Newcomer to Barbecue Scene in Southern Pines, NC

My pulled pork platter with sides, sauce, and a corn muffin.

The birth of a new barbecue restaurant always creates excitement. When plans for Embers BBQ in downtown Southern Pines, NC, were announced, the local community couldn’t wait to know the official opening date. 

Opening of Embers BBQ 

After conducting a test run of its smoker in April 2022, Embers indicated that it would open in late May. Anticipation continued to build in the community. Then the opening day was delayed two weeks, and shelves with Embers merchandise for sale had to wait for buyers. 

Merchandise was ready for sale even before the restaurant opened.

When a new BBQ restaurant opens, you can’t delay going to sample its fare if you are a true barbecue fan. About a week after Embers had opened, the website was still proclaiming “Grand Opening Soon,” while I was at the counter and checking over the menu. 

Embers BBQ proclaims that it is open for business.

Menu Choices 

Platters include pulled pork, pulled pork nachos, ribs, pulled chicken, pulled chicken nachos, and brisket. Sandwiches of pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket are also on the menu along with several other options. The surprise of the pulled pork platter that I ordered was finding a couple of fried okra nestled next to the barbecue. The platter also came with slaw, one side (my choice was sweet potato fries), and a corn muffin.  I also added another side (mac and cheese).

The kitchen prep area continually is busy.

Although the pulled pork was excellent, I’m timing my next visit to be on Wednesday or Saturday when a rack of ribs is on the menu. (The availability of burnt ends is also limited; it’s ready only on Thursdays). Don’t wait until closing hours to go; they often run out of barbecue several hours before closing. Occasionally, they post on Facebook that only burgers and pulled chicken are available after a busy day. (Why order a hamburger at a barbecue restaurant?) 

Almost everything on the menu is also sold by the pound from barbecue to sides such as slaw, baked beans, and okra. The menu includes just about everything you would want (but it’s not as extensive as the restaurant’s online privacy policy — it’s amazing how much it covers. 

Many menu items are also sold by the pound.

Great Start So Far 

With a motto of “You Don’t Need a Silver Spoon to Eat Good Food,” Embers is where you might not even need anything more than an appetite and a very cold beverage. With the smoker in the basement, expect warm temperatures on the main level where customers order and most eat. On a nice day, plan to eat outside at one of the front-porch tables. 

Embers is decorated simply with effectively.

New barbecue restaurants are needed to replace the old, historic ones that are struggling and eventually close. While the traditional ones serve excellent barbecue at reasonable prices, their numbers seem to be gradually declining. New ones gauge the market better to determine what should be on the menu and what the prices should be. 

Signs in Embers create a nostalgic look.

Embers took over the location in downtown Southern Pines that had been occupied for decades by Broad Street Bakery. Although I will miss the bakery, nothing better than a barbecue restaurant could have taken its place. An unusual combo of a former golf pro and a restaurant chef, partners in the new venture, have launched a superior barbecue spot that may become the area’s favorite. Let’s hope the new restaurant continues to deliver superior results.

A Barbecue Food Truck Rolls into a Small NC Town

Up in Smoke BBQ sets up in Southern Pines, NC.

 Barbecue food trucks seem to be multiplying. They serve an increasing number of people wanting their beloved barbecue while the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry are brought under control. Although the restrictions that limit how many customers on-site that restaurants can serve are slowly being lifted, trucks may have found a long-term opportunity to connect with barbecue fans even after the pandemic has ended. 

Trays of pulled pork inside the truck are ready for orders. Photo: Up in Smoke via Facebook.

Up in Smoke BBQ 

In downtown Southern Pines, NC, on the premises of Hatchett Brewery Co., Up in Smoke BBQ set up one weekend to offer good-tasting barbecue to beer fans who otherwise wouldn’t have had anything substantial to eat. Also known as the BBQ Bus (although it’s really a trailer with a bus logo painted on it), Up in Smoke BBQ and other barbecue trucks that locate at a craft brewery have found a good partner, and all can benefit from mutual promotion. The menu varies with each event, but barbecue is always served. 

The menu usually includes ribs but always includes pulled pork.

Although Southern Pines restricts food trucks in its central business district, permits can be obtained in advance with a little thoughtful planning. The restrictions are designed to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants that pay property taxes from competition with trucks that have lower expenses. However, a barbecue food truck isn’t competition for restaurants and bars that generally don’t serve barbecue. If a truck doesn’t roll in, barbecue is not available. 

My pulled pork order with two servings of coleslaw.

