Eastern NC recommendations over 2 days?

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longwayfromhome

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Hi there

I will be down in the Raleigh area for 1-2 day later this week. Where would you try for 'classic' barbecue? I have (west to east):
1. Lexington Barbecue #1, Lexington
2. Allen & Sons, Hillsborough
3. Skyline Inn, Ayton

I am visiting BQ Grills in Elm City and travelling in and out of Raleigh. What are your thoughts for the best BBQ within a two hour (or so) radius thereof?

TIA.
 
It all depends on the night. If it's Wednesday, I'd hit the Original Q Shack in Durham in the evening for Blue Grass night. If it's Tuesday, then I'd be at the new Blue Note in Durham for Open Mic Blues. Tom will chime in shortly about where the best places to actually eat are. Both Q Shack and Blue Note have decent, but different BBQ (I'm quite partial to Q Shack actually) and the bread pudding at Blue Note is fabulous. The other places you mention are classic, but you can get pretty decent without such a drive.
 
Hey Ralph!
Like Gore wrote above, the "Original Q Shack" and the "Blue Note Grill" are decent and have good entertainment.
The three that you listed are very well known and good, but if you are going to be in Raleigh, I'd definitely suggest that you try "Clyde Cooper's BBQ" on Wilmington Street. This is one of the oldest in the area and dad-gum/slap-yo-momma good IMHO! Cooper's is the ONLY NC Q-joint that has GREAT brisket IMHO!
When you are in the vicinity of BQ Grills, there are two places in Wilson that are decent- "Bill's" and "Parker's".
There are MANY other Q-joints around, but with only two days I think you have a good list to start with.
 
If you were to change ANYTHING on that list I would take Tom's advice and either add Cooper's or replace Allen and Son with Coopers. Everything else on your list is on point. There are several other places, but with 2 days I'd max out at 4 joints. Over that and you get really picky because you are not as hungry and wind up not enjoying each place like you usually would.

Trust me! I've went on many a food adventure.:becky: When I was in my teens I went to Lexington and hit 5 joints in 1 day. At the end of the day I swore we had went to the best place first and the worst place last. Over the next couple decades I've ate at each of those places on their own......there wasn't NEARLY the difference between them as I had originally thought.
 
lantern said:
If you were to change ANYTHING on that list I would take Tom's advice and either add Cooper's or replace Allen and Son with Coopers. Everything else on your list is on point. There are several other places, but with 2 days I'd max out at 4 joints. Over that and you get really picky because you are not as hungry and wind up not enjoying each place like you usually would.

Trust me! I've went on many a food adventure.:becky: When I was in my teens I went to Lexington and hit 5 joints in 1 day. At the end of the day I swore we had went to the best place first and the worst place last. Over the next couple decades I've ate at each of those places on their own......there wasn't NEARLY the difference between them as I had originally thought.
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Hey, I've just done 9 joints in two days in central Texas - I know what you mean!
 
I'd only add that I've gotten many good briskets at Q-shack. The main issue is that Q-shack is not NC BBQ. It is Texas BBQ. Folks there always say the BBQ at Q-shack tastes a bit funny. :laugh:

The blue grass is first rate though. If you want NC-style, stick with Clyde's, as suggested. Allen and Son's is also a popular place that makes several top lists. I never made it there because when I've tried they've been closed. Places can close early out there.
 
I have changed plans slightly and will be flying into Atlanta. I am going to try and fit in Scott's in Hemmingway, SC on the way up from Atlanta and Macon (Assassin). Having had a good dose of Texas style BBQ, I am keen to give this Carolina BBQ a shot, well at least to the extent possible. So it is looking like Scott's Thursday, then Skylight Inn, Lexington #1, Coopers on Friday. We have a plan! Thanks everyone, will report back.
 
I've tried most of the notable bbq joints east of 95 and in my opinion Skylight is at the top of the list. If you want an authentic eastern NC style bbq experience, you'd be missing out if you didnt give skylight a try. This is true wood-fired, whole hog, chopped bbq with a vinegar based sauce and their product is consistently superior to any of the others I've tried. Its a little ways from Elm City but worth the trip compared to what you'll get in the nearby towns.
 
OK..... since you changed things up. Flipped the script if ya will(Spoken like the late great Dusty Rhodes).


I'll add that you should hit Shuler's BBQ in Latta SC just a few minutes off I-95. If ya can't find something you like on their buffet either at lunch(Fried chicken pulled pork, fried pork chops) or dinner (pulled pork BBQ chicken, bbq ribs) then I just can't help ya.:becky:

But, just make sure you do hit Skylight Inn. Since you ARE wanting the Eastern NC style BBQ in particular.
 
lantern said:
OK..... since you changed things up. Flipped the script if ya will(Spoken like the late great Dusty Rhodes).


