I will not be able to make it WayneT
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An updated, definitive guide to NC BBQ joints. The ones listed in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Lexington and Kernersville are a short drive (10-30 mins) from the Hampton Inn. Scroll down about 3/4 of the way to Best BBQ Spots in Western NC. Here are the local ones I’ve been to.
Stamey’s - Greensboro
Little Richard’s - Clemmons and Winston-Salem
Mr. BBQ - Winston -Salem
Camel City BBQ Factory - Winston-Salem
Speedy’s BBQ - Lexington
Best BBQ joints in NC
I wasn’t required to have a subscription to read the entire article so I’m hoping y’all won’t either. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that my old hometown haunt, Wilburs, got the most votes despite hearing less than complimentary comments about it from locals lately.
Food for thought.Comment
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Damn the subscription paywall, full read ahead.
This is abridged but includes the preamble and the info on the joints local to Winston-Salem.
In North Carolina, barbecue reigns supreme over our taste buds, but we carry strong opinions on who — and where — has the best. And the debate about eastern vs. western (or Lexington) style is a whole other battle. We compiled our list of 64 of the best barbecue restaurants in the state and let our readers pick their favorite: the top vote-getter was Wilber’s Barbecue, an old school, eastern North Carolina-style ‘cue spot in Goldsboro.
Wilber’s, which almost closed three years ago before it was saved and reopened by a group of Goldsboro and eastern North Carolina natives, has been cooking whole hogs and serving hand-chopped barbecue since 1962. In its 60-year history, Wilber’s has earned a spot as one of North Carolina’s barbecue meccas, often topping lists of must-visit spots for barbecue pilgrims and purists. “The history of Wilber’s, really, it’s an institution all across North Carolina,” owner Willis Underwood III told The News & Observer. Under the new owners and in its new era of leadership, Wilber’s stays true to its roots, while also offering some new, modern menu items — namely, beef brisket, baby back ribs and even beer.
“It’s no surprise that we’re in the top. I mean, it’s been open for 60 years,” manager Willis Underwood IV said of winning The N&O’s bracket. “It’s the best product in the state, probably the nation.” Where to find Wilber’s BBQ: 4172 US-70, Goldsboro. 919-778-5218 or wilbersbbq.com
THE BEST BARBECUE SPOTS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
BACKCOUNTRY BARBECUE: 4014 Linwood-Southmont Rd., Linwood. 336-956-1696 or facebook.com/backcountry-barbeque Situated on the outer edge of Lexington, Backcountry serves Piedmont’s signature style, chopped and coarse chopped shoulders, tomato-based sauce and red slaw. But unlike many Lexington barbecue purist spots, you’ll find brisket on the menu.
BAR-B-Q CENTER: 900 N. Main St., Lexington. 336-248-4633 or barbecuecenter.net One of the historic smokers of Lexington-style, Bar-B-Q Center serves chopped smoked shoulders in a pristine diner. You’ll want to bring a group and grab the large booth by the window. And while the pork can rival many in the state, none can equal the banana split.
CAMEL CITY BBQ FACTORY: 701 N. Liberty St., Winston-Salem. 336-306-9999 or camelcitybbq.com Camel City BBQ brought new-school barbecue to downtown Winston-Salem and added an arcade. Look for the new barbecue triumvirate of pulled pork, brisket and ribs and the new familiars like barbecue nachos, smoked wings and star-worthy sides.
CLARK’S BARBECUE: 1331 NC-66, Kernersville. 336-996-8644 or clarksbbqnc.com At less than 30 years old, Clark’s is still a baby by North Carolina barbecue standards. But if you’re cooking in the old style, pork shoulders over wood coals, the result can be timeless. Clark’s deals in Lexington-style pork and red slaw, offering coarse chopped meat with plenty of that outside brown.
FUZZY’S BAR-B-Q RESTAURANT: 407 Hwy St., Madison. 336-427-4130 or fuzzysbbqmadison.com The northern-most stop on the Historic North Carolina BBQ Trail, Fuzzy’s is an all-day diner cooking its pork shoulders strictly with wood. The barbecue at Fuzzy’s is more chopped than the average plate, and in the Lexington-sphere, you’ll find tomato-based sauce to add and red slaw.
