North Carolina Barbecue (27 Iconic Restaurants, History, and More)

North Carolina barbecue ranks just as high as politics on the list of things you don’t want to bring up at the dinner table or among strangers. Slow-cooking meat and its four elements (smoke, acid, salt, and spice) aren’t unique to our state, but our version is certainly famous.

However, what makes NC BBQ stand out is the way our pitmasters tend to their creation before and after smoking it. There’s Lexington-style, Eastern-style, and a whole lot of names that have gotten us to today’s ‘cue.

In this guide, we’ll cover the differences, talk about the big names, and share our favorite North Carolina barbecue restaurants that you need to visit and support, not just because of them being featured on our bucket list.

And since there’s a lot to unpack in this post, this is how we’ve organized our approach to covering barbecue in North Carolina.

• Fun NC BBQ Facts and Background
• North Carolina Barbecue Restaurants
• Western/Lexington-Style (Defined, Background, and Restaurants)
• Eastern-Style (Defined, Background, and Restaurants)
• Non-Traditional Defined and Restaurants

Read More: The North Carolina Bucket List

North Carolina Barbecue Guide

Fun NC BBQ Facts and Background

Note: A lot of the background information we’ll share was sourced from Holy Smoke. This essential read by John Shelton Reed goes into even greater detail about North Carolina barbecue’s roots, styles, restaurants, and much more.

Read More: Interesting Facts about North Carolina

Hog-wild Populations

In the late 1800s, there were two hogs for every human in the Southern states. Even today, North Carolina has more hogs than people, only second to Iowa.

However, Smithfield Incorporated opened the world’s largest meat processing plant in Bladen County in 1992. It processes over eight million hogs a year.

The Wilmington Barbecue

Before the Boston Tea Party, there was the Wilmington Barbecue. Take that, Boston! In 1766, Royal Governor William Tryon held a BBQ in Wilmington for the New Hanover Militia.

Since the local Sons of Liberty were still angry about the Stamp Act, they responded by pouring out beer and throwing smoked meat into the nearby river.

Read More: Awesome Things to Do in Wilmington

Sit-down Barbecue Roots

The state’s first sit-down barbecue restaurant was established in 1924. Bob Melton’s Barbecue in Rocky Mount wood-fired hogs until 2003 when their relocation after Hurricane Floyd proved unsuccessful.

But before Bob Melton, there was Reverend Adam Scott from Goldsboro. He started selling cue out of his back door in 1917. Scott’s BBQ is no longer operating but you can still get his famous sauce!

East versus West

There’s long been tension between East versus West when talking North Carolina Barbecue. It peaked in 1995 when the annual North Carolina Championship Pork Cook-Out (Eastern-style) occurred in conjunction with the Lexington Barbecue Festival.

In 2005, fourth graders from Lexington’s Friedburg Elementary School proposed the Lexington Barbecue Festival to become the official State Barbecue Festival. Backed by Davidson County Representatives, the bill sparked outrage and quickly died.

It was reintroduced in 2007 with a slight change and passed, making the Lexington Barbecue Festival the official “State Food Festival.” Even still, Senators across the state were not happy. Later revisions changed its moniker to the “Food Festival of the Triad.”

And that brings us to a breakdown of East versus West, with some barbecue restaurants you should visit in each region of North Carolina.

North Carolina Barbecue Restaurants

Before we cover North Carolina’s best barbecue restaurants from west to east, I want to preface that this is just the beginning. We’ve made it a mission to only write about places we’ve personally visited and sauced ourselves.

You can check this map to keep tabs on our progress.

While building this list, we leaned heavily on the NC BBQ Society’s BBQ Trail. To appear on the trail, the restaurant’s meat must be wood- or charcoal- smoked, make their own sauce, and have a pit that has been operating continuously for twelve or more years.

In this guide, we do include more restaurants off the trail and designate why we think they are noteworthy. The list will grow as we continue to visit places throughout North Carolina because we know that there are so many pitmasters worth recognizing!

