Starting a Whole Hog Tradition in Knightdale, NC

When Boy Scout Troop 365 of Knightdale, NC, considered ideas for a community event that would also be a fundraiser for its projects, it thought that a whole hog cookout with a car show would be a winner. They were right. It was.

Cooking teams set up in the spacious Knightdale Station Park.

Held on Father’s Day at Knightdale Station Park, the inaugural Knightdale Classic Car Show and BBQ Cookoff attracted skilled pitmasters, classic cars, and an appreciative public, and it was a huge success. The park—a new community gathering space with trails, athletic fields, playground area, and dog park—was the perfect location. Cooking teams and exhibitors at the car show had more than adequate space.

Classic cars arrive early for their show (cooking teams are in the background).

Ten teams competed in the cookoff, which was sanctioned by the N.C. Pork Council and is an event in the series to determine the Pitmaster of the Year as well as the Whole Hog Barbecue Champion at the end of the year. The level of competition was very high because the participating pitmasters included past state champions, and seven had already been winners at regional events this year.

The pig at Chris Fineran's site is in shambles after the judges have finished their evaluations.

For at least two pitmasters, this event was their third whole hog cookoff in four days, an unusually demanding schedule that only the brave (and talented) would even try. Before they arrived in Knightdale to be ready for judging on Saturday, they had been in Burgaw (the event was N.C. Blueberry Festival BBQ Cookoff) for judging on Thursday and Louisburg (BBQ in the ‘Burg) on Friday. Surprisingly, no one showed signs of tiredness.

Teams await the result as their scores are tallied.

My fellow judges—Lubin Prevatt, Don Carlough, and Tim Croon—and I were impressed how well the pitmasters did. Kevin Peterson (state champion in 2017) placed in first, a few points ahead of Chris Fineran (the reigning state champion) and Roy Parker (state champion in 2006). All three qualify to compete in the cookoff this fall to determine the 2019 state champion. The pigs, supplied by Brewer Meat Products of Wilson, NC, were all within three pounds of 125 pounds, an amazing consistency that many contest organizers (and pitmasters) dream about.

A site after the judges' visit tells a story: the judges are very thorough in their evaluations.

Neil Barnhill, the event organizer, is a regular on the BBQ circuits as the pitmaster of Black Iron Cookin’, a team that competes in events sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. The day before the event in Knightdale, Barnhill had competed in nearby Apex, NC, where 38 teams had entered the cookoff of the Peak City Pigfest.

Neil Barnhill, who competed in an event on the previous day in Apex, is the pitmaster of the Black Iron Cookin' team.

When the event ended, Barnhill had a lot of reasons to be proud. His son, a competing pitmaster, did very well in his first contest. Next, the cookoff attracted top talent, unusual for an inaugural event. Also, the weather cooperated; the weekend was beautiful. Oh, the barbecue was excellent.

After the judging was completed, the barbecue was prepared for sale to the public: $10 for a pound and $6 for a sandwich plate. All proceeds went to the Scouts to provide funds for a future bus, camps and trips, equipment replacements, and other activities.

A sense of nervous calm permeates the cooking area before the judging activities begin.

In only its first year, the Knightdale Classic Car Show and BBQ Cookoff has created a solid foundation for a great annual tradition, once again proving an old saying: If you want something done well, give it to the Scouts.

Four Generations of Creating a Legacy and Still Serving

J.S. Pulliam Barbeque in Winston-Salem, NC, has been serving barbecue for a long time. Started in 1910, Pulliam is amazing because its longevity extends so long. Even more amazing is that Pulliam has created its own flavor profile that separates it from the two primary barbecue styles of North Carolina: eastern and Lexington (or western).

J.S. Pulliam Barbeque stays busy after opening at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays.

The barbecue is minced — not chopped or pulled. Because Pulliam’s is only 2½ miles from the T.W. Garner plant on Indiana Road where Texas Pete, a nationally leading Louisiana-style hot sauce, was born in 1929 (almost two decades after Pulliam began his business) and is still produced, it’s not surprising that the barbecue it is flavored with a hot sauce, which makes it distinct from eastern N.C. (pepper-vinegar) and Lexington style (vinegary with ketchup) barbecue. Even the white slaw that accompanies the sandwich is sharp, not sweet. 

The barbecue sandwich is top with slaw and dressed with Ed's Hot Sauce.

The hot sauce is named for Big Ed who concocted it in 1945. (Five-ounce bottles are sold for $2.95 each.) The distinctive flavor is a big hit with regular customers who appreciate its uniqueness. Tourists, on the other hand, who expect a traditional N.C. flavor often react with surprise on social media. Of almost 50 reviews on TripAdvisor, most rate the restaurant excellent or very good, but one rating is poor and two are terrible (the lowest rating —  the minced BBQ with hot sauce must have been a shock).

The menu has everything anyone would want.

Pulliam makes all barbecue, sauce, and slaw on site. The menu is simple and limited: barbecue sandwich, hot dog, snacks, and drinks. Both the sandwich and hot dog are served wrapped in waxed paper. Barbecue can also be ordered by the pound as well as by the cup (half pint and one pint). Pulliam is unusual because the barbecue sandwich can also be ordered with cheese. Don’t expect a lot of sides with a sandwich. If you want something extra, you can choose from small racks of chips or pies. The only beverages are bottles and cans of soft drink, with Cheerwine prominently displayed, kept in old-time coolers.

Customers line up to pay after ordering.

The restaurant isn’t recognized on the historic N.C. Barbecue Trail developed by the N.C. Barbecue Society because it doesn't cook with wood, but it predates most establishments on it. Although the restaurant is named for its barbecue and customers come specifically for it, it’s more renowned for hot dogs. In 2011 Rachel Ray Magazine and Reader’s Digest proclaimed Pulliam’s hot dog to be the best in the South. In 2015 MSN News ranked it in the Top 50 of “America’s Best Hotdogs.” In 2018 People magazine, with the editors of Food & Wine, named it the best one in North Carolina. 

In an earlier location decades go, Pulliam was a popular lunch spot.

In addition to the sign that says the business opened in 1910, the best clue that Pulliam has been in business a long time is the small space inside: there are no places to sit and eat. Everyone stands. As Mark Flynt, the owner, told Wake Forest University students in 2015, “If you can stand up, you can eat more.” Customers line along a wall to enjoy their lunch, although a few take their food to go. While I was there with my brother, two city police officers walked behind the counter where they stood and ate their lunches. In the “old days,” picnic tables outside offered a brief respite to sit and eat, but they have been long removed. However, the “Drink Cheerwine” sign still adorns the front, although it is more faded. 

Snacks, coolers, and memorabilia line the wall.

John S. Pulliam, the founder, opened the business in 1910 in its original location on North Liberty Street in Winston-Salem. He sold the business in 1958 to Richard (“Big Ed”) Flynt, his first cousin, who began working for Pulliam at age 10 and continued to work there before becoming the owner. Flynt continued the tradition of specializing in barbecue and hot dogs to satisfy the working class on the city’s north side. The nondescript black-and-white striped building on Old Walkertown Road is the business’s third location, where it’s operated by Flynt’s son Mark. Big Ed’s granddaughter Caitlyn Flynt Mordock is waiting to take over from her father. “When he retires, I’ll run the business,” she told me.

Caitlyn Flynt Mordock began helping her father cook when she was 5.

Loyal customers clearly also come here for the atmosphere, which includes feeling like you are among family. I enjoyed mingling with the regulars as we all stood and ate barbecue. (However, next time I might order a hot dog.)

Big Ed's Hot Sauce

The cookhouse in back is quiet after the pigs are cooked.