9 Smokehouses That Keep North Carolina BBQ Tradition Burning Strong
If BBQ were a religion, North Carolina would be the Holy Land. Families have been debating eastern whole-hog versus western Lexington-style for generations.
And nobody is backing down. Think Montagues and Capulets, except with wood splits and secret rubs passed down like treasure. North Carolina barbecue isn’t just food, it’s a rite of passage.
From the coastal plains of Greenville to the misty mountains of Dillsboro, smoke curls from every pit like incense, and the aroma alone could start a pilgrimage. Whether you’re a die-hard whole-hog purist or here for red slaw piled high on chopped pork, there’s a smokehouse calling your name.
These aren’t trendy pop-ups or Instagram bait.
They’re the OGs, feeding communities and guarding a culinary legacy most states can only dream about. Loosen your belt, grab a stack of napkins, and get ready: these smokehouses are keeping North Carolina BBQ tradition burning strong, and your stomach will thank you.
1. Hursey’s Bar-B-Q
Some places earn their reputation one plate at a time, and Hursey’s Bar-B-Q has been doing exactly that since 1945. Tucked along 1834 S Church St in Burlington, NC, this family legend has been slow-cooking whole hogs over wood coals for decades.
Burlington isn’t always the first city people think of when they imagine great North Carolina BBQ, but locals know the truth, and the truth smells absolutely incredible.
Hursey’s specializes in eastern-style BBQ, which means the whole hog is the star of the show. The meat is cooked low and slow until it practically falls apart, then chopped and seasoned with a tangy vinegar-based sauce that cuts right through the richness of the pork.
It’s a flavor profile that’s been refined over generations, and it shows in every single bite. The coleslaw here is creamy, cool, and the perfect sidekick to that punchy, smoky meat.
What makes Hursey’s stand out even more is the consistency. Spots like this can sometimes coast on their legacy, but the food here still hits with the same intensity it always has.
The Brunswick stew is thick, hearty, and deeply satisfying.
Cornbread? Perfectly golden.
Hush puppies? Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.
Hursey’s is the kind of place that makes you understand why North Carolina BBQ devotees get so passionate. There’s no smoke and mirrors here, just smoke and pork, done exactly right.
If you’re passing through the Piedmont region and skip this spot, you’re genuinely doing yourself a disservice.
2. B’s Barbecue
There are legendary BBQ joints, and then there is B’s Barbecue, a place so revered in eastern North Carolina that people have literally driven hours just to find it closed and considered that drive worth it anyway.
Located at 751 B’s Barbecue Rd in Greenville, NC, yes, the road is literally named after them, B’s operates on its own schedule, opens when it opens, and closes when the meat runs out. That’s it.
No negotiating, no exceptions.
B’s is a cash-only, no-frills, whole-hog operation that has been putting eastern North Carolina BBQ on the map for decades. The pits here burn wood, real wood, not gas, not charcoal, and the hogs cook overnight until they reach a level of tenderness that borders on spiritual.
The skin gets crackled and crispy, the meat becomes impossibly juicy, and the whole thing gets chopped and mixed together so every bite has that perfect combination of textures.
The vinegar sauce is sharp, clean, and fiercely traditional. It doesn’t try to be anything fancy, it just does its job beautifully, brightening every smoky, rich bite of pork.
The sides at B’s are equally no-nonsense: boiled potatoes, coleslaw, and cornbread that rounds everything out without stealing the spotlight. The chicken here is also worth ordering, smoky, golden, and deeply flavorful in a way that feels almost effortless.
In a food landscape that constantly chases the next big trend, that kind of stubborn authenticity is genuinely rare and wildly refreshing. If you want to understand what eastern North Carolina BBQ is really about, not the Instagram version, but the real, wood-smoked, vinegar-sauced truth, B’s Barbecue is your destination.
Just get there early, bring cash, and prepare for a moment that might change how you think about smoked meat forever.
3. Gary’s BBQ
China Grove, North Carolina, might be a small town, but Gary’s BBQ gives it an absolutely massive reputation. Sitting right on 620 N Hwy 29, this Rowan County gem has been quietly serving some of the best Lexington-style BBQ in the western Piedmont, and the regulars will fight you, politely, but firmly, if you suggest otherwise.
Gary’s leans into the Lexington tradition, which means you’re getting pork shoulder, not whole hog. The shoulders are cooked low and slow over hickory wood, developing a bark on the outside that’s dark, caramelized, and packed with flavor.
Inside, the meat stays incredibly moist, pulling apart in long, silky strands that soak up the signature Lexington-style dip. A tomato-tinged vinegar sauce with a little sweetness and a little heat that somehow makes everything better.
The red slaw at Gary’s deserves its own paragraph, because this is not your average coleslaw situation. Lexington-style red slaw is made with that same vinegar-tomato dip instead of mayo, giving it a tangy, slightly sweet crunch that pairs perfectly with the richness of the pork.
