The North Carolina Barbecue Page

As I indicated, I will include various topics related to North Carolina. Well, one item of note for most North Carolinians is pork barbecue. I enjoy my share of good food (as many of my friends and relatives will attest to) and one of my favorites is North Carolina barbecue. During my travels around the state, I have had the opportunity to try both Eastern and Piedmont (or Lexington) styles of NC barbecue.

Eastern style barbecue derives from the whole pig, not just pork shoulders (as in the Piedmont). In addition, the Eastern style sauce is unique. It contains no tomato components, unlike most other barbecue sauces. The sauce typically contains vinegar, peppers and salt...very fiery to the taste. Eastern barbecue is also served differently...with Brunswick stew and "barbecued" potatoes along with the ubiquitous hush puppy (a corn meal mixture that is deep fried).

Piedmont style (my personal favorite) typically contains only pork shoulders that are cooked for 9 - 12 hours. The sauce in the Piedmont region is tomato based, containing the vinegary sauce of the East, combined with Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar (enough to limit the "bite" of the vinegar). These sauces are not like the barbecue sauce found on the grocery store shelf...they are very light and thin. Served with Piedmont barbecue are french fried potatoes, "barbecue" slaw (a cole slaw with some barbecue sauce added) and the hush puppy.

The biggest uproar in barbecue history is taking place as you read this. Slowly adding coals over a broad time span (9-12 hours) cooks barbecue the right way. Grilling via gas or electric grills is becoming the modern, efficient way to create "barbecue." But, is it really barbecue???? To me, the only way to create real barbecue is with hard wood coals, over a long time. It is the taste of the woods that really define a good barbecue.

Another problem facing the "barbecue industry" is the lack of new faces. To properly cook either a whole pig or a pork shoulder takes many hours and today's fast pace does not lend itself to learning this craft. The "pit men" that are dedicated to cooking barbecue in the correct manner are growing older, with no one to replace them...barbecue as we know it, may some day soon not be available. It is an art, not a science and the artisans are slowly going away!

With this in mind, I offer my ranking of the barbecue places that I have tried...some of these I return to time after time, others I only go to occasionally and, yet others, I have only tried once. As I have stated, I have a definite preference for Piedmont style barbecue, appropriately so as I grew up in western North Carolina. Here is the list(P=Piedmont Variety, E=Eastern Variety):

1. Lexington Barbecue(P) (Lexington, NC) - to me, this is the king of all barbecue places...great pork...little sauce...all flavor.

2. Speedy's Barbecue(P) (Lexington, NC) - a close second to Lexington Barbecue.

3. PigPickins(P) (Winston-Salem, NC) - a personal favorite, espiecially before Winston Salem hockey games.

4. Hickory Log Barbecue(P) (Forest City, NC - my hometown) - the barbecue that I grew up with!!!!

5. Bridges Barbecue Lodge(P) (Shelby, NC)

6. Hursey's Barbecue(E & P) (Burlington, NC) - tried this recently...seems to be a mixture of Eastern and Piedmont, probably more Eastern than not...makes sense as Burlington practically is the line between the two types!! Sauce was real good...hot!

   I only stopped in for a real quick sandwich...not a fair test for barbecue, but the sandwich was pretty good. Service was also excellent, as I was in a hurry, this was important!

7. Country Barbecue(P) (High Point, NC)

8. Stamey's Barbecue(P) (Greensboro, NC)

9. Jed's Barbecue(P) (Asheboro, NC)

10. Ole Time Barbecue(E) (6309 Hillsborough St.; Raleigh, NC 27606) - since I grew up on Piedmont style, I have not had much exposure to Eastern style...based on this, I look forward to learning more about it!

11. Henry James Barbecue(P) (Asheboro, Greensboro)

I will add to this list as I try different places...I have tried many, but have not kept real good records about them. I will, in the future, endeavor to really remember what I like and do not like!

Bob Garner has written an excellent reference called North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time, published in 1996 by John F. Blair Publishers. To really discover the ins and outs of North Carolina barbecue, check this book out...it is excellent. In addition, Mr. Garner has created a video about North Carolina barbecue that is shown on North Carolina Public Television. If you get a chance to see this video...it is excellent also...but, be prepared...you will want some barbecue immediately after viewing the video or reading the book!