Truck Menu

When I was at Up in Smoke BBQ, the truck was continually busy serving customers who were entering and leaving the craft brewery. Most customers probably were more focused on beer than barbecue, but for me, my concentration was totally on the pork. The popular choice was pulled pork, which is what I ordered. It was excellent, and several sauce options were available. 

The BBQ bus logo is very prominent on the trailer of Up in Smoke.

Finding good barbecue on food trucks is no longer a rare experience. Let’s hope that they keep rolling.

Grady's BBQ in Dudley, NC

Grady's BBQ in Dudley, N.C.

Because the white concrete block building of Grady’s BBQ in the Dudley community of Wayne County, NC, is such a simple, unpretentious exterior, many people wouldn’t believe how good the food being served on the inside is. It’s a place that could easily be passed by except the many cars parked by the doors at noon indicate that something outstanding is inside.

The wood stack outside tells you that the pitmaster is cooking barbecue the old-fashioned way.

My first visit was during the coronavirus pandemic and only a few days after Grady’s had celebrated its 36th anniversary. It had opened on July 4, 1986. I quickly observed that one of the two doors was exit only; the other one was the only entrance. All food was take-out; nothing was being consumed inside. All the tables and chairs were taped off to prevent anyone from sitting at them except for the one closest to the kitchen where a takeout customer could sit to wait instead of standing. The younger the customer, the less likely he or she was to sit to keep the space available for someone older.

The order line always seems to have several customers waiting.

When I arrived, about four customers were standing in a line in front of the order window that had been partitioned with plexiglass (to create the social distancing important during the pandemic). As I stopped to read a handwritten menu on a wall, another customer came in and joined the line, so I moved behind him as I continued to read. About 10 minutes went by before I could step up to the window and order. It was definitely not fast food, but everyone was patient.

The high sanitation rating over the menu board is a tribute to Mrs. Grady's medical experience.

Behind the window in the kitchen were about five staff members, including the matriarch, Mrs. Gerri (short for Geraldine) Grady, who owns and operates the business with her husband Steve, the pitmaster. She wrote down the orders, took payment, and checked to make sure that they were complete before handing them to customers. Just about every order was for hand-chopped pork barbecue, but turkey, chicken, hamburger steak, and more were also available.

My barbecue dinner with collards, butter beans, and hushpuppies.

Because Grady’s is so famous, I ordered what a typical newcomer orders: barbecue. It was perfect — appropriately sauced in the vinegary eastern North Carolina style. I ordered a barbecue dinner so that I could have two sides and hushpuppies. Nine sides — black-eyed peas, boiled potatoes, coleslaw, potato salad, cabbage, collards (also sold by the pound), butter beans, rice and gravy (yes, that’s a vegetable in eastern N.C.), and green beans — were available. (My choices? Collards and butter beans. So homemade, just like a family reunion!)

Mrs. Grady keeps everything at the order counter moving.

The sides are numerous for such a limited menu. Can you imagine anyone ordering a vegetable plate at a legendary barbecue place? One day I might have to order one (and take the barbecue home). Mrs. Grady has adapted family recipes to serve on a larger scale. As she told Our State magazine, “I try to cook like her [my mother], my grandmother, and my mother-in-law. They were three good cooks.”

My wife's order of fried chicken, cabbage, potato salad, and hushpuppies.

My wife ordered fried chicken with cabbage and potato salad, also with hushpuppies. All were excellent. Because I was saving room for banana pudding, I was disappointed to find out that all had been sold. I settled for a layer chocolate cake, but never has a second choice been so good. I also took home a whole sweet potato pie. Oh, my. It’s one of the best pies I’ve had. Although I’ll return again for the barbecue, banana pudding will be my first selection when I do.

Open only four days a week, Grady's loads oak and hickory coals early on those mornings in its pit built with bricks that form an eight-inch wall. In the afternoons, the pit is quiet.

Grady’s BBQ is a destination for a lot of people — just about everyone is a local but occasionally someone like myself drives for two hours to taste the best of the best. So many have acknowledged the importance of Grady’s in North Carolina’s barbecue history that finally being there makes it seems like I’ve hit a home run. Not even a pandemic can dampen the enthusiasm for being at a barbecue legacy.

Save room for dessert, or take a whole pie home with you.

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.

Revisiting Hemingway, SC

So much has happened concerning the appreciation of Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, SC, since I visited four years ago. It still occupies the old variety store in a town of fewer than 600 residents. The business begun by Roosevelt Scott, when he was 30, continues the family tradition of cooking whole hogs and serving the area’s favorite pork barbecue sauced with peppery vinegar.