Now, let’s get onto the pork talk!

Western/Lexington-Style

Lexington-style barbecue history reads like a family tree, starting with Sid Weaver. In 1919 he started selling cue out of a tent in the middle of town.

Soon after, Jesse Swicegood joined him and now Lexington has more than fifteen barbecue restaurants. These men trained other chefs including Warner Stamey and even today pitmasters in Lexington to use Weaver and Swicegood’s methods with only a slight variation.

Lexington-style uses only the pork shoulder smoked long and slow over hickory until it is fall-apart tender. Basted with a “dip” of tomato, vinegar and perhaps some spice, the smoked meat is served traditionally with a slaw also containing tomato, making it red.

Lexington-Style Goes Even Deeper

Can you imagine renovating a building only to come across the strong sweet smell of burnt hickory? In 2005, that’s exactly what happened at Lexington City Hall.

Demolition crews uncovered pits from one of the city’s first brick-and-mortar restaurants, Beck’s Barbecue. Learning under Sid Weaver, Alton Beck opened Beck’s on West Center Street in 1938 and remained open for 31 years. Now, a piece of NC BBQ history remains in uptown Lexington.

Read More: 20+ Wonderful Things to Do in Lexington

Lexington-Style Barbecue Restaurants

Alston Bridges Barbecue

620 E Grover St, Shelby

You can’t talk about Cleveland County without Red and Alston Bridges. While it is often assumed that Red and Alston were related, they actually were not. Both men did train under Warner Stamey and continued his legacy of Lexington-style barbecue in Cleveland County.

Today, Reid Bridges continues his grandfather’s tradition of smoking delicious meat. Using the same distributor for his short shank shoulders that Alston did, this barbecue joint is packed from open to close.

With no fancy sides and just a couple of varieties on how you want your meat, Alston Bridges is where you go for juicy legacy barbecue.

Read More: The Best Things to Do in Shelby

Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge

2000 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby

Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge has been smoking meat over hickory all night and day for 72 years. While Warner Stamey was in Shelby, he taught his technique of smoking pork shoulders over hickory coals to Alston Bridges and Red Bridges (again, no relation).

After Red’s passing, his wife Lyttle took over the business. She still makes an appearance occasionally, but the restaurant is run by their daughter.

In true Western NC BBQ fashion, the pork at Bridges is served chopped or sliced and comes with a thick tomato sauce and tangy red coleslaw. If you want some extra veggies, ask for their famous barbecue salad—lettuce, tomato-sauced barbecue, and house dressing.

Oh, and don’t forget to leave room for that banana pudding!

Read More: Restaurants in Shelby

Lexington BBQ

100 Smokehouse Ln, Lexington

Carolina barbecue isn’t often thought of as refined, like what you’ll find at Lexington BBQ. But in 2003, the James Beard Foundation awarded Wayne Monk an America’s Classic Award.

Wayne has been smoking meat since 1962 when he accidentally took a job at a local barbecue stand as a curb hop. When the restaurant was originally opened, it was called Honey Monk’s, a combination of Monk and his partner’s name.

They didn’t just serve barbecue, but after his partner left the business, Monk started focusing only on the barbecue and in 1980, changed the name.

Using mostly oak because too much hickory produces hot coals and can burn the hogs, Monk smokes his meat sans-marinade and sauces it on the plate. You’ll want a cold sweet tea while chowing down. Make sure to order some of Monk’s daughters peach cobbler!                  

Read More: Lexington NC Map of 20+ Attractions (+ 7 Surrounding Counties!)

Bar-B-Q Center

900 N Main St, Lexington

You’d never know that this always-packed restaurant with the bright neon sign was once an ice cream store. One winter when less ice cream was going out the window, a pork shoulder went in the pit and Bar-B-Q Center was born.

Many pork lovers come for the smoked meat, but smart ones leave enough room for their famous banana split! The 3.5 pound banana split is akin to an Olympic sport, where many have attempted to finish it but few actually do!

