<p>I Just spent a beautiful weekend in Durham (for the first time). The only dissappointment was the renowned Carolina barbeque. Ugh! Too much vinegar! Overcooked. Too dry. This was the chopped variety, also known as pulled pork. The ribs were no better.</p>
<p>I have had much better chopped pork in Georgia, enjoyed mustard sauce BBQ in South Carolina, and I’ve tasted great ribs far north of Mason’s and Dixon’s Line. To each his/her own but ‘North Carolina BBQ’ didn’t make the grade for me.</p>
<p>As a native Texan, I have had my share of exquisite BBQ (although HANDS DOWN the best I’ve ever had was actually here in Kansas at one particular little hole in the wall). When we took our son to Durham for move-in last year, we, too, tried NC BBQ. Though I am a vinegar freak in general (love the stuff) and did enjoy it, it was, IMHO, not on par with the kind that I was accustomed to having. I am sure that not having grown up eating this style of BBQ was part of the problem, but I must say I prefer the Texas/midwest style myself. ~berurah</p>
<p>The best BBQ I’ve probably had came from the Ridgeway (Inn?) in Johnson City TN. They serve coleslaw on the BBQ…wow, that was good!</p>
<p>Even Good Morning America (I think it was) picked the Ridgeway as tops.</p>
<p>I think BBQ is definitely a matter of individual taste…even within the state of NC you have different varieties/recipes for BBQ. Sorry you didn’t like it but you probably had the “Lexington” style BBQ…and I’m not crazy about that either. Come on down to the southeastern part of the state for some real good BBQ! My favorite place to eat in Durham is George’s Garage…did you get there? Be sure to check it out next time you visit.</p>
<p>Come to think of it 'Noles, the best part of the NC BBQ meal was the cole slaw (and collards).</p>
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That’s 'cause they’ve never tried “Pig In, Pig Out” in Wichita, KS!! ;)</p>
<p>I never had dry Carolina/Virginia-style BBQ. I think you just ate at a place where they didn’t have a good BBQ. Still, the peppery/vinegar style doesn’t appeal to everyone, so it could be that it just isn’t to your taste.</p>
<p>LakeWashington, You didn’t go far enough east! The best NC BBQ is found further east in places like Goldsboro,Rocky Mount, Greenville and Williamston.<br>
Lexington style is always dry…ugh. Like abbybabby said come on down east!</p>
<p>Yum. I love collards…BBQ…cornbread…whew!</p>
<p>This conversation is really getting to me. Hey…it’s lunch time!</p>
<p>Best I ever had, by far, was in New York City (Sylvia’s is amazing, though Blue Smoke is just that - I did like KC bbq as well.)</p>
<p>I’ve got to go into Wichita, and I <em>was</em> going to hit Panera on the way back, but it looks like Pig In Pig Out instead! Like I needed the calories…<em>sigh</em> ~berurah</p>
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This was my exact experience lo these many years ago when I headed expectantly into my first Carolina BBQ joint. I had thought I would love it, because I’m not big on tomato-based sauces in general. But - what are they thinking?!?</p>
<p>Give me Texas or Kansas or Memphis or even exported-to-Berkeley KC style bbq anytime.</p>
<p>Dry or moist, it’s the vinegar that gets me. Un-yum.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice Abby and PackMom. Although the sign at the restaurant stated “east Carolina style.”</p>
<p>In addition to the cole slaw and collards, the hush puppies were the best I’ve tasted. They had that natural corn sweetness and fresh corn taste. I thought the Brunswick stew needed okra, like in my grandma’s recipe.</p>
<p>Now, if we’re gonna get into a collard discussion…have you ever had a collard sandwich? Collards between two cornbread pancakes? Is that just a southeastern NC delicacy or do other parts of the country know about this culinary delight?</p>
<p>LakeWashington:</p>
<p>As you may know, Brunswick stew comes in all KINDS of varieties. My mother made one that no one else had ever seen. In some places, it’s absolutely thick with so much meat that it’s like eating a sort of peppery meat dish. In other places, there’s more broth than meat.</p>
<p>Just depends.</p>
<p>Tarhunt, I wasn’t aware that there were distinct varieties of Brunswick stew, but a few years ago I read about the rivaly and “culinary bragging” between the town of Brunswick, GA and some communities in southside Virginia; both of whom claim to the the inventors of the dish.</p>
<p>You’re right about the tradition of spicyness. Grandmama’s (in Georgia) Brunswick stew was full of shredded meat and a pocketbook full of hot spices. Getting back to BBQ pork, I now recall that a friend of Washington and Lee University once ridiculed me for liking “that sweet northern BBQ.”</p>
<p>Yep, My Mama’s brunswick stew was always thick enough to eat with a fork. Don’t like the watery soupy kind.</p>
<p>Lake Wash:</p>
<p>The controversy is between Brunswick, GA and Brunswick County, VA (as I recall). My Mama’s Brunswick stew was influenced by her Shenandoah Valley upbringing, but she had relatives in Brunswick County. As a child, there used to be community cookouts in my small town in VA. There would be an enormous black kettle in which the men would dump just about every kind of meat imaginable (but beef was the main ingredient). There was also corn, butterbeans, and who knows what else. This would be stirred over a slow fire by the men using canoe paddles. </p>
<p>Like PackMom says, it was thick, thick, thick. Yep. You could eat it with a fork for sure. My mama’s was more watery and more tomato-based.</p>
<p>If you’re looking to make a road trip this upcoming weekend and need a destination, may I suggest Lynchburg, Tennessee (home to Jack Daniel’s Distillery)? This is the weekend they host the World Championship Invitational Barbecue. Lots of activities planned.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.lynchburgtenn.com/jack_daniels_bar-b-q.html[/url]”>http://www.lynchburgtenn.com/jack_daniels_bar-b-q.html</a></p>
<p>The famed Lexington, NC BBQ was the worst I have ever had. In a threeway cookoff between Texas, KC and NC the NC stuff came in dead last by a mile. I agree.
Had some great thick outdoor cooked Brunswick stew at Wintergreen in Virginia. Much better than the Ga stuff.</p>