PigBadWolf

I had already ordered my barbecue sandwich and stepped back from the counter when I side-eyed the "B" rating hanging on the wall. Ugh. It was a "high B" I assured myself, but after all the previous health department issues Doug Saul's BBQ & Seafood had in the past, it was a toss-up if it even mattered in the overall scheme of things. I mean, shouldn't an old-fashioned BBQ joint have a little bit of something off to make it legit? The last time I had eaten at Doug Saul's was just post COVID....

As a die-hard BBQ traditionalist, it's super tough for me to give a whole lotta love to barbecue joints that do not cook their pork over wood. That said, I have to admit that there are a handful of gas/electric cookers that deserve respect in offering up a solid sandwich and one of those is the historic Clyde Cooper's BBQ . After nearly 90 years in downtown Raleigh, Cooper's moved just around the corner from my house in North Raleigh (dangerous, I know), taking up residence in a former Shell...

I walked into my neighborhood's former Quail Corners Shell gas station with an air of smoky anticipation, being greeted by that heart-hugging nostril-massaging aroma that accompanies great barbecue. Smelled like heaven. But hell hath no fury as a barbecue lover spurned by a phantom scent, dashing the expectation of excellence against the rocky reality of a dissatisfying sandwich experience. The family used to try and take advantage of the “Kids Eat Free” night at Red Hot & Blue in their...