Read More: 15 Fantastic Restaurants in Lexington (Barbecue & More!)

Smiley’s Lexington BBQ

917 Winston Rd, Lexington

Smiley’s has been smoking pork shoulder since the 1950s and remains a Western BBQ institution. Pitmaster Steve Yountz smokes his meat low and slow (10 to 12 hours) to maintain moisture and you can taste his careful attention and patience.

Served up with an authentic Lexington style “dip,” Smiley’s is definitely worth writing home to momma about!

Important note: Smiley’s is open on Sunday! Not only are they open, but they only serve their famous banana pudding and homemade Mac-n-cheese on Sundays!

Speedy’s Barbecue

1317 Winston Rd, Lexington

Toot! Toot! Speedy’s is one of the few barbecue establishments left in Lexington that does curbside service. With ‘cue and beyond flying out the window six days a week, it’s clear that Speedy’s is a popular choice among the locals.

Family-owned since 1970, Speedy’s is not only known for its fast service but also, ginormous portions. Convince me otherwise, but a plate of barbecue from Speedy’s could arguably be breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Hursey’s Barbecue

Four Locations

• 1834 S Church St, Burlington
• 2142 N Church St, Burlington (Express)
• 1234 S Main St, Graham
• 428 Compass Dr, Mebane

Four generations have hickory-smoked pork shoulder for the people of Alamance County at Hursey’s. Said to have started over some drinks and friends in their backyard, the Hursey family’s barbecue expanded into three locations.

And interestingly, you’ll find traditional white slaw instead of red at them all. Hursey’s smokes over 1,200 shoulders per week (75/25 percent hickory and oak), but their hickory-smoked ham is also well-loved!

Read More: Great Things to Do in Hickory

Stamey’s Barbecue

2206 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

We’ve mentioned family connections with NC BBQ and Stamey’s is another great example.

Lexington-style barbecue godfathers Jess Swicegood and Sid Weaver taught their style to Warner Stamey, who then shared secrets with his brother-in-law Alston Bridges and Red Bridges while he was in Shelby.

The pit building at Stamey’s is one of the largest and best equipped in the state and consists of ten brick fireplaces lining a rectangle building. Stamey’s is still a family business (since 1930) with Warner’s grandson Chip Stamey running the pits.

Smoked over hot coals, shoulders typically take six hours. Stamey’s chopped barbecue and sweet tangy slaw are finger-licking good.  

Read More: Things to Do in Greensboro

Eastern-Style

Eastern-style was a product of entrepreneurial spirit. Many of the restaurants were started as a way for pig farmers to generate more income.

While most of the establishments in Eastern North Carolina were white-owned, many of the cooks were African-American. The love for smoke, vinegar, and pepper transcended color in this part of the state and everyone came together to love good ‘cue.

Eastern-style barbecue is whole-hog, chopped, and served with traditional mayonnaise-based coleslaw.

Eastern-Style Restaurants

B’s

751 State Rd 1204, Greenville

In a simple-looking corner building on B’s Barbecue Road in Greenville, there is magic happening inside. At B’s Barbecue, you either line up outside for to-go orders or step inside for a seat.

Regardless of what time you show up, there will be a line. Open from 9:30 am to whenever they run out, you’ll know if they’re open when cars overflow the parking lot out into the road.

Alongside the melt-in-your-mouth whole hog, you can find their vinegar sauce peppered throughout the building in Crown Whiskey bottles. Another unique detail at B’s is their crunchy, crispy, and oh-so-delicious cornbread sticks!

Read More: Restaurants in Greenville

Bum’s Restaurant and Catering

566 3rd St, Ayden

Bum’s Restaurant in Ayden is family-owned and more than just wood-smoked North Carolina barbecue. It’s been open since 1963 when “Bum” Dennis wanted to serve more than just barbecue and cooked up country-style food for everyone to enjoy.

It is one of the only barbecue stops in Eastern North Carolina that has a stocked buffet table of freshly prepared sides including black-eyed peas, boiled potatoes, and garden-fresh collards.

