Famous NC Flavors

Cradle of 'Cue: Historic Barbecue Trail Traverses NC

North Carolina, long the world’s premiere bastion of barbecue, now celebrates its heritage and diversity with a map of the state’s perfect pits. Starting in Ayden and finishing in Murphy, the North Carolina Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail spotlights 24 stops that specialize in roasting pig the old-fashioned way – slowly over pits of wood or charcoal.

The trail is a central piece of a plan by the North Carolina Barbecue Society (NCBS) to elevate the state’s profile as the best place on earth to find this delicacy. You can view the trail, learn more about ‘cue culture and become a member of the NCBS.

“Barbecue is one of our state’s greatest – and best tasting – resources,” said Jim Early, NCBS’s president and CEO. “The trail will help out barbecue-lovers in touch with wonderful professionals whose craft requires tremendous patience and skill. We expect a lot of learning to come out of this new resource – and a lot of good eating.”

NCBS board members chose stops on the trail to reflect the distinctive methods and styles that have made North Carolina the ‘cue capital of the world. Each NCBS Historic Barbecue Pit employs the old fashioned pit cooked method. And each will display a specially designed emblem depicting the old style barbecue cooking that is central to the tradition, heritage and culture that NCBS seeks to preserve.

Criteria for selection included the fact that establishments:

1. Cook their meat product on pits fueled by wood or charcoal
2. Make their own sauce
3. Had operated continuously for fifteen or more years and enjoy the high esteem of their communities, the barbecue industry and barbecue aficionados
4. Provide a final product that is a high quality representation of North Carolina barbecue

The board also limited the number of pits on the trail to two per town/city. The trail’s 24 pits include:

• Skylight Inn, Ayden
• B’s Barbecue, Greenville
• Jack Cobb & Son Barbecue Place, Farmville
• Wilber’s Barbecue, Goldsboro
• Grady’s Barbecue, Dudley
• Stephenson’s Barbecue, Willow Springs
• Allen & Son Barbecue, Chapel Hill
• A&M Grill, Mebane
• Hursey’s Barbecue, Burlington
• Stamey’s Barbecue, Greensboro
• Short Sugar’s Drive-Inn, Reidsville
• Fuzzy’s, Madison
• Hill’s Lexington BBQ, Winston-Salem
• Little Richards Bar-B-Que, Winston-Salem
• Speedy Lohr’s BBQ of Arcadia
• Lexington Barbecue, Lexington
• The Barbecue Center, Inc., Lexington
• Richard’s Bar-B-Q, Salisbury
• Wink’s Bar-B-Que, Salisbury
• M&K Barbecue & Country Cooking, Granite Quarry
• Deano’s Barbecue, Mocksville
• Carolina Bar-B-Q, Statesville
• Bridges Barbecue Lodge, Shelby
• Herb’s Pit BBQ, Murphy

ABOUT NCBS
The North Carolina Barbecue Society is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting North Carolina as the “cradle of ‘cue.” According to President and CEO Jim Early: “North Carolina is not only First in Flight, but also the ‘Cradle of ‘Cue.’ We have long claimed the former, but have been remiss in establishing the latter. It is time we step up as a state and rightfully claim what many of us have known for a long time – that North Carolina originated barbecue, we produce the BEST and we are the Barbecue Capital of the World.”

Courtesy of NC Barbecue Society

added: January 4, 2009

updated: January 5, 2009