12 North Carolina BBQ Joints That Locals Say Taste Like Tradition
Warning: Reading further may induce extreme hunger and an uncontrollable urge for a road trip.
In North Carolina, barbecue isn’t just food; it’s a fierce, flavorful religion, sparking passionate debates from the mountains to the coast. But beyond the Eastern vs. Western divide lies a shared reverence for tradition.
We’ve meticulously curated 12 legendary spots, hand-picked by the very people who live and breathe NC ‘cue. These are the unassuming institutions where history is slow-smoked, sauces are legendary, and every bite transports you straight to the heart of our culinary heritage.
Your taste buds are about to thank us.
1. Skylight Inn BBQ – Ayden, NC
Wood smoke curls above this humble building crowned with a silver dome, signaling serious barbecue inside. The Jones family has been cooking whole hog barbecue the same way since 1947, chopped fine with bits of crackling mixed in, seasoned simply with salt, vinegar, and hot pepper.
Locals call it ‘Pete Jones’ place’ after the founder who famously declared, “If it’s not cooked with wood, it’s not barbecue.” Their cornbread is a dense, savory square that soaks up the tangy sauce perfectly.
I remember my grandfather driving two hours just for a Skylight sandwich. Nothing else tasted like his childhood quite the same way.
2. Lexington Barbecue – Lexington, NC
Locals simply call it “The Barbecue Center” or “Honey Monk’s” after founder Wayne Monk. Since 1962, this Piedmont-style landmark has been smoking pork shoulders over smoldering hickory coals for 8-10 hours until the meat practically falls apart.
The signature red slaw-made with ketchup instead of mayonnaise-cuts through the rich pork perfectly. Their brown-outside, pink-inside chopped barbecue with a splash of their peppery-sweet dip creates the quintessential Lexington-style sandwich.
On Saturdays, the line stretches out the door with families who’ve been coming for generations. You need to try this one!
3. Stamey’s Barbecue – Greensboro, NC
Warner Stamey learned his craft from barbecue legends before opening his own place in 1930. Four generations later, the pits still burn with hickory wood, sending that unmistakable aroma through Greensboro neighborhoods.
Stamey’s serves Lexington-style chopped pork with a vinegar-based dip that has just enough tomato to balance the tang. Their crispy-edged hushpuppies come straight from the fryer to your table, golden and steaming.
Back in ’92, my dad took me here after my little league championship game, win or lose, he said, Stamey’s was always a victory. That sweet tea and smoky pork sandwich still tastes like celebration to me.
4. B’s Barbecue – Greenville, NC
Blink and you might miss this cinder-block building with no website and no phone. B’s opens when they’re ready and closes when they sell out-often before lunch ends. The McLawhorn family has been cooking whole hogs over oak and hickory since the 1970s.
Their Eastern-style barbecue comes chopped fine with bits of skin mixed in, dressed with a peppery vinegar sauce that locals claim is the perfect balance of heat and tang. The chicken is equally famous, painted with their secret sauce and smoked until mahogany.
Cash only, no frills. Worth every penny according to the steady stream of pickup trucks in the gravel parking lot.
5. Wilber’s Barbecue – Goldsboro, NC
Rescued from permanent closure in 2019, this Eastern NC institution has been serving whole-hog barbecue since 1962. Wilber Shirley learned his craft from legendary pitmaster Emmett “Uncle Bill” Dennis before opening his own place along Highway 70.
The pits sit behind the restaurant where whole hogs cook overnight over oak and hickory coals. Their barbecue sauce is pure Eastern Carolina, vinegar and red pepper flakes, no tomato in sight.
Famous visitors from presidents to celebrities have made the pilgrimage to Wilber’s, but locals know it’s the consistent quality that’s kept the doors open for generations. Their Brunswick stew might be the best side dish in the state.
6. Grady’s Bar-B-Q – Dudley, NC
Steve and Gerri Grady opened their roadside joint in 1986, but their barbecue methods date back generations. Every morning before dawn, Steve lights the oak wood that will slowly cook whole hogs in concrete block pits behind the modest building.
The result is quintessential Eastern-style barbecue-finely chopped with a clean, bright vinegar-pepper sauce that lets the pork flavor shine. Gerri’s sides are legendary: collard greens simmered with fatback, cornbread that crumbles just right, and sweet potato pie worth saving room for.
