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.