In North Carolina, barbecue is a noun not a verb. It’s something you chow down on with a side of slaw and some warm hushpuppies. It plays an important part in the history, heritage, family dinner tables and kitchens across the state.
But everyone in the state isn’t in agreement as to which style is the best. There are two distinct styles that differ in the way they are cooked, the cuts of pork, and ingredients used.
Lexington Style
Lexington style is most common in the Western and Piedmont areas of North Carolina. My parents grew up in the Greensboro area, so this is what they were most familiar with. It uses a red sauce consisting of vinegar, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes and is made using the shoulder of the pig. It is usually served with red slaw, which is coleslaw mixed with Lexington style red sauce.
Stamey’s Barbecue is one of our favorite spots to get Lexington style whenever we are in Greensboro. It was also one of my parents’ favorite spots to go when they were teenagers and has been open since far before then, dating back to 1930.
With one of their locations set right outside of Greensboro Coliseum, it’s a family favorite lunch spot before any college basketball game we’re attending there. Stamey’s is famous for pit cooking its pork for up to ten hours over hardwood coals and flavoring their meat with it’s “secret barbecue sauce”.
Eastern Style
Eastern style is obviously native to the eastern region of the state. Megan’s family is from eastern North Carolina and has been for generations. Her great grandfather even had his own barbecue restaurant. So needless to say, this is her family’s barbecue of choice.
Eastern style is whole-hog meaning they uses all parts of the pig. Unlike Lexington style, Eastern style contains no tomatoes. It is purely vinegar and pepper which is used to season after cooking. The coleslaw is also different, swapping out the red for a white mayonnaise-based sauce.
Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden is one of our go to spots for Eastern style barbecue. Open since 1947, Skylight Inn has been run by the same family to this day, and that family has been cooking barbecue the same way all of those years; whole hog over wood, chopped on a wooden block.
Their dedication and rich heritage have gained them notoriety not only within the state, but across the country.
NC Barbecue brings families together
While our families might have differing opinions on which NC barbecue is king, we’ve learned to appreciate both of them. Both bring different flavors to the table, but all delicious flavors nonetheless.
Luckily for you, there are plenty of restaurants across North Carolina where you can try both! Do you think Eastern style is pork perfection? Or is Lexington the only cue for you?
Keep following NC Eat & Play to find out which spots are our favorites and where you can find each style. For starters, check out our blog about one of Megan’s family’s favorite NC barbecue restaurants, Marty’s!
if you want real barbque-eat at Lawrence’s at boxyard in Durham and Leroy’s taco s too-best anywhere featured in this month Southern Living magazine
Definitely Eastern NC taste the best I’ve tried Lexington and the taste doesn’t compare to our vinegar base.
I would like to recommend Oink n Moo bbq out if Raleigh NC. It’s a Foodtruck producing some delicious bbq. The brisket is my go to I would put it up to any brisket in NC. Plus the folks care about the food they produce. It’s a definite must try and put it on your bbq bucket list.
I much prefer Lexington style BBQ over Eastern. However, I have found that Smithfield’s BBQ and Danny’s BBQ in Cary are two “in-between” styles that I really enjoy.
Lexington BBQ, Hwy 29 Bypass, Lexington, NC and Bridges BBQ, Hwy 74 Shelby are some of the best!
We will have to try them out! Thanks!
Some of the best BBQ that you could get in my area is when volunteer fire depts. had their annual BBQ or in our case we had the them bi-annually to raise money for the FD. Covid has slowed a lot of that down now though. We would cook 6000lbs of pork, 3000lbs of beef and about 2500 chicken halves for ours in Nov. and about half that in Mar.
Our local VFD used to cook about the same amounts of meat but no longer has the fund raisings and we sure do miss them. (Southern Piedmont area of NC)
Jacksons Big Oak BBQ on Kerr Ave in Wilmington, NC serves Eastern style Q and has the best hushpuppies in town. I always get corn sticks and they ask me why. I tell them they have the best hushpuppies in town but the ONLY corn sticks.
Thanks for the suggestion, James! Love corn sticks!
Born and raised in Memphis so I’ve been around some bbq. Eastern is best, especially The Skylight. Forget Wilbers.
I’m biased, but its Eastern Q for me…However I’ll gladly eat both. NC Q beats SC version of BBQ any day of the week. When are we going to discuss the four to six varieties of Hush Puppy’s our State has to offer?
I think I am biased towards Eastern Q as well, but can appreciate both! I’ll have to get on writing that hushpuppy blog ASAP!
definitely prefer Lexington style over eastern. Love red slaw myself.
Either style Q ok with me. I have lived in both parts of the state. But always prefer red slaw with Q, not white slaw. Did not like corn sticks served at some eastern places in place of of hush puppies.
Wellllll, bbq slaw, as we call it in the Piedmont, was never cole slaw. Cole slaw has mayo and our red slaw doesn’t start out that way. I make it regularly and it has cabbage, vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. It can last for months in the fridge and if you taste it and it’s a little vinegary, add a little sugar and it will be just fine. Could never do that with cole slaw. BBQ slaw is my fave because it’s great with fish, on hot dogs and hamburgers.