Jimmy Neutron Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Looking for real down home stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Lexington #1 in Lexington, NC is widely considered to be about as good as it gets in the state. Depending on where you're going to be in Charlotte, it's 30-45 minutes drive (I think). As for Charlotte itself, I honestly have no idea at all. Only been to the city about 3-4 times since I moved here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Lexington #1 in Lexington, NC is widely considered to be about as good as it gets in the WESTERN PART OF THE state. Fixed It is good stuff though. Just isn't the eastern style BBQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricrelish Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 (edited) The best BBQ in Charlotte is the Old Hickory House BBQ Restaurant near UNC-Charlotte. It's actually western style BBQ. I actually interviewed the owners in the 90s for a paper I was writing for at the time. They told me it's a family owned restaurant. The other half of their family owns a place in the Atlanta area, which was started in 1953l. The BBQ is not really NC BBQ, which is usually vinegar based. Old Hickory's BBQ is tomato-based. The Brunswick stew is out of this world. It's made with chicken, pork, beef, tomatoes and corn. It's nice and greasy. When Jimmy Carter was President of the United States, Old Hickory House Bar B Q and Brunswick Stew were flown to Washington, D.C and prepared in the White House for the President, Rosalyn and their guests. I've been going to this place since I was a wee lad in the 70s. I love it and you will too. Old Hickory House BBQ Restaurant 6538 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28213-5519 (704) 596-8014 www.oldhickoryhouse.com - This is their Atlanta website. Review 1 Review 2 Edited May 25, 2010 by electricrelish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricrelish Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 My g/f likes Bill Spoon's BBQ. Her family were friends with the original owner before he passed away. This place has been here since 1963. They have vinegar based BBQ, which NC is famous for. It's been here in Charlotte for a long time, so it has a big following. Bill Spoon's Barbecue 5524 South Boulevard Charlotte, NC 704-525-8865 Here's the Road Food Review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Fixed It is good stuff though. Just isn't the eastern style BBQ. Which, IMO is not a bad thing. I'm not actually a huge fan of Eastern NC cue. Not that it's bad, it's just not that good. Not considering it is made from the single tastiest animal you can cook. I mean, if you do nothing to a pork shoulder but salt and pepper it and roast it for 3-4 hours, it's already really effing tasty. So there's your benchmark. And I actually think that putting a bunch of vinegary sauce on it actually makes it less tasty. So, there's all this fuss around these parts about a rather elaborate process that ultimately yields a product that is almost, but not quite, as good as simply roasting it with salt and pepper. Not saying I haven't had very good versions of Eastern cue, but I've had far too many really mediocre versions for it to deserve the regional fame it gets. Besides not being a huge fan of the sauce, I think the whole hog preparation tends to yield too much mushy meat. To me, part of barbecuing is the association of the meat to the flame. Well, if you got a huge pig, then too much of it is insulated by other parts of the pig. That's why I tend to prefer barbecue based on just shoulders, which, IIRC is more a trademark of western NC cue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 The best BBQ in Charlotte is the Old Hickory House BBQ Restaurant near UNC-Charlotte. It's actually western style BBQ. I actually interviewed the owners in the 90s for a paper I was writing for at the time. They told me it's a family owned restaurant. The other half of their family owns a place in the Atlanta area, which was started in 1953l. The BBQ is not really NC BBQ, which is usually vinegar based. Old Hickory's BBQ is tomato-based. The Brunswick stew is out of this world. It's made with chicken, pork, beef, tomatoes and corn. It's nice and greasy. When Jimmy Carter was President of the United States, Old Hickory House Bar B Q and Brunswick Stew were flown to Washington, D.C and prepared in the White House for the President, Rosalyn and their guests. I've been going to this place since I was a wee lad in the 70s. I love it and you will too. Old Hickory House BBQ Restaurant 6538 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28213-5519 (704) 596-8014 www.oldhickoryhouse.com - This is their Atlanta website. Review 1 Review 2 Maybe things are different there, but I find it hard to believe the best BBQ place around has a website. Most of the best BBQ places around her don't. Most are just hole in the walls that don't do any kind of advertising at all, they just get their business by world of mouth. My absolute favorite is only open 3 days a week, and is a good 20 miles form anywhere but is always busy. If you look at the place it is down right scary. Wood shack with a wood burning stove int he middle of it to keep you warm int he winter. No A/C, just fans. The floor tilted about almost a foot over the 20 foot distance from wall to wall. The inside of the "dinning room" isn't painted, but it is pitch black form all the smoke coming into