Brisket and beyond: These 12 NC spots offer some of the state’s best new barbecue
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Let News & Observer food writer Drew Jackson be your definitive source for all things North Carolina barbecue as the state embraces the country’s red hot barbecue obsession and a new generation of pitmasters make the new traditions their own.
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The edges of barbecue are expanding and evolving. In North Carolina, that means a way of life and a way of eating is changing.
The barbecue restaurants that open today serve a menu blending regions, slicing brisket next to chopped up pulled pork, with maybe some broiled oysters on the side.
Here are a dozen of the North Carolina barbecue restaurants paving a new path for the state’s most famous food.
Buxton Hall Barbecue
32 Banks Ave., Asheville. 828-232-7216 or buxtonhall.com
This Asheville restaurant redefined expectations for North Carolina barbecue when it opened in 2015, smoking traditional whole hog indoors in a giant skating rink-turned-dining room. It’s co-founder Elliott Moss had earned James Beard attention at Asheville’s The Admiral, but found a brighter spotlight at Buxton, creating a massively popular chicken sandwich and making old traditions feel new again. Moss recently departed Buxton, but the menu lives on, with green beans cooked in pork drippings, hash and rice going mainstream and whole hog still at the heart.
Dampf Good BBQ
Pop-up barbecue. dampfgoodbbq.com
Still in pop-up mode, this Texas-transplant barbecue brand currently makes its living on the weekends, setting up at breweries and festivals. If you see it, get there early — the Dampf duo of brothers Nick and Bryce almost always sell out quickly. Look for them next year as part of the Craften food hall in Clayton.
Jon G’s Barbecue
116 Glenn Falls St., Peachland. jongsbarbecue.com
There’s nothing else quite like Jon G’s Barbecue in all of North Carolina. This Saturday-only spot about an hour east of Charlotte looks and feels like something out of Texas, with the line forming early in the morning and building until doors open at 11 a.m. Here, it’s about brisket, sliced lean or fatty and seeming to shimmy on the cutting board. The wait will be long, but there’s a cooler of free beer (and you can bring your own), and the only groans seem to come from those still in line when bacon burnt ends or Cheerwine sausage sell out. If you have your heart set on specials, get there before 9 a.m. If you’re content with brisket and pulled pork, you could show up around 2 p.m. and take your chances on a shorter path to the front of the line.
Lawrence Barbecue
900 Park Office Dr. Suite 120, Durham. lawrencebarbecue.com
You know it’s a new world for North Carolina barbecue when one of the South’s most talked-about spots sits among the tall pine trees in the endless office park of RTP. Still, the vibes at Lawrence are good, built around a Texas-style menu of brisket, spare ribs and pulled pork, cooked from the early morning in offset smokers. But Lawrence, led by former fine dining chef Jake Wood, specializes in pushing the boundaries of barbecue, creating a brisket birria taco that was so popular it had to be taken off the menu, plus raw and roasted oysters. Upstairs, the Lagoon Bar serves beach-worthy cocktails to pair with some of the most fun barbecue around.
Longleaf Swine BBQ
300 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. 910-330-0702 or longleafswine.com
At more than three-years in the making, Longleaf Swine is the state’s most anticipated new school barbecue shop. For anyone who’s run into one of their many pop-ups over the years, you know the promise is real, with formidable pork and perfected beef ribs. The plans for the Longleaf Swine brick-and-mortar spot push Raleigh’s barbecue scene in a new direction, offering market-style slicing by day and diner-style smashburgers by night, plus one of the city’s largest outdoor patios. The new restaurant looks to open in time for the Hopscotch Music Festival in September.
Midwood Smokehouse
Six locations in North and South Carolina. midwoodsmokehouse.com
This barbecue empire from Charlotte will make its way to Raleigh with the brand’s sixth smokehouse in the Carolinas. Midwood’s barbecue has been blessed by the likes of Bill Murray, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, each stopping in at the original Plaza Midwood location in recent years. But the local love extends well beyond celebrity pop-ins. The large menu seems to embrace all sides of barbecue, from brisket and pork to smoked meatballs and salmon. Look for the first Triangle spot at 524 N. West St. in Raleigh.
Old Colony Smokehouse
802 W. Queen St., Edenton. 252-482-2400 or oldcolonysmokehouse.com.
After winning a special North Carolina version of Food Network’s “Chopped” in 2018, Adam Hughes got to work on building a barbecue restaurant of his dreams. He signed a lease in December 2019, and three months later ran into a global pandemic. But Old Colony Smokehouse endures, with brisket as its top seller, drawing crowds from all over, including beach traffic on the way to the Outer Banks. Nearly everything on the large menu is made in-house, including five kinds of complimentary pickles.
Prime Barbecue
403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale. 919-373-8067 or prime-bbq.com
Everything down to the polished, subway-tiled walls suggests Prime is a new class of cue. Pitmaster Chris Prieto has put in years teaching barbecue and appearing on television smoking meat, but with his first restaurant the Texas-born transplant is pushing North Carolina barbecue in new directions. Yes, there’s brisket and Friday special beef ribs, but the pulled pork will surprise you and the Saturday-only whole hog lechon offers a glimpse into the delicious future.
Shepard Barbecue
7801 Emerald Dr., Emerald Isle. 252-764-2387 or facebook.com/shepardbarbecue
Barbecue became a pandemic pivot for Brandon and Elizabeth Shepard, converting their beach-side juice bar into Shepard Barbecue. On the Emerald Isle strip of seafood restaurants, Shepard wafts all-wood smoke down the beach, cooking best-selling brisket despite his own love of whole hog. Look for tradition baked into Shepard, but you’ll also find surprises, like smoked meatloaf and meatballs.
Sweet Lew’s BBQ
923 Belmont Ave., Charlotte. 980-224-7584 or sweetlewsbbq.com
There’s barbecue and there’s smoked meat, and Sweet Lew’s in Charlotte tries to make the distinction. They serve the classics like 15-hour smoked brisket and chopped pork, but run specials like smoked lamb ribs and even smoked plant-based meat. This is a place for experimentation and expanding the edges of barbecue.
The Redneck BBQ Lab
12101-B NC Hwy 210, Benson. 919-938-8334 or theredneckbbqlab.com
Gas station dining has always held delicacies for those willing to find them. This Johnston County barbecue spot honors the roadside snack tradition, but takes much of its barbecue in a new direction. Look for pastrami inspired by Katz’s Deli, for beef ribs and tacos and, of course, brisket from competition barbecue team Jerry Stephenson and his sister Roxanne Manley. Perhaps another sign of the times, the next BBQ Lab will open in Raleigh’s North Hills, bringing true barbecue to big-time development.
Tiny’s Smokin’ Cue
Pop-up barbecue. instagram.com/tiny.townsend
From restaurant veteran Tiny Townsend, this all-fire pop-up puts out a menu unlike most barbecue shops in North Carolina. You’ll find half chickens smoked and sauced with a mash-up of jerk seasoning and vinegary Eastern North Carolina sauce. But where Tiny pushes cue is with thick pork steaks, a largely Texas cut of pork shoulder, and vegan collard greens where you’ll never miss the meat.
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
