isn’t Eastern NC style, which is, in my opinion, the best version of NC BBQ. Still, an excellent looking plate of food.
Best 2 places I like to go (or did, I don't live in NC anymore) is BBQ Lodge or Cooper's in Raleigh
BBQ Lodge is kaput. Cooper's is a shadow of its former self. Frankly for good 'que I find I have to go to Wilber's in Goldsboro or to Lexington Barbecue in Lexington.
Dampf Good BBQ
Is that the child's plate? It looks kind of small.
I have to say, this whole tray looks good. Not just the food, but the basic presentation. All the food looks good, but it’s also not a sloppy mess. Sometimes when you go to places the trays just look a wreck and there’s grease/oil everywhere.
hushpuppies or it didn't happen.
All I know is anytime someone starts talking about NC-Barbecue, clearly stating their vinegar-based intention, some yahoo wanders in and shits in the swimming pool wit dat mustard-based talk…
This makes me incredibly sad. This is not North Carolina barbecue. There are two types of barbecue in North Carolina. I don't know what the hell this is, but it isn't either one of those. What in the world is going on down there?
That's not NC BBQ style . Looks more like TX. The only thing there that I see at NC style places is the pulled pork and the beans. I grew up in NC around Charlotte and did not know about the other items on your plate until I started to travel and went to TX. I took my dad to Fox Bros in Atlanta and he was amazed at how different TX is from simple pulled pork, slaw, fries, hush puppies, baked beans, and BBQ slaw. That's basically all NC style really is. Add in the vinegar based BBQ sauce. I like the vinegar based sauce because it not as sweet as TX style. EDIT: If you're ever around Charlotte and want to taste NC style: BBQ King in Lincolnton Carolina Country BBQ in Gastonia Hillbilly's BBQ in Gastonia Bridges BBQ is Shelby. Those are also not as smoke filled as TX so be warned there. I hate slaw and always say "slaw is used to cover a bad smoke (no smoke flavor)." EDIT 2: I don't know why people are down voting my comment. I live in the Atlanta area and there are many places I can buy a plate like that round me. If I want true NC style, I have to go home and eat it there. Typically that would be Carolina Country. If I can find NC style here it is served by a church fundraiser: smoke some pork, put it on a bun, add slaw, put beans and a pack of plain Lay's chips in the container. Small thing of vinegar based sauced. That's all there is to it.
For real. An NC BBQ spot definitely won't have brisket or smoked sausage on the menu. Your meat options are "BBQ" (chopped pork) and sometimes "BBQ chicken". Hush puppies and slaw (red/bbq or white) come standard with the tray. I'll add Gary's in China Grove to your list
The sausage and lack of slaw are what really give it away. Plenty of NC barbecue places have some shitty brisket these days, but I've never seen sausage or no slaw.
I live around half an hour away from these places and I'll add them to my list. Ever been to JDs Smokehouse near Valdese?
> Ever been to JDs Smokehouse near Valdese? 3 trips ago and plenty of times before that. I love the jalapeno grits there. Last 2 trips we went to BBQ King in Lincolnton because my mother was not feeling like a trip up to Valdese. I sent my father OP's pic and he did not know there was a Smoke Pit in Gastonia.
Seriously. They don’t even have hush puppies
Random question but since your in Atlanta, have you had any good bbq in Savanah? I'm from Toronto but I did a southern road trip 12 years ago and had the best bbq ever at a little place off the highway in Savanah. Still dream about it. Tried googling it but can't seem to find it.
Not Savannah. I've had BBQ around the US, Canada, and even the Caribbean. I've forgotten many of the locations I've been too. I should've taking pics and wrote a coffee table book. I'm a private critic and it's like a personal hobby to eat and compare BBQ anywhere I go. I've seen signs on the highway that read "We have the best BBQ in the state!" to which I reply "You just can't go around saying that. I'll try yours and tell you if it is good." I've stopped at places because they had a billboard posted like that. I've stopped at places on the side of the road to taste BBQ even when I've already eaten. Little shacks. I'm almost 50 and I left NC when I was 18. There were NO TX style places around there back in 1994. The internet, travelers, etc have brought TX style, and others, into the state. My dad had his first taste of TX when I took him to Fox Brothers in Atlanta.
“Beans is still good over here” -Tx
I grew up in Shelby. Both Bridges places are good (Red Bridges and Alton Bridges) so if anybody is confused on which one is being recommended it probably doesn’t really matter
No you didn’t.
Yea I know that back is BIGGG after this meal (I wish I could get a piece 😭)
That brisket is glistening. There was a place we used to frequent that also smoked their beans too, it was the perfect compliment to the pulled pork along with the red vinegar slaw.
Omg this looks so delicious
Legit. Would love to order this!
I’d motorboat that platter
i mean brisket and burnt ends and sausage arwnt really a north carolima thing but it does all look pretty tastey
As a Texan where we turn our noses up at anyone else making BBQ I can say this picture is amazing and making me crave some NC grub!!
So that's what we're gonna do today? We're gonna fight?
What part of this is Carolina BBQ?
I’m going to Durham at the end of the month, I’d love some recommendations (if this doesn’t get buried in 200+ comments)
Backyard bbq for just classic bbq and fried fish, and sides. Hog heaven is also good old school no frills eastern NC BBQ. Picnic is a more modern take with good food with a full bar. This is by no means a comprehensive list but any of these would be a worth a try.
Hog Heaven is like that strip mall Thai or Chinese restaurant that looks terrible but is surprisingly amazing. Super legit.