It’s one of those regional food quirks that sounds weird until you try it, and then you immediately wonder why the rest of the country hasn’t caught on yet.
Hush puppies here are golden, slightly sweet, and dangerously addictive. The kind of thing you tell yourself you’ll only have two of and then suddenly the basket is empty.
Gary’s also does a solid BBQ sandwich that’s generous in size and even more generous in flavor. There’s something wonderfully grounding about a place like Gary’s.
No gimmicks, no fusion experiments, just really honest, really good BBQ that respects the tradition it comes from.
4. McCall’s Bar-B-Q & Seafood
Goldsboro, North Carolina, has a serious claim to BBQ fame, and McCall’s Bar-B-Q & Seafood at 139 Millers Chapel Rd is a huge reason why. This place is the kind of spot that earns the phrase “institution” without any irony whatsoever.
Wayne County is deep in eastern NC BBQ territory, and McCall’s has been representing that tradition with conviction and a whole lot of wood smoke for years.
The fact that they also do seafood should not distract you from the fact that the BBQ here is absolutely elite.
The whole-hog pit cooking at McCall’s is done the old-fashioned way, wood-fired, slow, and patient. The result is pork that has that unmistakable smoky depth you simply cannot fake with a gas cooker or a shortcut.
The vinegar-based sauce is bright and tangy, cutting through the fat of the pork in the most satisfying way. Every plate feels like a direct line to BBQ history.
Now, about that seafood, it genuinely earns its place on the menu. The fried fish and shrimp are crispy, fresh, and cooked with the same care as the BBQ.
It’s a combination that might raise eyebrows outside of eastern North Carolina, but within the region, pairing smoked pork with fried seafood is a perfectly natural thing.
The buffet setup means you can load up on both, which is a decision you will absolutely not regret.
The sides at McCall’s are the kind of Southern cooking that makes you want to call your grandmother and apologize for ever eating a sad desk lunch. Collard greens, sweet potatoes, and Brunswick stew all show up and show out.
McCall’s manages to be a celebration of two distinct food traditions without shortchanging either one, which is no small feat.
5. Little Pigs Bar-B-Q
Asheville is famous for a lot of things, the arts scene, the mountain views, the Biltmore Estate, but tucked away at 384 McDowell St is a BBQ spot that has been quietly holding it down for serious pork lovers since 1956.
Little Pigs Bar-B-Q is the kind of place that doesn’t need to compete with Asheville’s trendier food scene, because it has been doing its thing longer than most of those restaurants have been a concept. Longevity like that is earned, not given.
What’s fascinating about Little Pigs is its position as a western NC BBQ spot that draws from both the Lexington tradition and its own mountain sensibility. The pork is smoky, tender, and served with a sauce that has just enough vinegar to remind you of its roots.
The setting is unpretentious in the best possible way, no craft menu, no exposed brick walls, just great smoked meat and sides that know their purpose.
The BBQ plates here come loaded with coleslaw, baked beans, and hush puppies that are crispy, golden, and exactly the right size for dunking. The ribs at Little Pigs deserve special attention, they’re meaty, smoky, and have that perfect pull-from-the-bone quality that separates the serious rib operations from the casual ones.
Once you’ve had ribs cooked this carefully, it’s genuinely hard to go back to anything less.
Little Pigs also does a brisk takeout business, which tells you something important: people love this food enough to carry it home and eat it on their own couch, which is basically the highest compliment a BBQ spot can receive. Sometimes the most iconic experience in a city isn’t what the guidebooks tell you.
It’s the smoke you follow to a parking lot off McDowell Street.
6. Stamey’s Barbecue
If you want to understand Lexington-style BBQ at its absolute finest, you need to spend some time at Stamey’s Barbecue in Greensboro. The location at 2812 Battleground Ave has been a Piedmont landmark since 1953, and the story of Stamey’s is really the story of how Lexington-style BBQ spread beyond Lexington and planted its flag across the region.
The pork shoulder here is cooked over hardwood coals in a way that creates a bark so deeply flavored and caramelized that it almost steals the show from the meat itself. Almost.
The inside of the shoulder stays wonderfully moist, and when you get a plate of chopped BBQ with that signature dip sauce drizzled over the top, it’s a moment of pure, uncomplicated happiness.
The coleslaw here is the Lexington red variety, which means it’s dressed in that same tangy dip rather than mayo. It’s crunchy, slightly sweet, slightly tart, and absolutely the right companion to the smoky pork.
The hush puppies at Stamey’s are slightly sweet and incredibly light. A genuine point of pride for a restaurant that takes every detail seriously.
The banana pudding dessert is a non-negotiable finish to the meal.
Stamey’s has fed everyone from road-tripping college students to longtime Greensboro families who have been coming here for three generations. There’s a warmth to the place that goes beyond the smoke.
