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.

Pik-n-Pig with a Flightline View

Pik-n-Pig in Carthage, NC, is known locally as the place to find excellent barbecue. It has also gained a growing reputation for being the place to fly into for great smoked pork. Not every barbecue restaurant can brag that it serves pilots and their passengers who simply walk over to it after they have landed.

Summer of Cue

My visit to Pik-n-Pig coincided with the Summer of Cue (#SummerofCue) promotion, launched on social media by the N.C. Pork Council to encourage barbecue fans to support BBQ restaurants during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Although I visited Pik-n-Pig before I realized that the council had featured it on their blog, reading their comments later made me feel like I was visiting the restaurant again. (At the time of the post, fans had visited more than 50 N.C. barbecue restaurants.)

The order station outside the restaurant while interior dining is closed.

Family-Run Business 

Pik-n-Pig is truly a family-run business from the pitmaster to the servers and others in the kitchen that draws on four decades of smoking experience by three generations of the Sheppard family. They are well known in the Sandhills area for serving great food in an amazing atmosphere. The restaurant is located by the runway of Gilliam-McDonnell Airfield, which is privately owned but open to the public. (If you plan to fly in, be alert to the 75-foot trees that surround the airport.) Whether it’s time for lunch or dinner, you can always count on a few private planes to circle the airport, do touch-and go’s, or land and join the crowd eating barbecue.

My barbecue plate with two sides and a corn muffin.

Barbecue Restaurant 

To make their pulled pork, Boston butts are slowly smoked for up to 10 hours over hickory coals. The meat is always tender and juicy, and two sauces – one spicy, one sweet – were available. My pulled pork plate came with two sides—red slaw and butter beans (brown!) with corn—and a corn muffin. The choices of sides are extensive. The red slaw is unusual for this region of the state; it’s more traditional in western areas. I always order the plate, although I’m usually tempted by the BBQ sundae—pulled pork layered in a jar with baked beans and coleslaw—which has been served at the N.C. State Fair for years.

Normally served in a mug, the banana pudding is in a takeout container (the dishware of the pandemic).

Although Pik-n-Pig is first and foremost a barbecue restaurant, I’m not the only person who also comes for the banana pudding. It’s the perfect complement to a barbecue meal, whether it’s a sandwich, plate, or sundae. If only every barbecue restaurant would serve banana pudding that’s so good! Maybe it’s another reason that people fly here!

My wife's Pie Tin Nachos with pork and cheese.

With the coronavirus pandemic still not under control in this state, the inside dining area was closed. Not a problem for Pik-n-Pig! The covered patio outside is more than adequate and is the best spot to watch planes land and take off, and extra tables are next to it on the lawn. My wife and I usually eat outside anyway on a weekend to enjoy music by a local group, such as The McKenzie Brothers.

A photo taken in 2016 during quieter moments shows the covered patio with windsock and nearby aircraft hangers.

Watching the windsock near the covered patio flap in the breeze is also entertaining and a reminder than the airport has no control tower, so pilots have to be vigilant not only of the wind direction but any local traffic as well. After two planes had parked while we were eating, their pilots and passengers walked over for lunch. What a way to find a place to eat!

Smoking meat for hours over wood coals earns Pik-n-Pig a coveted sport on the N.C. Historic Barbecue Trail.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve eaten at Pik-n-Pig. In recognition of how Pik-n-Pig cooks using the old-fashioned pit method, it has been added to the N.C. Historic Barbecue Trail of the N.C. Barbecue Society. Visiting it is definitely worth a drive (albeit only a short one for me) or a fly-in.

A daily menu board supplements the regular menu.

Golden Tangy and Sweet — South Carolina Style

Traveling in search of excellent barbecue give you a chance to experience different traditions and savor new flavors. When you stop for BBQ in South Carolina, be prepared to appreciate how a mustard sauce can add a tangy and tart flavor that matches well with the sweet taste of pork barbecue. At Melvin’s Barbecue on James Island in the Charleston area, I enjoyed a mustard sauce that has been celebrated since the 1930s.

Mustard Sauce

A mustard sauce is very prominent in the state’s Midlands region — specifically a belt from Columbia to Charleston — where German immigrants settled in the 18th century and brought their common use of mustard. At Melvin’s, the barbecue’s deep golden color and sharp mustard flavor tell you that the condiment is indispensable in preparing chopped pork that is slowly cooked 24 hours on live-oak coals.

The wood pile outside the entrance tells you that the meat has a smoky flavor.

Melvin Bessinger (a surname that has roots in Bessingen, a town near Hanover, Germany), whose name the restaurant carries, learned to make his family’s golden sauce — now marketed as Melvin’s Original Golden Secret Sauce — when he was 10 years old and he watched his father Joseph (1892-1949) prepare it. Success as a pitmaster led him to open a restaurant in 1939 that served only mustard-sauced barbecue.

Three generations of family traditions are packed in each bottle of Melvin's Original Golden Secret Sauce.

First Family of Mustard-Based Barbecue

After service in World War II, Melvin (1923-2012) joined his five other brothers working for their father in the restaurant business in Holly Hill, S.C., before each left to start his own BBQ business in South Carolina’s lowcounty. Melvin moved to the Charleston area where he worked with brothers J.D. and Thomas in a series of BBQ restaurants. Then in 1978 he ventured on his own and opened Melvin’s (not affiliated with any restaurant owned by other Bessinger family members), which now has two locations. When Melvin was 86 in 2009, his son David took over the business.

The signature chopped pork is moist, tender, lightly smoked, and flavored with Melvin's proprietary mustard sauce. This plate includes two sides (slaw and mac 'n' cheese) and cornbread.