A new sign was added after my visit in 2014.

However, Scott’s son, Rodney, has gone on to fame and fortune far beyond that ever imagined by his parents. This second-generation pitmaster has branched out from his family’s business in rural South Carolina and launched his own eponymous restaurant in busy downtown Charleston, only 80 miles away.

Scott's Bar-B-Que is now a certified heritage site.

The contrast between the two locations couldn’t be greater. Because I had just visited Rodney Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Charleston, I wanted to see what changes had been made in Hemingway at the family business. Fortunately for me, the only significant changes were a marker designating the store as a certified heritage site in eastern South Carolina and a new metal structure that encloses the pits.

The relationship of Scott's Bar-B-Que to South Carolina barbecue culture and the four regional sauces (or "mops") is explained in a new sign by the pits.

A simple menu board still hangs above the serving windows, the menu is as limited as ever, the lineup of customers wanting to take home their next meals never ends, and the whiff of smoked barbecue permeates the country variety store as before.

Although a menu board is above the serving window, most customers know what they want to order before they enter.

When I ordered a barbecue dinner to go, I was pleased to see that it is still served in a Styrofoam clamshell and comes with sliced white bread. I also appreciated coleslaw and baked beans as sides with the barbecue; however, the expansion of sides to the level of Rodney’s restaurant in Charleston clearly hasn’t been considered even with all of the success in the big city.

My plate of pulled pork (and sauce in the lower left corner) came with coleslaw and beans in a Styrofoam clamshell.

After son Rodney has been profiled in national publications such as Time magazine and The New York Times and received the award as Best Chef: Southeast from the prestigious James Beard Foundation, it’s reassuring that the family business continues with few changes, unaffected by all the glitter and publicity. The residents of Hemingway would be shocked if Scott’s Bar-B-Que wasn’t still preparing and serving barbecue like it has for the past four decades, and the out-of-town visitors would be disappointed if the trip back to nostalgia ever ended.

A new metal structure now encloses the pit area.

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Note: This post fittingly is the 100th one that I have added to this blog. The barbecue journey that I’ve been on couldn’t have timed a better return to Hemingway, SC, to appreciate the work and legacy of the Scott family.

Smiley's in Lexington, NC

Smiley’s in Lexington, NC, harkens back to decades ago when excellent pit barbecue was slowly cooked over wood embers before being served to customers sitting inside in a simple concrete block building or outside in their cars waiting for curb service.

The pits in use today are the original ones when the business opened in the 1950s. In fact, little has changed at Smiley’s except for a few name changes. It opened originally as Dan’s before the name was changed to Jay’s and then later to Southern Barbecue. It was renamed as Smiley’s Lexington BBQ in 2002 by Steve Yountz, the current owner, when he bought the business after having been an employee for 27 years. Yountz was inducted into the N.C. BBQ Wall of Fame in 2012.

Smiley's is easy to find on Winston Road.

Smiley’s standing in barbecue folklore is recognized by its being one of only two barbecue pits in Lexington (the self-proclaimed Barbecue Capital of the World) on the Historic Barbecue Trail of the North Carolina Barbecue Society. Even its location is a relic of the past. The building is about nine blocks from the downtown center on the “old” road heading north out of town (now replaced by a modern expressway) that is still called Winston Road, named for the nearby tobacco center before it merged in 1913 with the quiet Moravian town of Salem and changed its name to Winston-Salem. 

Mid-afternoons on a weekdays can be quiet except for occasional takeout orders.

Because so little has changed over the decades at Smiley’s, it’s often underrated and underappreciated by young barbecue fans who are looking something other than great barbecue (such as creative sides and desserts, craft beer, and unusual cocktails). When I was at Smiley’s for a late lunch, it was quiet (unlike two other prominent BBQ places where the parking lots were full when I drove by). I had the indoor area all to myself except for an employee who was also eating.

Red slaw with coarse chopped BBQ in a tray have the signature ketchup colors.

I knew I was in Lexington when the ketchup-colored BBQ on the tray was delivered to my table. I ordered the coarse chopped BBQ and found it extremely satisfying, and it surely didn’t need any extra dip; however, I couldn’t resist the temptation to add more to enjoy the flavors of vinegar, pepper, sugar, ketchup, and salt with the barbecue. Consistent with Lexington style, only pork shoulders are used in making the barbecue at Smiley’s.

Coarse chopped BBQ is a popular choice at Smiley's.

