Carolina BarbecueFind the Q
Two questions: what's good near me, and what's worth the gas.
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Worth the drive
Pits somebody already bragged on, in print: a Beard award, a spot on a trail, a wood-fire ticket, an oral history taken at the pit, a magazine list. The count is how many different folks said so — not how good we think it is. They're all named on the pit's own page.
Skylight Inn BBQ 6 recognitions
James Beard Foundation, True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, National Geographic
Ayden, NC — A whole-hog pit in Ayden, Pitt County, opened by Walter B. 'Pete' Jones on July 8, 1947 and run by his family …
Melvin's Legendary Bar-B-Que 5 recognitions
Southern Foodways Alliance, True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), Southern Living, Eater
Charleston, SC — A Charleston mustard-sauce house with rooms on Folly Road on James Island and on Houston Northcutt Boulevard i…
Wilber's Barbecue 5 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Our State magazine, Garden & Gun
Goldsboro, NC — A whole-hog pit on U.S. 70 east of Goldsboro, Wayne County, opened in 1962 by Wilberdean 'Wilber' Shirley and …
12 Bones Smokehouse 4 recognitions
Our State magazine, Other named recognition, Southern Living, Eater
Arden, NC — A mountain barbecue house now trading from Hendersonville Road in Arden, south of Asheville, after Hurricane H…
B's Barbecue 4 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Southern Foodways Alliance, Our State magazine
Greenville, NC — A whole-hog and chicken pit on the edge of Greenville, Pitt County, in a converted country store on a road the…
Bar-B-Q Center 4 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Southern Foodways Alliance, Our State magazine
Lexington, NC — A pork-shoulder pit and ice-cream counter on North Main Street in Lexington, Davidson County, that began in 19…
Grady's Barbecue 4 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Southern Foodways Alliance, Our State magazine
Dudley, NC — A whole-hog pit at a country crossroads in Dudley, Wayne County, south of Goldsboro, opened on July 4, 1986 by…
Jack Cobb & Son Barbecue Place 4 recognitions
Southern Foodways Alliance, NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Our State magazine, Other named recognition
Farmville, NC — A Black-owned whole-hog counter on South Main Street in Farmville, Pitt County, that Jack Cobb and his son Rud…
Allen & Son Barbeque 3 recognitions
NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Our State magazine, Holy Smoke (Reed & Reed)
Chapel Hill, NC — The hickory-fired pork-shoulder restaurant on Millhouse Road at N.C. 86 north of Chapel Hill that Keith Allen …
Big T Bar-B-Q 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), South Carolina Barbeque Association, Other named recognition
Gadsden, SC — A Black-owned wood-burning pit on Congaree Road at Gadsden, in lower Richland County below Columbia, run by La…
Bum's Restaurant 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), Southern Foodways Alliance, Our State magazine
Ayden, NC — A wood-fired whole-hog restaurant in downtown Ayden, Pitt County, opened in 1963 by Latham 'Bum' Dennis, of th…
Carolina Bar-B-Que 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), Southern Living, South Carolina Barbeque Association
New Ellenton, SC — A mustard-sauce buffet house on South Main Street in New Ellenton, Aiken County, founded by Willie Mae Walker …
Fuzzy's Bar-B-Q 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Our State magazine
Madison, NC — A pork-shoulder house on Highway Street in Madison, Rockingham County, opened in 1954 by T.H. 'Fuzzy' Nelson a…
Henry's Smokehouse 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), South Carolina Barbeque Association, Southern Living
Greenville, SC — An Upstate barbecue house at 240 Wade Hampton Boulevard on the edge of downtown Greenville, opened by Beau Ham…
Hursey's Bar-B-Q 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Our State magazine
Burlington, NC — The Burlington, Alamance County, barbecue business of the Hursey family: Sylvester and Daisy Hursey began smok…
Lexington Barbecue 3 recognitions
James Beard Foundation, True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), Our State magazine
Lexington, NC — The pork-shoulder pit on Smokehouse Lane in Lexington, Davidson County, that Wayne Monk opened in 1962 at 26 a…
Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge 3 recognitions
True 'Cue (Campaign for Real Barbecue), NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Southern Foodways Alliance
Shelby, NC — The Shelby, Cleveland County, pork-shoulder house of the Bridges family, begun in 1946 by Red Bridges, an Army…
Short Sugar's Pit Bar-B-Q 3 recognitions
NC Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail, Southern Foodways Alliance, Our State magazine
Reidsville, NC — A drive-in barbecue on South Scales Street in Reidsville, Rockingham County, opened in June 1949 by the Overby…
Gaps
Thin so far: lgbtq+ welcoming (1), closes when sold out (2). The directories we read are listed on where all of this came from. A business that wants a tag it has earned can say so on its own site or in any of those directories.
Tags
| ✊🏾 Black-owned | the owner's own statement, a press profile naming the owner, a Black-owned business directory, an SFA oral history |
|---|---|
| ♀ Woman-owned | the owner's own statement, a press profile naming the owner, a women-owned business certification (WBENC, WOSB) |
| 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ welcoming | the business's own statement, a press list whose framing says the businesses in it are LGBTQ-owned, or a public directory (an LGBTQ chamber of commerce, a Pride business list, OpenStreetMap lgbtq=welcome) |
| 🔥 Cooks over wood | True 'Cue certification, the NCBS Historic Barbecue Trail, the SCBA, an SFA interview, a press piece describing the pit, the pit's own site |
| 🐖 Whole hog | what the pit says it cooks, or a press piece |
| 👪 Family-run | a press profile or the business's own history |
| 💵 Cash only | the business's own site or a dated press piece |
| ⏳ Closes when sold out | the business's own site or a dated press piece |
| 🍽 Buffet | the business's own site or a dated press piece |
| 📅 Weekends only | the business's own site or a dated press piece |
| 🍚 Serves hash | a menu or a press piece |
| ⚫ Closed | a dated press piece or the business's own notice |
A tag names its evidence on the pit's own page. A missing tag says nothing about the pit, only about what we've read.