In addition to incredibly juicy, delicious barbecue, Bum’s also fries up some of the tastiest fried chicken. And when the lady building your tray asks if you want their World Famous Banana Pudding, just say, “Yes Ma’am.”

Grady’s

3096 Arrington Bridge Rd, Dudley

Opening on July 4, 1986, Grady’s is an independence story for more than just when they first got started. Mrs. Gerri Grady had lost her job and her husband, Steve, was inspired to find a way that they could work together.

Steve worked in a lumberyard which gave him great access to wood, so they started Grady’s cooking barbecue the old-fashioned way without any experience.

And as Mrs. Grady explained during our interview, they’ve been busy since day one. You’ll see why when visiting and tasting their whole-hog barbecue that’s woodsy, tender, and with bits of red pepper popping throughout.

Read More: Restaurants in Goldsboro

Parker’s

2514 US-301, Wilson

You know the moment you drive by Parker’s Barbecue that it’s going to be amazing. The parking lot is packed from open to close and if you think you’re going to score a table on Mother’s Day, you’d better be ready to wait for a while!

Parker’s opened in 1946, and not much has changed since then.

The wait staff still wears paper hats and nicely pressed white shirts while carrying heavy trays as quickly as possible, keeping the service is just as good as the food. Up to 150 whole hogs get smoked each week and Parker’s serves more than 20,000 customers.

This is also one of the few barbecue joints in North Carolina that is open for breakfast. I mean, who wouldn’t want vinegar and peppery smoked delicious meat for breakfast!?

Read More: Things to Do in Wilson

Skylight Inn

4618 Lee St, Ayden

Skylight Inn‘s motto reads, “If it ain’t wood-fired, it ain’t BBQ” and we can see why after visiting this spot in Ayden. Sam Jones is the seventh generation pitmaster serving deliciousness inside this odd-shaped building resembling the US Capitol.

One of the best parts of their barbecue is the crunch from crackling chopped in the meat. That salty and crunchy texture mixed with the juicy smoked meat is something that I promise you will never forget.

Another remarkable appearance on the plate at Skylight is cornpone. Cornpone is a cousin to cornbread except it is denser because there are no eggs and sometimes even milk.

Instead, cornpone is made with drippings, which notably from Skylight come from the hogs themselves.

Note: Remember to bring cash and don’t forget to take home some pork rinds!

Sam’s Whole Hog BBQ features among 20-plus essential cookbooks from North Carolina chefs and food writers here.

Read More: 50+ Easy Day Trips from Fayetteville (Great Getaways!)

Stephenson’s Barbecue

11964 NC Hwy 50 North, Willow Springs

At Stephenson’s Barbecue, you’ll find red-checkered vinyl tablecloths, a bucket of perfectly crushed ice, and a pitcher of sweet tea along with some of the most delicious barbecue!

It’s cooked over coals for seven hours and turned for another two, all before the delicious juicy meat is then left in the pits for six to eight hours to smoke.

That causes the meat to drop slowly all night. It gets sauced in the kitchen, making the stuff from Stephenson’s BBQ perfectly moist without being greasy, and definitely worth traveling for!

Read More: Day Trips from Raleigh

Non-Traditional, Contemporary Players

Buxton Hall Barbecue

32 Banks Ave, Asheville

In a former wood-floored roller rink, two James Beard nominees with completely different backgrounds have collaborated to make amazing Eastern Carolina barbecue in Western North Carolina.

While the pitmaster of Buxton Hall Barbecue, Elliot Moss, is from South Carolina, we won’t give him too much hell for it after tasting his low and slow wood-fired meat.

With restaurateur Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani, Buxton Hall was born for the two gentlemen to chase their barbecue dreams.

The reason Buxton Hall falls into our “non-traditional” section is that they honor a little bit of every Southern barbecue tradition.

With sauces ranging from the traditional Eastern Vinegar and Lexington Red, you will also find Alabama White Sauce and even South Carolina hash on the menu.