I was surprised when the server offered me a choice of slaw: red or white. I didn’t know that white coleslaw could be served in the city. It seems to be such a break from the traditional Lexington style that a local ordinance should prohibit its availability within city limits. Of course, I ordered red slaw, and it paired well with the barbecue, its companion on the tray. In addition, the hushpuppies were excellent. I was going to eat only a few but couldn’t stop. In a few minutes they had all disappeared. 

True to Lexington style, dip (not sauce) is the name to ask for at Smiley's.

The name of Smiley’s is intriguing. In a history of Lexington style BBQ written in 1996 by John Stogner Jr. and made available online by Southern Foodways Alliance, the name “Smiley” is identified as a nickname for Herman Stamey, one of early barbecue entrepreneurs who operated the business in its early days on Winston Road.

A pig bench is ready for anyone waiting for a takeout order.

Being at Smiley’s was like being in a time capsule. The setting and menu reminded me of decades ago. Fortunately, the barbecue hasn’t changed and is true to its legacy. Let’s hope that Smiley’s continues to preserve its traditions.

The wood pile in the back is proof of the traditional approach at Smiley's.

A Place Called Swine

If a restaurant has the name of Swine, would you visit? Imagine standing at the entrance of an upscale eatery and seeing firewood ready for a smoker stacked against the front window. 

Stacks of firewood greet customers at the entrance.

That’s the scene on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, the main thoroughfare that bisects the fashionable business district of Coral Gables, Florida, where Swine entices crowds daily for food and drink. Although the restaurant is decorated creatively with photos and other art (as well as stacks of firewood) and softly lit with amber lighting, the huge lightbulb sign “Run Pig Run” is what captures the attention of new patrons. (Appropriately the website address for Swine is runpigrun.com.)

Run Pig Run says it all for Swine.

The place called Swine has the feel that it was just moved from a farm. Its exposed brick walls and wood structures deconstructed from barns create a comfortable feel that fits well with its comfortable food. The vintage-style bulbs with exposed filaments add to the restaurant’s relaxing atmosphere.

Customers enjoy Swine's relaxing atmosphere.

Officially known as Swine Southern Table & Bar, the restaurant has risen fast to the top of places to dine in South Florida. The Swine burger tops the list of best burgers in Miami by Miami New Times (which has also anointed Swine as the best restaurant in stylish Coral Gables), perhaps because it includes short rib, brisket and smoked pork with double hamburger patties.

The pork shoulder is ready for serving after twelve hours in the smoker.

However, the twelve-hour slow-smoked pork shoulder on the menu under the category “From the Smoker” is the entrée that caught my attention. Adorned with tomato-peanut relish and spiced honey glaze, the pork had been prepared superbly by Chef Cristian Cuevas, whom I sought out in the kitchen so that I could see Swine’s smoker. The smoker is impressive with layers of shelves for smoking beef brisket, pork ribs, and chicken, the other smoked entrees with pork shoulder: All four categories of an event sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society are on the menu.

Every chef, like Chef Cristian at Swine, needs a good smoker.

The sides -- or fixins as Swine describes them -- can delight any follower of Southern food. The roasted chilled beets that I ordered came with pickled red onion, cumin seed olive oil, and blue cheese; thy were a creative complement for the pork shoulder. Because I hadn’t ordered charred okra at Yardbird (a sister restaurant in Miami Beach that I had visited earlier in the week), I had to try the skillet charred okra. Coated in anchovy bread crumbs and charred with brown butter and lemon, the okra was another tasty dish. Because I saw it on several nearby tables, it must be more than an initial fascination but a delight enjoyed by customers more familiar with the menu.

Charred orka may be the most popular fixin at Swine.

Because I had visited Sunburst Trout Farm in North Carolina last year, I appreciated seeing it listed on the menu as the source of mountain trout for Swine, which also serves Florida shrimp, Atlantic swordfish, and Atlantic salmon as fish plates. The sides that accompany these plates (which I’ll have to try on my next visit) are also intriguing. Creamy Carolina gold rice is served with the mountain trout. Sea Island red peas come with the swordfish. Zucchini and red bell pepper succotash complement the salmon plate.

Florida berry cobbler ended my visit to Swine and was as noteworthy as the smoked pork.

Would a name other than Swine fit this restaurant? Because it is distinctly Southern, Swine is definitely the place to enjoy smoked pork and ribs. The customers come initially to taste something from the smoker and keep returning to enjoy the creative fixins -- if only every Southern restaurant that serves pork and ribs could be as imaginative and innovative.

No name other than Swine would be appropriate for this restaurant.