This barbecue joint was named the best in NC — again. Here’s what to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lexington Barbecue was voted NC’s top BBQ joint in Southern Living’s reader poll.
- Been open since 1962 and serves Piedmont-style pork with red dip and slaw.
- Southern Living’s editor ranked Lexington #10 in the South while placing Skylight Inn #6.
Southern Living readers have once again voted Lexington Barbecue as the best BBQ joint in North Carolina. The old-school Piedmont-style restaurant topped the poll despite a new generation of pitmasters opening high-profile spots across the state.
FULL STORY: Here’s the best BBQ joint in NC, according to Southern Living
Here are key takeaways:
• Lexington Barbecue won North Carolina’s top spot in Southern Living’s annual reader poll for the second year in a row, also earning the honor in 2025.
• The restaurant, open since 1962 and perched at the top of Smokehouse Lane, serves Piedmont-style barbecue — smoked pork shoulders dressed in a thin vinegar-and-ketchup “dip” with red slaw and hush puppies.
• Southern Living’s own Barbecue Editor Robert Moss ranked Lexington Barbecue 10th best in the entire South but gave North Carolina’s top spot to Skylight Inn, an Eastern-style restaurant in Ayden, at No. 6.
• North Carolina’s barbecue culture splits into two styles: Eastern, made from whole hogs with a vinegar and pepper sauce, and Lexington (Piedmont), made from pork shoulders with a red tomato-based sauce.
• Regulars order their pork chopped, coarse chopped or sliced — and those who know ask for extra “outside brown,” the caramelized, heavily smoked end bits.
• Most recently, Lexington Barbecue was featured on an episode of Top Chef: Carolinas, where the chefs visited the restaurant and sampled the famous barbecue.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 3:42 PM.