Read More: Restaurants in Asheville

Fowler’s Southern Gourmet

723 W Rowan St, Fayetteville

Fowler’s Southern Gourmet uses Cheshire Pork and whips up a mean pulled pork! Everything at this Fayetteville restaurant is made on-site, from the barbecue sauce to the ketchup.

And owner Wade Fowler is proud that he sources as much as possible from North Carolina. His hogs come from Goldsboro, the chicken from Chapel Hill, and the oak for smoking comes from his own property in Fayetteville.

Starting as a food truck in 2017, Fowler’s quickly opened a permanent location in Fayetteville when the word got out about just how good they were.

Grab yourself a pork plate, a side of smoked potato salad and jalapeno slaw and stay far away from that “Northern Tea.”

Read More: Things to Do in Fayetteville

The Honey Hog

4629 Fallston Rd, Fallston

Did you know that there is only one barbecue restaurant in North Carolina that is literally farm to fork? The Honey Hog in Fallston only smokes pigs raised on their farm 5 miles down the road and you truly can taste the difference.

Nightly specials and the melt-in-your-mouth pork brings people from everywhere into this sleepy Cleveland County town. Johnny Ray’s smokey flavor is revolutionizing the barbecue world and we are here for it!

JD’s Smokehouse

500 Malcolm Blvd, Connelly Springs

If you’re hungry and anywhere near JD’s Smokehouse in Burke County, then we know where you should stop. They woodsmoke everything, including pulled pork, brisket, ribs, and chicken.

During one stop, we loaded up on nearly all of it. Personally, I’d go with brisket if I knew this would be my last meal. Their sides are pretty amazing, too, and I can’t decide between their collards or sweet potato casserole when giving you a recommendation.

You can sample most of the meats and sides by bringing a few friends or family members.

Read More: 25+ Amazing Restaurants in Morganton and Nearby! (Map Included!)

King’s Restaurant

Three Kinston Locations

• 405 E New Bern Rd
• 910 W Vernon Ave
• 2405 N Queen St

With over three generations of smoke, King’s Restaurant in Kinston ensures you’ll “oink if you love barbecue.” Frank King first opened up in 1936 as a country store and filling station outside of his farm to supplement his income.

And now with four locations, Kings fills bellies from “Murphy to Manteo.” If you’re feeling really homesick for Eastern ‘cue, King’s ships with their Oink Express!

Read More: Restaurants in Kinston

The Pedalin’ Pig

2968 NC-105, Boone & 4235 Hwy 105 South, Banner Elk

Each Pedalin’ Pig location has its own distinct vibe. Banner Elk is the original, right across from Grandfather Mountain State Park‘s Profile Trailhead. And with a pond, waterwheel, and ducks outside, there’s more of a family feel in here.

In Boone, a lively bar compliments the delicious fall-off-the-bone meats that come out of this kitchen. No matter which restaurant you choose, you’ll be struggling for the right words to describe the amazing, locally sourced food!

Read More: Restaurants in Boone and Restaurants in Banner Elk

Picnic

1647 Cole Mill Rd, Durham

Picnic is well-known for its whole hog BBQ and picnic tables outside. Go for the pulled pork or sway away from traditional NC BBQ with some brisket or some of their delicious fried chicken. 

Picnic pitmasters Wyatt Dickson and farmer Ryan Butler take farm-to-table seriously, with the distance from sty to fork a mere 12 miles.

Another thing we love about Picnic is that this North Carolina barbecue restaurant is just a short drive away from our favorite trails in Eno River State Park.

Read More: Restaurants in Durham

The Pit

321 W Geer St, Durham & 328 W Davie St, Raleigh

The Pit is kind of a big deal, thanks to various press features on Food Network, the Travel Channel, NBC’s “The Today Show”, Bon Appetit, Southern Living, and many more outlets.

Compared to some of the other restaurants we’ve shared, The Pit is more upscale. Here, you can find craft cocktails, elevated Southern sides, and more than just pork.