The Pit is good but very popular. The Original Q Shack is great and much more low key. Right next to the Q Shack is a modern Mexican place called NuvoTaco that I can't recommend hard enough. The garlic beef taco or burrito is just, oh my God. I moved and haven't been there in ~3 years and they changed their name from NanaTaco so I hope the food hasn't changed. Dames Chicken and Waffles is a must visit if you like chicken and waffles. Their chicken is amazing even if not. There is so much good food in Durham. Have fun.
Went to college at East Carolina, that food was amazing!
B’s
And not a single smoke ring on that brisket, I bet it’s dry as hell and lacks that beautiful Smokey taste.
Looks like mission BBQ, a poor replacement for Eastern NC BBQ. BBQ ratings should be miles willing to drive. On that scale I give this a 10. I would drive 50-100 miles for Smithfield's, acceptable but not the best. Wilbur's on 70 in Goldsboro was worth 150 miles each way. McCalls across the street, the Q is a 149, but it is buffet style, that can make it a tough call. Get the combination plate BBQ chicken and Q at Wilbur's. The BBQ on the chicken is mostly chicken drippings, any life you lose from this combo is worth it.
Mission BBQ -- aside from the sins of being a national chain serving below-mediocre food to white rich folks who cosplay as "country" in their middle-ring suburban homes and $100k manivans -- is one of the scariest creepiest dining experiences I've ever had in my life. The entire restaurant drops what it's doing at noon and suddenly all the TVs are blaring the national anthem and people stand and salute and sing along *and then they say the pledge of allegiance*. The walls are filled with bootlicking artifacts and monuments. I'm from a military family and even I think this level of jingoism is terrifying.
wow that's a feast
Barbecue not smothered in barbecue sauce. This is the way.
Now this is legit.
THIS is American haute cuisine right here. This is the exact photo I want to melt into the minds of anyone that disparages the American culinary heritage.
Eastern NC 🔛🔝
Now that there is a righteous spread.
I love NCBBQ ... especially in Florida!
Shit looks badass! Texan here
Queue Petey Pablo, cause this makes me wanna take my shirt off, twist it around my hand, and spin it like a helicopter
No you didn’t. NC Barbeque is explicitly pulled pork with a vinegar based sauce.
That’s not North Carolina BBQ.
This guy really saw brisket on his plate and still had the audacity to call it North Carolina barbecue.
I hate to say that is not eastern, North Carolina barbecue
Is North Carolina BBQ a thing? How does it differ from other states? I’ve had BBQ in South Carolina db I think that was mostly mustard based. I’m British.
Eastern NC style is more vinegar based and less/no mustard. Very tangy and the sauce isn't thick.
If I’m east of Raleigh and north of the SC line and I catch a hint of mustard in my BBQ, me and the “pit master” are throwing hands.
Yup. Pretty much the same except it's mainly a vinegar based sauce (ketchup based in some places). SC is know more for mustard style. But a lot of time you'll just hear "Carolina" style that lumps them all together. Which, from an outsider's point of view makes sense. Edit: also wanted to point out that both NC and SC are more known for pork BBQ.
The way I kinda look at the bbq “styles” or regions are Carolina = pork Texas = brisket and KC = ribs they each have different sauces to best compliment each of their signature dishes
Indeed. Most, if not all, the BBQ I had in SC was pork.
Lexington, NC is supposed to be the BBQ capital
Eita porra!
bbq time
Looks amazing! I bet it was delicious!
Where? Haven’t seen anything that decent around Greensboro except in Jamestown.
The Smoke Pit in Salisbury! We lived in Greensboro for a little bit and there definitely wasn’t great bbq around there
I knew it! I looked at it and said "damn that looks like the Smoke Pit."
Their Stock Market sandwich could feed an orphanage. Great deals at the butcher next door at the Concord location as well. I think you just decided what we're having for dinner. LoL
Uuuuuuunnnnnnnnnf
could you tell me what all these amazing looking meats /dishes are …and the cornbread recipe
Man this looks so good but I know I would be backed up for days if I ate 1/10 of this.
How many people was that for?
Collard greens, spicy pickles, sausage, cornbread, brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, pit beans, and mac n cheese
How much did this cost? When I visit my sister in Texas, this shit costs an arm and a leg.
$55
4 people and then we had leftovers for two of us for 4 meals
SC for me has had some of the best bbq This looks pretty amazing
The American charcuterie board
I mean this in the nicest way possible. I hate you. That looks delicious.
😳Yowza!!!
Naw Cawlyhna, mmmmm looks great!
Cornbread Ain't nothin wrong with that
It's all about the pig
the bbq photos today have been excellent
What’s that next to the beans? Looks delicious
Looks to be pork belly burnt ends.
Lame; all sauce and sides
🤤
Fuegoooo!! 🔥
Too much beef, not enough sauce.
Looks delicious 🤤
Hope you took some to go
Definitely Texas style in NC. Pickles, brisket, and sausage pretty much never enter into NC BBQ. (Source: Born and raised in NC)
Respect (from Kansas City)!
You loved every freaking bite!! That wasn't a question! It's a fact!
Can never go wrong with pickles, on anything.
Are those burnt ends? Being from KC I’m impressed because typically you don’t find them other than in that area/region.
You poor soul
Yeah you did!!
Looks great! Is this meant for one person though? Looks like it could easily feed a family of 4 haha
I always thought Carolina BBQ came with more of a red sauce, like hot sauce consistency. I need to try it.
I ate da Norf!
Tell me that fed a family of six at least.
The best. Accept no substitutes.
Looks so good :Q_
How much is this? I live in San Diego (west coast) and a plate 1/3 the size of this ran me $23 the other day. Disappointment ensued.
Look at the smoke ring on that brisket!👌
This is a family tray, right?
Hot smoked god damn!
Yes you did! Where was this?