NORTH CAROLINA
The landscape of North Carolina BBQ is constantly changing, but there’s still plenty of wood-burning pits smoking whole pork the old-fashioned way among the newly arrived joints. The state divides itself into western and eastern regions. The east focuses on entire hogs with a vinegar-pepper sauce. Meanwhile, the West specializes in shoulders with a dip that adds ketchup, tomato puree, and a bit of sugar.
Established in 1962, Lexington Barbecue serves an excellent chopped BBQ plate and chopped BBQ sandwich. Also, check out the chopped barbeque plates at Speedy’s Barbecue Inc.
While over in Shelby, you’ll find Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. They are known for the mahogany-hued pork shoulder, pit-cooked over wood, and served with a tomato puree and vinegar dip. They serve it warm alongside the chopped or sliced barbecue.
Not to be outdone, in Ayden, you can find The Skylight Inn, and this humble restaurant would look like a bus station if not for the rough replica of the US Capitol dome on top of its single story. Pete Jones, the founder, had it built after a national magazine praised the wood-cooked, whole-hog barbecue as being among the nation’s best, meant to signify that this place was the capital of ‘cue if you will. Plenty of crispy skin and not much fat gets chopped into the barbeque. It is served either in a sandwich or on a paper tray. On top is a chunk of baked cornbread, and perched on top of the stack is a tray of coleslaw.