Using only North Carolina pigs, The Pit is whole-hog and pit-cooked, located in both the warehouse district of Downtown Raleigh and on Geer St in Downtown Durham.

Read More: Restaurants in Raleigh

PRIME Barbecue

403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale

From Champion pitmaster and celebrated chef Christopher Prieto, PRIME Barbecue is looking to making Knightdale, North Carolina a barbecue destination. Shying away from North Carolina tradition, PRIME shines in their exquisite attention to detail to each meat smoked.

Opening in March/April 2020, PRIME is where you’ll find Texas, North Carolina, and Kansas City flavors fuse together. Melt in your mouth brisket, perfectly hand packed sausages, and the best ribs you’ll ever taste- Prieto takes his years of barbecue research and perfects it on your plate.

Read More: Things to Do in Raleigh

Redneck BBQ Lab

12101-B NC Hwy 210, Benson

Redneck BBQ Lab is our go-to spot when driving toward the coast. It sits in a prime location at Exit 319 off I-40, otherwise known as McGee’s Crossroads in Johnston County. 

Unlike most of the other locally-owned North Carolina restaurants you’ll find, this place proudly serves competition-style BBQ. At Redneck, you can order chicken, pork ribs, brisket, or pork shoulder.

Oh, and you can use the same rubs and sauces as they do in competitions. 

Hot Tip: Check their menu for specials, especially when those award-winning burnt ends are on the menu!

We also interviewed owner Jerry Stephenson before our first meal at Redneck BBQ Lab. You can read about it here.

Southern Smoke BBQ

29 Warren St, Garland

In the tiny town of Garland, be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes before, if not an hour, the sign flips to “open” at Southern Smoke BBQ. You’ll find people peeking into the window trying to get a look of what’s on the menu on Thursdays and Fridays when they’re open.

This outdoor seating-only restaurant often sells out before it’s closing time. That’s not surprising when you have a taste of the delicious stuff that Matthew Register puts out.

His ‘cue has a beautiful woodsy flavor hopefully, you’re lucky enough to be there on a day they’re serving ribs. After digging in, you might just think you’ve died and gone to culinary heaven.

Matthew Register also released a book on barbecue, filled with tons of recipes that you can dig into here.

Switzerland Cafe

9440 NC-226A, Little Switzerland

Don’t let the mountain location fool you, Switzerland Cafe off the Blue Ridge Parkway dishes up some pork that will make you oink!

If you mosey on to the back of this restaurant in Little Switzerland (an excellent day trip from Asheville), you’ll find an unsuspecting shed with latticework and a colorful mural.

That’s the pit that smokes tender, nutty pork. We’ve also been told to not miss out on their applewood-smoked trout!

Walk it off in the same group of shops, especially at Little Switzerland Books and Beans. This place is one of our favorite bookstores in North Carolina!

Read More: The Most Amazing Small Towns in North Carolina

Woodlands Barbeque

8304 Valley Blvd, Blowing Rock

If you’re hankering for either NC BBQ or Mexican food, why not have both in the same place? Woodland’s Barbeque is a quirky little spot bursting with flavors from the South and south of the border.

Located off the main drag in Blowing Rock, diners can chow down on juicy pulled pork and ribs. They also serve the biggest wings you’ll ever see and delicious, homestyle Mexican food. 

With nightly entertainment and award-winning food, we think a meal at Woodland’s is a must and included it among our favorites in Blowing Rock!

Read More: Day Trips from Boone

Ready to Dig Into North Carolina Barbecue Now?

Writing about North Carolina barbecue is hard. We know that everyone has a favorite and that we may not have covered it. Our state is so incredibly lucky to have such a long and smoky history in pork.

We are most certainly grateful to work on this project. We look forward to sharing more barbecue restaurants as we experience them, and would love to hear from you, too.

What’s your favorite place to grab North Carolina barbecue? If it’s not on the list, we definitely want to know more and can’t wait to verify the deliciousness in person!

More Food and Drink (beyond North Carolina Barbecue)

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