LEXINGTON BARBECUE: 100 Smokehouse Ln., Lexington. 336-249-9814 or lexbbq.com This legendary barbecue spot is a worthy standard-bearer for the style that shares its name. Lexington serves as classic a version of pork shoulders over coals as exists, sauced with the warm red tomato-based dip. When the combination of outside brown and smokey meat is right, there are few things finer. A barbecue sandwich at Lexington Barbecue features pork shoulder and red slaw.
LITTLE RICHARD’S BBQ: 6470 Stadium Dr., Clemmons. 336-766-0401 or littlerichardsbarbeque.com With a large menu full of barbecue twists and turns, putting tacos and brisket cheesesteaks and smoked wings side by side, Little Richard’s and its multiple locations appear to be pushing the evolution of North Carolina barbecue. But with smoked pork served chopped, coarse or sliced, it’s clear its heart lives in Lexington.
MR. BARBECUE: 1381 Peters Creek Pkwy, Winston-Salem. 336-725-7827 or mrbarbecue-nc.com Revived from a fire that kept the restaurant closed for two years, Mr. Barbecue is up to its old ways — ways that date back to 1962, serving Lexington-style pork plates and sandwiches cooked with wood.
PRISSY POLLY’S BBQ: 729 NC Highway 66 South, Kernersville. 336-993-5045 or prissypollys.com Best known for its memorable name and highway billboards, Prissy Polly’s is a wildly popular stop for travelers. Despite its location in the Triad, you’ll find Eastern and Lexington-style pork.
REAL Q: 4885 Country Club Rd., Winston-Salem. 336-760-3457 or real-q.com Its name suggests fraud exists in the barbecue world, that there are plates of smoked pork masquerading as something they are not. Well, at this Winston-Salem spot, the site of the original Little Richard’s, that means pit-smoked pork shoulders over wood coals, cooking for a dozen or so hours, chopped and seasoned and sauced with tomato-y …
SPEEDY’S BARBECUE: 1317 Winston Rd., Lexington. 336-248-2410 or speedysbbqinc.com In the heart of Lexington, Speedy’s has been a popular draw for more than 50 years in a town crowded with barbecue. Serving lunch and dinner, Speedy’s barbecue is pork shoulders chopped how you like it. Pork skin costs extra, but when is it not worth it?
STAMEY’S BARBECUE: 2206 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. 336-299-9888 or stameys.com Founded more than 90 years ago, Stamey’s is often credited in barbecue lore with creating the elements we know as the Lexington style. The oldest location is right across the street from the Greensboro Coliseum. Once upon a time, an afternoon of ACC basketball and a Stamey’s sandwich was a particular kind of North Carolina delight.
Scott Sharpe [email protected]Last edited by WayneT; March 23, 2023, 04:27 PM.Comment
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Great news folks, WayneT has put together a nice little swag package for all the attendees! Everyone attending the NC MeatUp will be getting this big ol haul of goodies. Gotta say, I’m impressed Wayne!
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I leave a month from today and I can't wait to see all a y'alls mugs! Even that incorrigible bastard Panhead JohnComment
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Alright CaptainMike waiting for everyone to arrive even Panhead John. -
Y’all keep it up and I’ll make sure you don’t get no swag package!Last edited by Panhead John; March 21, 2023, 08:07 PM.
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Just a little teaser for the next NC Meat-Up that we can all discuss in May. If you are a carnivore, this place will punch your ticket like the conductor on The Polar Express. BELIEVE! (I’ll be so disappointed if some of you don’t get that reference. )
Last edited by WayneT; March 21, 2023, 07:51 PM.Comment
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Regretfully, I have to bow out.
Not pointing fingers at my wife, but she has the opportunity to attend a concert she really wants to see (Lewis Capaldi) with her two besties in Nashville next week, and this eats up the travel money for the next good bit of time. She deserves it more than I do.
