In Praise of Comfort ‘Cue

What's a "bro-b-cue" joint you ask? Those are the places where millennial pitmasters try their darnedest to keep one foot in traditional, wood-smoked barbecue all while wandering whimsically into hipsterville, awash with delicately handcrafted floral-inspired cocktails, artesian gluten-free logo-branded brioche buns, and non-GMO organic cruelty-free-harvested kale slaw. This post is NOT about them, but those comfortable, old-school barbecue restaurants that are there for us, day in and day out, when all we want is some no-frills 'cue, sweet tea, and a basket of warm hushpuppies.

The Historic NC Barbecue Trail only includes legacy wood-burners like B's, Grady's, Skylight, etc., but there's a lot to be said about us having a secondary trail that features our "go to" barbecue restaurants that may not cook over wood, but by-golly, they put out some solid 'cue that deserves praise for their longevity and their ability to produce an exceptionally awesome product cooked with - gasp - electricity or gas.

Yes. I am one of those "smoke snobs" that asks first about a barbecue place: "But do they cook over wood?" before considering a stop. However, there are a lot of restaurants across the state worthy of a visit because they're producing some righteous barbecue on a regular basis that ticks off almost all the boxes when it comes to yummy satisfaction.

BBQ piled super high at Ole Time Barbecue.

My youngest son was home from the coast last week and we met at Ole Time Barbecue for a quick lunch near my office. Ole Time does not smoke their pork, but the product they put out just hits the spot each and every time I dine there. Flavorful, tender meat with a perfectly balanced cabbage/carrot/mayo slaw sits on an oversized traditional hamburger bun that holds up under the stacked high pile of BBQ goodness. Does it lack smoke? It does. Does it need it? It does not. What it lacks in woodsiness, it makes up for with a peppery vinegar sauciness consistent with what I personally love based on my Eastern NC roots.

I've curated my Top 25 list from May and pared it down to a Top Ten (down below w/ their place in my Top 50 in parentheses) of non-wood burners that I recommend for anyone driving around North Carolina in search of barbecue that doesn't necessarily need smoke to fulfill that 'cue compulsion. Because, like my father always reminds me: "Not everyone loves smoke."

And while there may not be a woodpile stacked high beside a smokey blackened brick pit, these bastions of exceptional 'cue deserve their place among the historically recognized, if not only for their delicious barbecue, but for their ability to regularly give us a peppery vinegar hug and a consistent comfort reminiscent of days gone by.

PIG BAD WOLF'S TOP TEN NON-WOOD SMOKING BBQ JOINTS

1 Ole Time Barbecue - Raleigh (#18)

2 Marty's BBQ - Wilson (#21)

3 Bullock's Bar B Cue - Durham (#22)

4 Parker's Barbecue - Wilson (#29)

5 Clyde Cooper's Barbeque - Raleigh (#31)

6 Doug Sauls - Nashville (#32)

7 The Pig - Chapel Hill (#36)

8 Johnny's Barbecue - Louisburg (#37)

9 King's Restaurant - Kinston (#38)

10 White Swan - Smithfield (#42)