the room each time Pat opens the door out to the smoker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricrelish Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Maybe things are different there, but I find it hard to believe the best BBQ place around has a website. Most of the best BBQ places around her don't. Most are just hole in the walls that don't do any kind of advertising at all, they just get their business by world of mouth. My absolute favorite is only open 3 days a week, and is a good 20 miles form anywhere but is always busy. If you look at the place it is down right scary. Wood shack with a wood burning stove int he middle of it to keep you warm int he winter. No A/C, just fans. The floor tilted about almost a foot over the 20 foot distance from wall to wall. The inside of the "dinning room" isn't painted, but it is pitch black form all the smoke coming into the room each time Pat opens the door out to the smoker. The one in Charlotte doesn't have a website. They share the same restaurant name though and it's a family recipe. However, it is the 21st century, and this family has been passing down this restaurant to different generations, so I don't think it's far fetched that one of their children thought they should be online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Maybe things are different there, but I find it hard to believe the best BBQ place around has a website. Most of the best BBQ places around her don't. Most are just hole in the walls that don't do any kind of advertising at all, they just get their business by world of mouth. My absolute favorite is only open 3 days a week, and is a good 20 miles form anywhere but is always busy. If you look at the place it is down right scary. Wood shack with a wood burning stove int he middle of it to keep you warm int he winter. No A/C, just fans. The floor tilted about almost a foot over the 20 foot distance from wall to wall. The inside of the "dinning room" isn't painted, but it is pitch black form all the smoke coming into the room each time Pat opens the door out to the smoker. I guess it is. We've somehow managed to pair tasty food of humble origins with things like indoor plumbing. Honestly, I think that, half the time, people talk themselves into thinking a place is better than it is because it's such a dive. They get suck a kick out of slumming it. It's the same with ethnic foods. People are always quick to scrutinize those who dress up the vibe of places that people have compartmentalized in their head as foods that should only be eaten on a paper plate or something. To me it seems sort of elitist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 Which, IMO is not a bad thing. I'm not actually a huge fan of Eastern NC cue. Not that it's bad, it's just not that good. Not considering it is made from the single tastiest animal you can cook. I mean, if you do nothing to a pork shoulder but salt and pepper it and roast it for 3-4 hours, it's already really effing tasty. So there's your benchmark. And I actually think that putting a bunch of vinegary sauce on it actually makes it less tasty. So, there's all this fuss around these parts about a rather elaborate process that ultimately yields a product that is almost, but not quite, as good as simply roasting it with salt and pepper. You've completely lost your mind. Stick to wine. not being a huge fan of the sauce ah hah..... It's kind of an acquired taste, I think. I was kind of iffy on it at first too, and love pretty much all styles of BBQ but there's nothing like a good eastern NC 'Q, ie the vinegar based. With slaw on top of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 To me, the best Eastern NC Style BBQ is just like Detlef said, smoked with salt and pepper but then adding a vinegar based sauce afterwards. It really enhances the flavor that way without overwhelming the pork. I can't believe Hickory House would be the best BBQ anywhere. Don't get me wrong, it's good but I can name several places in Atlanta with better Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Detlef is correct about the Lexington barbecue place, it is awesome, but is closer to an hour, hour 15 from Charlotte. The second best is in Highpoint and called Kepley's. I didn't know they served BBQ in Charlotte, thought they were too cosmopolitan for that. Head to the Lexington /Highpoint area, that is where BBQ is king. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 While were listing NC BBQ joints, Parker's in Wilson, NC is great. Pulled pork is the specialty should you happen to find yourself in that God forsaken part of the state amidst the tobacco fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 While were listing NC BBQ joints, Parker's in Wilson, NC is great. Pulled pork is the specialty should you happen to find yourself in that God forsaken part of the state amidst the tobacco fields. Or for that matter, if you're heading east, there's Wilbur's in Greenville. Smack dab on the main highway through town. Every year on our way to New Bern for the MS Bike ride, we stop for lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Probably down the road where they sell Memphis-style BBQ. North Carolina BBQ is nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nogohawk Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Damn ... this all is making me hungry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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