It feels like somewhere that genuinely cares about the people it feeds and the tradition it carries.
In a city that keeps growing and changing, Stamey’s is an anchor, a constant reminder that some things are worth protecting exactly as they are. Greensboro is lucky to have it, and honestly, so is North Carolina.
7. Alston Bridges Barbecue
There’s a moment when you pull up to Alston Bridges Barbecue on 620 E Grover St in Shelby, NC, and you immediately understand that this place means business. The building is modest, the signage is understated, and the smoke coming from the pit tells you everything you actually need to know.
Cleveland County has always been serious about its BBQ, and Alston Bridges has been one of its most respected torchbearers since 1955. Which, for the record, is longer than color television has been common in American homes.
The pork shoulders here are cooked over hardwood in a way that creates a flavor profile that’s simultaneously smoky, savory, and deeply satisfying.
The chopped BBQ has a texture that’s finely pulled but not mushy. There’s still enough structure to give you something to chew through, which is exactly how it should be.
The dip sauce is applied with a light, knowing hand.
The baked beans have a richness that suggests they’ve been slow-cooked with purpose, and the slaw is crisp and perfectly balanced. The hush puppies arrive hot and golden, with a slight sweetness that makes them dangerously easy to finish before your main plate even arrives.
What really sets Alston Bridges apart is its reputation among BBQ scholars. The people who travel the state specifically to eat and compare.
It consistently shows up on serious lists of North Carolina’s best, not because of marketing, but because the food earns it every single time.
Shelby might not be the first stop on most food tourism itineraries, but Alston Bridges is the kind of discovery that makes you feel like you found something the rest of the world hasn’t caught up to yet. And honestly?
That feeling is half the joy of great BBQ.
8. Haywood Smokehouse
Tucked into the mountains of western North Carolina at 403 Haywood Rd in Dillsboro, Haywood Smokehouse is the kind of BBQ spot that feels like it was placed there by the universe specifically to reward people who take the scenic route.
Dillsboro is a small, artsy mountain town near the Great Smoky Mountains, and Haywood Smokehouse fits its surroundings perfectly. It’s got that mountain authenticity that you can’t manufacture, paired with smoked meats that would hold their own anywhere in the state.
The BBQ here leans into the western NC style, with slow-smoked meats that carry a deep, wood-fired character. The pulled pork is tender and generously portioned, with a smokiness that feels genuinely earned rather than artificially applied.
The brisket is worth ordering if you want to see how a mountain smokehouse handles Texas-style beef. The answer is: very, very well.
The bark is dark and crackling, and the interior is pink-ringed and buttery.
Haywood Smokehouse also does smoked chicken and turkey that are juicy in a way that defies the usual dry-poultry odds. It’s the kind of meal you want after a long hike through the Smokies, and if you’re visiting the area, that’s absolutely a sequence of events you should plan.
The setting itself adds something to the experience, you’re eating great BBQ surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape in the eastern United States, which has a way of making everything taste even better.
Haywood Smokehouse represents an important point: great North Carolina BBQ doesn’t only live in the flatlands and the Piedmont. The mountains have their own smoke rising, their own traditions evolving, and Haywood is proof that the spirit of NC BBQ burns just as brightly at elevation.
Have you ever had brisket with a mountain view? Because you should.
9. Keaton’s Barbecue
Here’s the thing about Keaton’s Barbecue. It is exactly the type of place that BBQ pilgrimages are made for.
Sitting way out at 17365 Cool Springs Rd in Cleveland, NC, this Rowan County legend is not on the way to anything else.
You go to Keaton’s on purpose, and that intentionality is part of what makes the experience so rewarding. The drive through rural North Carolina builds anticipation, and the smell of smoke that hits you when you finally arrive is the greatest possible payoff.
Keaton’s has been operating since 1953, and the pit cooking here is as traditional as it gets. The chicken is the thing that most devoted fans will tell you to order first.
It’s cooked over coals until the skin is deeply charred and crackling, and the meat inside stays impossibly juicy.
It’s a cooking technique that sounds simple but requires serious skill and attention to get right, and Keaton’s has been getting it right for over seventy years.
The sauce at Keaton’s is a Piedmont-style vinegar dip with a tomato base, applied during cooking so it caramelizes into the meat rather than sitting on top of it. That approach gives the chicken and pork a glaze that’s tangy, slightly sweet, and completely addictive.
Keaton’s is the kind of place that reminds you why regional food culture matters so much. It exists outside the hype cycle, outside the algorithm, and outside the trend conversation entirely.
And it is absolutely thriving because the food speaks for itself.
If you’re building a North Carolina BBQ road trip itinerary and Keaton’s isn’t on it, it’s time to start over. This is the smoke that never goes cold, the fire that never dies down, and the taste that stays with you long after you’ve left Cleveland, NC in the rearview mirror.