I'll add that you should hit Shuler's BBQ in Latta SC just a few minutes off I-95. If ya can't find something you like on their buffet either at lunch(Fried chicken pulled pork, fried pork chops) or dinner (pulled pork BBQ chicken, bbq ribs) then I just can't help ya.:becky:
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Perfect, I am trying to get into Scott's about 5pm from Macon (they close at 6pm) for an early dinner. Shuler's is about an hour up the road, so can have a second course there after filling up the car and cleaning the bugs off. Hoping to get close to Elm City later in the evening. Shuler's has a good review in the Drive100 SCBA list. As it is open until 9pm, it is also good insurance if I am late into SC from GA.
 
If you are planning on the trip to Skylight Inn you should also google these places:

Jack Cobb & Son in Farmville
B's BBQ in Greenville
Grady's in Dudley
Wilber's in Goldsboro

If you fancy a little longer trip to the second oldest city in NC Moore's Old Tyme BBQ in New Bern is good.

All of these joints do Eastern NC whole hog cooking. B's has switched to Charcoal, but everyone I know that has eaten there for years still loves it and their chicken is real good. All the other joints are wood burners just like god intended.

Lexington #1 is definitely the place to try Lexington/Western style Q. They are always good and always consistent. You will also be able to try BBQ(Red) slaw there. I live 30 minutes from there and cannot count the times I have eaten there. Hope you enjoy your time in NC. Glad to have you in from NZ.
 
Trip to the Carolinas report

I spent the two days as planned in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Though less famous than their Texan brothers, these establishments are right up there.

Thursday 13 August

Assassin Grills, Macon, Georgia
In Georgia my time was totally taken up with driving to/from Assassin Smokers in Macon or at their facility. My time at Assassin was brilliant and Jeff and Robin are great people. I will post some useful information and pictures on the two Assassin charcoal grill threads which are currently active. All I can say is that the Assassin charcoal grill is a very versatile unit with a performance pedigree.

Shuler’s Bar-B-Que, Latta, South Carolina
I had hoped to make Scott’s in Hemingway, SC but I didn’t leave Macon until about 2pm, so the 5 hour drive put me beyond the 6pm finish time at Scott’s. Consequently I went further north to Shuler’s in Latta, SC, just a few miles off the I-95. I really loved this place. Meat-wise, I liked the ribs – this coming off the disappointments of Texas perhaps, but still, they were pretty good. There were two types of barbeque, and the ‘original’ or regular I found the best. The serving was buffet style and apart from the chicken, the balance was made up of an extensive range of sides and desserts. Wow, this really worked – the sides were great, with many that I had never seen before including various types of rice with a choice of gravies, fried corn and of course the delicious fried chicken. The eat-as-much-as-you-want buffet for $14.95 is surely the best bargain in the south. While waiting in line, I got talking with a local couple who had in fact spent 6 weeks in NZ visiting their geologist daughter. Lovely people, they kinda took me under their wing which included introducing me to the owner (Norton Hughes). This led to an extensive tour of the pits (over an hour) – the main pits are all wood-fired from a burn bucket and include an in-house built rotisserie smoker (used almost continuously) built from concrete block (filled with concrete), and a massive Meadow Creek trailer smoker (rarely used, just for events). The history of Shuler’s is unusual and for such a commercial model they put out an excellent product. This experience cemented in me the feeling that South Carolina people are the friendliest in the nation!
http://www.theprofitfans.com/2015/shulers-bbq-bar-b-que-the-profit-season-2-episode-15.html

By the way, I stopped the night in Fayetteville, NC. The Deluxe Inn just off I-95 (Exit 49) is the best cheap motel I have ever stayed in and I have stayed in hundreds around the States from when I was touring on the Beemer - $59 before tax for a pristine room.