The good news is your Meat-Up just got 50% (roughly) better since now Panhead John will officially be the best looking guy there, plus I hear he's single....Comment
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Sir John Panhead please forgive me I'm just a lowly subject and you know I live for swag package.Originally posted by CaptainMike View PostComment
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Just a month and a couple of days until the big event...Looking forward to meeting everyone and having some good fellowship, conversation, for those that indulge adult beverages and or a good cigar...Comment
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The bbq festival interests me. I’d have to add a day, and maybe get a room closer to the festival, but that looks like it might be fun.Comment
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Can you believe it’s only a month until the long awaited, never to be duplicated, first ever, NC Pitmaster Club Meat-Up? When I first threw out the idea last fall, I never expected to see this kind of interest and participation. Y’all have stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park. Let me share some important, time-sensitive announcements and reminders.
Accommodations
April 5 is the last day to book the Hampton Inn at the preferred rate of $119/night. If you are thinking of coming but aren’t sure, please go ahead and book a room. You can always cancel it 24 or more hours before the date you plan to arrive without charge. For example, if you book for May 5 & 6, to avoid charges you must cancel on May 4, by 12:00 noon. This is a pet-friendly hotel that charges a $75 non-refundable pet fee. A free, hot breakfast is served each morning in the lobby area. Reservation information can be found on the OP here.
Welcome bags, containing important information about eating establishments in the area and your name tags, will be given to each attendee when you check in to the hotel. For those not staying at the hotel, you can pick up your packet at the hotel front desk.
Friday Night Dinner
There is only 1 seat left for the dinner on Friday night at the Village Tavern. The last date to make a reservation with our group is May 1.
Currently, there are four people confirmed to attend the Meat-Up who have not reserved a seat for this dinner. Please, visit the OP here and make sure I have your name under the dinner reservation list if you are planning to attend and let me know if I need to make corrections. The remaining seat is on a first-come-first-serve basis so please don’t hesitate to let me know if you want to attend. After May 1, or when we exceed 24 seats, you’ll have to make your own reservation directly with the restaurant by using the Resy website or calling the restaurant directly at (336) 760-8686. Friday is a very busy night at this restaurant so don’t wait to make your decision.
Full Agenda
Thursday, May 4 – Quite a few people are arriving on Thursday. The plan is to eat dinner at Pancho Villas, a very good Mexican restaurant about a five-minute drive from the hotel. Let’s plan on dinner between 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
Friday, May 5 – This is the day when all attendees will be here and when all those virtual friendships will become real. To that end, there will be a Happy Hour at the Hampton Inn from 4:00 – 5:30 pm followed by dinner at the Village Tavern from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. During the Happy Hour and dinner, a professional photographer will be on duty so there’s no need to let your beer get warm or your dinner get cold while you snap pictures with your iPhone. Pix will be posted to the Meat-Up topic soon thereafter.
Saturday, May 6 – Explore your own Q during the day. I’ve listed numerous BBQ joints above so please feel free to explore them at your leisure while you do some sight-seeing in the area. Dinner will be a pizza blow out at the Hampton Inn after 6:00 pm. We’ll put our heads together and decide who wants what toppings on which kind of crust and order some carry-out. BYOB.
Sunday, May 7 – As others have posted, there is a BBQ Festival in Charlotte NC on this date. More can be learned about it here. It’s about a 75 minute drive from the Hampton Inn to the festival and tickets can be purchased on the website for $75 each. (No, tickets do not get cheaper if you drive faster than the speed limit. That’s just a coincidence.) For those not attending the festival, we’ll brainstorm some brunch/lunch plans. As it turns out, the Village Tavern has an excellent brunch.
If you have any lingering questions about the Meat-Up, please reach out to one of your planning committee members to get an answer. They are Panhead John, DavidNorcross, Clawbear57 and WayneT. Thanks again to everyone attending and helping us make history!
Last edited by WayneT; April 3, 2023, 07:10 PM.Comment
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This is going to be so much fun. A big thank you to WayneT for putting this together.Comment
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What’s up with this Mexican food deal for Thursday night? I thought I was gonna show everyone how to knit a shawl?Last edited by Panhead John; April 3, 2023, 07:26 PM. -
Panhead John No knitting lessons until you finish my argyle, cable knit sweater.
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Shameless plug...If anyone is traveling through the Raleigh area and you have some time to kill there is a really good BBQ supply shop - Grill Billies - just east of Raleigh in Wendell, NC... I am going to make a detour to stop by there on the my through on Thursday...
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Really looking forward to putting faces to name.Comment
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Careful what you wish for, I have seen Panhead John in person...
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