I once asked Mr. Grady the secret to his barbecue. “Time,” he said with a smile. “Can’t rush what’s meant to be slow.”
7. Allen & Son Bar-B-Q – Chapel Hill, NC
Though the original location closed in 2018, the Southern Village outpost carries on Keith Allen’s legendary techniques. For decades, Allen split his own hickory wood with an axe each morning before dawn, a level of dedication that earned him barbecue immortality.
His Piedmont-style pork shoulders cook slowly until the outside develops a mahogany bark while the inside stays juicy. The sauce strikes the perfect balance between Eastern vinegar tang and Western tomato sweetness.
Their hand-cut fries and scratch-made pies have their own following. Regulars know to save room for a slice of pecan pie that rivals any grandma’s recipe in the state.
8. Hursey’s Bar-B-Q – Burlington, NC
Charles Hursey returned from WWII and built a pit in his backyard in 1946. What started as cooking for friends grew into a barbecue empire spanning three generations. Their pork shoulders cook 14 hours over hickory coals, developing a deep smoke ring that’s the hallmark of proper pit cooking.
The sauce leans toward the Western Carolina style with a touch of tomato balancing the vinegar. Their hushpuppies emerge from the fryer light and oniony, the perfect complement to smoky meat.
Back in the 1980s, Hursey’s barbecue traveled to France as part of a cultural exchange. Those Parisians might have been confused by the concept, but they cleaned their plates just like Burlington locals do every day.
9. Little Richard’s Bar-B-Q – Winston-Salem, NC
Richard Berrier opened his first restaurant in 1991, but his barbecue education started decades earlier in Lexington, the epicenter of Piedmont-style ‘cue. Pork shoulders smoke for 12 hours over a careful blend of hickory and oak, developing that distinctive pink smoke ring barbecue aficionados look for.
The meat gets a splash of their reddish dip, a vinegar base with a touch of ketchup, sugar, and secret spices. Their red slaw, made with the same sauce instead of mayonnaise, provides the perfect tangy crunch.
Four locations now serve the Winston-Salem area! Locals say the original on Country Club Road still has that special something you can only get from decades of seasoned pits.
10. The Pit – Raleigh, NC
Barbecue legend Ed Mitchell brought whole-hog cooking to downtown Raleigh when he opened The Pit in 2007. While ownership has changed, Mitchell’s influence remains in their commitment to Eastern-style whole hog barbecue and humanely raised North Carolina pigs.
Unlike most traditional joints, The Pit offers an upscale atmosphere with craft and local drinks alongside the classics. The barbecue comes with a thin, peppery vinegar sauce that cuts through the rich meat perfectly.
My cousin from California visited last summer and insisted we eat here every night of her stay. “We have fancy restaurants back home,” she said, “but nothing makes pork taste like this.” The banana pudding converted her into a true Southern dessert believer.
11. Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge – Shelby, NC
Red and Lyttle Bridges opened their first restaurant in 1946, pioneering the overnight cooking method that defines Shelby-style barbecue. Today, their daughter and grandchildren maintain the family legacy, slow-cooking pork shoulders over hickory coals for 10 hours.
The meat gets chopped or sliced, then dressed with their Western-leaning sauce, tangier than Lexington’s but still tomato-tinged. Their red slaw adds crunch and acid to cut through the rich pork.
The restaurant itself feels frozen in time, red checkered tablecloths, wood-paneled walls, and waitresses who’ve worked there for decades. When a pitmaster passes away in these parts, the smoke from Bridges often forms part of the memorial tribute.
12. Bum’s Restaurant – Ayden, NC
Located near the legendary Skylight Inn, Bum’s Restaurant offers a similar no-frills, old-school barbecue experience that locals have cherished for decades. It’s a true community institution.
It’s run by the Bumgardner family since 1960. Like Jack Cobb & Son, Bum’s focuses on whole-hog barbecue cooked low and slow over hardwood coals. The result is a tender, smoky meat that is chopped finely.
They serve it on a paper plate with classic sides like collard greens, boiled potatoes, and cornbread, staying true to the authentic Eastern North Carolina tradition. If you’re looking for an unassuming spot that delivers on flavor and heritage, Bum’s is the perfect place to get a taste of tradition.