Friday 14 August

BQ Grills, Elm City, North Carolina
I have eyed BQ Grills charcoal units for over a year now and wanted an opportunity to talk with Melvin about getting one shipped to New Zealand. This was the moment. I spent 3 hours with him talking all/every which-way about his smokers and smoking. While there, a three-times NC state champion dropped by and I was able to have probably 30 minutes talking with him about the competition circuit and the grillers. All of this was invaluable to a person interested in these smokers and even more to me coming from a country with no history of smoking – it was me literally soaking up the history and experience from the real practitioners. My next stop was The Skylight Inn, who have nearly a dozen of these units – that alone is a massive endorsement for these smokers. One of these is definitely in my future, I am just grappling with a product that is USD$3,000 at the door in Elm City and NZD$14,000 in my driveway in Auckland, New Zealand!
http://www.bqgrills.com/Charcoal-Wood%20Pig%20Cookers.htm

The Skylight Inn, Ayden, North Carolina
It is hard for any place to live up to its publicity/reputation, but for me it certainly managed it, and more. The chopped pork had a quality that I can only describe as perfect. This was ‘dark’ and included crunchy skin in 1/4“ squares through it - groan. It is sauced before serving, but this is very mild vinegar sauce and many people wouldn’t notice. On the table was an excellent pepper and vinegar sauce – now that was something else – oh my. Serving was a mixed plate of chopped pork (dark) with slaw and fried cornbread, plus a leg of chicken. Chicken was very, very nice, the bread was very heavy but very tasty, slaw was an acquired taste I felt – extremely plain – I prefer a creamy slaw (Franklin’s slaw was the best in Texas). The place was packed at 1.30pm on Friday afternoon, though was emptying out by the time I left an hour later. I asked to see the pits. Sam Jones was away in California and I was shown around by a delightful young man who was the location manager. I estimate the pit room was 150F – it was effing hot in there. How the pit guys work there for hours on end I don’t know – in fact I met one of them later and his glasses were smoked up! I saw a trailer with eight BQ Grills type smokers on it – evidently this is used for events such as the annual BBQ in the park in NYC. The manager and I talked fast, non-stop for what seemed like ages – a terrific professional and so friendly. Visiting The Skylight Inn was a dream come true for me.

Then into the bloody Friday afternoon traffic around Raleigh, Durham and similar – what a pain. My own fault, but I had no options if I wanted to visit Lexington.

Lexington Barbecue #1, Lexington, North Carolina
I ordered a combo plate of chopped and sliced barbecue, with po’boys and slaw. The meat all comes off full shoulders. The po’boys were truly scrumptious – is it the oil/fat they are cooked in that makes different locations have such different products? The red slaw I wasn’t a fan of – it was too sweet for me, sorry about that. Now to the meat… at first I didn’t like the chopped pork – it was too sweet. I was quite nonplussed by this given the reputation of the place. Coming back to it, I added some vinegar sauce – magic! The sweetness was cut to a fraction and the meat was revealed – it was great. The sliced pork, which the owner told me is cooked the same as the chopped, for some reason didn’t respond to the vinegar as well so I left that. I left Lexington, thinking I had missed some essential element of the experience, but knowing I had tried some great chopped BBQ.

I had intended to go to Clyde Coopers, but it was closed when I arrived at its front door. Did send you a PM Lionel, but too late in the day I think... sorry. So, I decided to hit The Pit, which uses BQ Grills pits.

The Pit Authentic BBQ, Raleigh, North Carolina
This place is all the go in Raleigh, a combination of sports bar, craft brew joint and restaurant, all focussed on BBQ cooked on charcoal fired smokers. It was completely packed with many people waiting at 9pm in the evening. At the bar I tried the pulled pork. It was in the Skylight Inn style and very nice. Unfortunately the sauce which is added to the meat before serving, though tasty, was overdone volume-wise and the serving was sodden with it, dripping off. This somewhat detracted from the experience and taste, particularly after the SI meal earlier in the day. An easy thing to get wrong so would expect it could be fixed easily. One other thing… the smokers are fired with charcoal here, pure wood at the other locations – I think I could tell the difference. I was working in the Raleigh area (RTP) 10 years ago – downtown Raleigh was completely dead in those days – what a transformation. The Pit has potential I think.

Overall, the two days were a great introduction to east coast BBQ, with total focus on chopped/pulled pork. I can’t wait to go back with family and friends. When combined with my visit the week before to Shenco’s new location in Woodstock, VA, I feel I have had a dream introduction via the very best of East Coast BBQ. Last stop is The Arrogant Swine tomorrow in Brooklyn – should be interesting – eastern NC pork in NYC!

Thanks to everyone who gave me such useful directions and advice. Pics to follow.
 
Great write up Ralph! You have experienced something that most of us Americans will never get the chance to do. I'm jealous. Looking forward to your next visit. I'm going to start cooking a whole hog at least once a month, so we should coordinate so you can be here for that. Safe travels!
 
It's as if I wrote that review of Shuler's myself!!! I have never been to a place that made me feel more like I was eating at somebody's house than Shuler's. The combo of the BBQ, sides, desserts and super sweet tea is very hard to beat IMO. Oh...and that price!!! Crazy right?

Thanks for posting all your impressions!!:thumb:
 
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