Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to
As of January 2019, we have discontinued our BBQ NC app. We have compiled some of our favorites to help you continue to navigate North Carolina’s barbecue scene. Stay
As of January 2019, we have discontinued our BBQ NC app. We have compiled some of our favorites to help you continue to navigate North Carolina’s barbecue scene. Stay
As of January 2019, we have discontinued our BBQ NC app. We have compiled some of our favorites to help you continue to navigate North Carolina’s barbecue scene. Stay tuned for more barbecue content on ourstate.com.
The owners of Buxton Hall Barbecue bring fresh ideas to the table, yet they never lose sight of the whole-hog tradition at the heart of their restaurant.
At Old Hampton Store, eat hickory-smoked barbecue served on sourdough rolls in a historic 1920 general store that was once the original train stop for Tweetsie Railroad.
Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Switzerland Café (open spring through fall) offers hickory-smoked barbecue with a signature sauce — a blend of Lexington- and eastern-style flavors.
Switzerland Café and General Store 9440 NC Highway 226A Marion, NC 28752 (828) 765-5289 switzerlandcafe.com
Herb’s Pit kitchen manager Mark Riddle knows every rack of ribs that leaves the grate carries 30 years of tradition. photograph by Emily Chaplin
Customers have come to Herb’s Pit Bar-B-Que for more than 30 years for pit-smoked barbecue covered in a “sweet-and-sour” sauce, plus onion rings and four-layer chocolate pie.
Since 1946, customers have come from near and far for tender, hand-chopped pork, painstakingly pit-cooked over a bed of glowing hickory and oak, then slathered in red, Lexington-style sauce. Oh, and for the hush puppies and red slaw.
Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge 2000 East Dixon Boulevard Shelby, NC 28150 (704) 482-8567 bridgesbbq.com
Hursey’s barbecue is legendary — but the onion rings are pretty good, too. photograph by Travis Dove
From its humble backyard beginnings in the mid-1940s, Hursey’s has become something of a pork powerhouse. The hickory-smoked pork shoulders are best topped with Hursey’s Old-Fashioned Barbecue Sauce, which is just a little east of western, and west of eastern.
Hursey’s Bar-B-Q 1834 South Church Street Burlington, NC 27215 (336) 570-3838 hurseysbarbecue.com
Rows of shoulders line the pit at Lexington Barbecue. After cooking, that “outside brown,” as it’s called, will be lifted off the meat and saved for special orders. photograph by Travis Dove
Little Richard’s barbecue is pure Lexington-style. It’s pulled from pork shoulders, which are slow-roasted over wood coals for 12 to 14 hours. As for the Lexington-style dip, Little Richard’s blend is still strongly vinegar-based, with a bracing dose of pepper.
A large fan helps ventilate Stamey’s pit building, which is, by all accounts, one of the largest and best equipped in the state. photograph by Travis Dove
Founded in 1930, Stamey’s is well known for its Lexington-style pit — they cook exclusively over hardwood hickory coals — and its tangy-sweet vinegar-and-tomato sauce.
2206 West Gate City Boulevard Greensboro, NC 27403
(336) 299-9888 stameys.com
Fuzzy’s Bar-B-Que
Fuzzy’s embodies the personality of an Eisenhower-era diner, looking much as it did in 1954, when T.H. “Fuzzy” Nelson opened it. The moist and zesty barbecue is served with long, curvy hush puppies and vinegar slaw.
Clyde Cooper’s has been serving barbecue since it opened on New Year’s Day of 1938, making it one of the oldest barbecue restaurants in the state. Don’t forget to order plentiful sides — collard greens, potato salad, slaw — and make sure to save room for banana pudding.
Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque 327 South Wilmington Street Raleigh, NC 27601 (919) 832-7614 clydecoopersbbq.com
At Short Sugar’s, David Wilson’s homemade sauce is legendary. photograph by Travis Dove
Much of Short Sugar’s reputation comes from its thin, dark sauce, which seems to have less ketchup or tomato paste than other Piedmont dips.
Short Sugar’s Pit Bar-B-Q 1328 South Scales Street Reidsville, NC 27320 (336) 342-7487 shortsugars.com
Though Stephenson’s doesn’t cook the whole hog, the restaurant fancies itself an eastern-style establishment, with white coleslaw and a vinegar-based sauce. photograph by Travis Dove
Pulled pork shoulder — pit-smoked over hardwood charcoal — comes with a tangy sauce. The only day the pit isn’t fired up is Sunday, when the restaurant is closed.
A family-owned and -run restaurant that honors tradition, Hill’s embodies resilience. This joint has been satisfying Winston-Salem residents and drivers on U.S. Highway 52 with their Lexington-style barbecue for more than 60 years.
Richard’s opened in 1979 on Main Street, right between the courthouse and the railroad station, and that’s where it stands today. The eastern-style sauce has not been fiddled with in all that time, and slaw is the vegetable of choice.
Richard’s Bar-B-Q 522 North Main Street Salisbury, NC 28144 (704) 636-9561
Fuller’s Old Fashioned BAR-B-Q
Fuller’s is home to a huge all-you-can-eat buffet, which includes biscuits, barbecue, cornbread, and more. Need we say more?
Fuller’s Old Fashioned BAR-B-Q 113 North Eastern Boulevard Fayetteville, NC 28301 (910) 484-5109 fullersbbq.com
At Pik-N-Pig, you’ll find tender, flavorful pork, cooked over hickory coals and pulled by hand. photograph by C2 Photography
This fly-in barbecue restaurant is located at an airfield. But you don’t have to be a pilot to pay a visit. Here, an order of pulled pork comes with a view of the runway.
You won’t find a “best barbecue in the world” sign on the window, but after a bite of barbecue or a sniff of the woodsmoke wafting through downtown, you’ll see why Bum’s doesn’t need one.
Bum’s Restaurant 566 East Third Street Ayden, NC 28513 (252) 746-6880 bumsrestaurant.net
At Skylight Inn BBQ, you come for a barbecue sandwich on a bun, topped with yellow coleslaw. Or you come for a paper tray of chopped barbecue, a square slab of baked cornbread, and a little dish of slaw. photograph by Travis Dove
Skylight’s hickory-smoked, eastern-style barbecue is legendary in the eastern part of the state. The hog’s skin is blistered and mixed with the meat, and it’s served with a vinegar-based sauce, coleslaw, and a flat, heavy cornbread.
Skylight Inn BBQ 4618 South Lee Street Ayden, NC 28513 (252) 746-4113 skylightinnbbq.com
Steve and Gerri Grady don’t believe in doing anything the easy way, and the mouthwatering flavor of their slow-cooked barbecue confirms that. photograph by Geoff Wood
Sides of steamed cabbage, slaw, collards, and more are made from family recipes. The hush puppies are light and crispy. And the eastern-style barbecue is cooked over hickory and oak.
Morris is only open on Saturdays — a tradition that began in 1956 — but the eastern-style barbecue is worth any inconvenience. Don’t overlook the hush puppies and layer cake.
Each week, Parker’s smokes about 150 whole hogs — which are chopped and seasoned with a vinegar-and-red-pepper sauce — and fries about 8,000 chickens for 20,000 customers, who start coming early in the day.
Parker’s Barbecue 2514 U.S. Highway 301 South Wilson, NC 27893 (252) 237-0972 parkersbarbecuewilson.com
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