The Bessingers are South Carolina’s first family of mustard-based barbecue. The South Carolina Barbeque Association considers the Bessingers to be the most prominent among the families with German heritage who sell mustard-based sauces and mustard-based barbecue. (The family is not without problems. According to The New York Times, Melvin’s late brother Maurice was widely known for his racist views, which became nationally prominent in a case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Melvin publicly disavowed his brother’s political and social views and quit speaking to him.)

Extra sauces are available on a counter in case more is desired.

100-Mile Barbecue

Concerning Melvin’s barbecue, the association endorses it as “100-mile BBQ,” or barbecue so good it’s worth driving 100 miles for, and the hash is “100-mile hash,” too. The recipe for hash — served over rice — is somewhat daunting. (It includes pig hearts, livers and kidneys, jowls, brisket, hams, beef shoulders, a hog’s head, and vegetables such as celery, carrots, corn and potatoes, all layered with black pepper and salt in a huge stainless steel pot.)

Melvin's ribs (on a plate with fries and mac 'n' cheese) have a crunchy crust but are tender inside.

Not limited to pork, Melvin’s also offers brisket, burnt ends, pulled chicken and smoked turkey. All regular plates come with two sides and cornbread. In addition to meat plates, Melvin’s also serves a hash and rice plate.

Ribs (this serving with sweet potato souffle and bread) are as popular as chopped pork.

Having more than a dozen Southern sides often causes a delay at the ordering line while customers contemplate the choices. I had to try the country hash with rice as well as the fresh collard greens. (Smoked ham hocks are Melvin's secret for flavoring the collards.) Other members of my family chose sweet potato souffle, homemade mac & cheese, baked beans and baby butter beans — all were good.

After the food has been served, getting everyone to smile for a picture can be challenging.

Four Sauces

A barbecue fan can actually find that mustard, indispensable for the Bessingers, is just one of four sauces that South Carolina BBQ houses may offer. The others are vinegar and pepper (the most popular style along the coast), light tomato (basically vinegar and pepper with ketchup added for sweetness that is popular in the upper middle and northeast regions), and heavy tomato (sometimes called tomato and sugar sauce that is popular in western and northwestern areas).

Melvin’s is a destination for travelers as much as locals. Its recognition by Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, Food Network, National Geographic, Eater and other foodie publications and groups has extended its renown across the country. When you visit, plan to encounter golden barbecue with a tangy and tart flavor.

Melvin's is popular throughout the day until closing time.

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.

Southern Smoke in Garland, NC

Southern Smoke in Garland, NC, is quickly gaining a following. It’s popular not because it is listed on a historic barbecue trail — it’s been in business only eight years — but because its excellent barbecue is smoked in the traditional way over hardwood coals.

By 1:30 p.m., customers are usually no longer standing in line but late arrivals are disappointed if all the barbecue has been sold.

Opened in 2010 by Matthew and Jessica Register, Southern Smoke has brought new life to the small town of Garland, home to fewer than 700 residents, in Sampson County. It is open only two days, Thursdays and Fridays. Business is brisk when the doors open at 11:30 a.m. (and customers start gathering much earlier). When all the barbecue is sold, the lights are turned off until the next business day. Most people “in the know” plan to arrive at least by 12:30 p.m.

Cut oak and a smoker are all that's needed to make customers happy.

When I stopped on a drive from Wilmington, NC, I didn’t arrive until 1:30 p.m. The pile of cut oak wood (next to the famous smoker Jezebel) on the side of Southern Smoke let me know that I had arrived at an authentic barbecue pit. Arriving that late saved me from having to stand in line as is usual for regular customers. Although I was worried that I was too late, I was still in time for barbecue, but the ribs, beans and pies were already sold out. The mac and cheese, which was still available, was a fine complement on the barbecue tray I ordered (with an additional side of coleslaw), but next time I’ll arrive early enough to enjoy some homemade pie. The sweet cornbread, however, made up for the missing pie. 

The hand-chopped barbecue, with two homemade sauces, goes well with sides and cornbread.

Although Southern Smoke cooks only pork shoulders to make its barbecue, the flavor is true to the tradition of eastern North Carolina with a moist, tangy vinegary-pepper taste. Two sauces — Two Brothers (named for the Registers’ sons), a traditional eastern N.C. sauce, and Sweet Grace (named for their daughter), a Memphis-style sauce — are homemade and let you flavor the barbecue to your preferences.

Matthew Register, the pitmaster (right), takes a break from kitchen duties to pose for a photo. 

My wife and I were greeted at the counter by Matthew’s parents, who enjoy their role in serving customers as they arrived. Although Matthew took time for a picture, it was obvious he and others on the staff were busy in the kitchen. Most of the business is takeout, and my wife and I were the only ones to eat on site while we were there.

A large chalkboard lists the menu of the day.

The space inside is too limited for any tables and chairs. Although two picnic tables are out front, we ate in the shaded backyard where the South Supper Series is held. While enjoying our lunch, we looked around at the interesting displays and artifacts — including a hollowed-out classic car that serves as a bar.

An antique Ford Fairlane finds a new purpose as a bar.

The following that Southern Smoke has is well-justified, and I now consider myself one of the admirers. Excellent barbecue smoked over oak coals is definitely a reason to drive to Garland. Next time I’ll arrive early and join in the conversation with other customers waiting in line.

The shaded backyard is an inviting place to enjoy barbecue smoked slowly over oak coals.

Signs in downtown Garland help BBQ fans find their destination.

Whole Hog State Championship

The place to be if you’re interested in a whole hog barbecue cookoff is Raleigh, NC, where each fall the annual state championship is held as part of the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival. The championship is the culmination of a series of barbecue cookoffs, and only the top pitmasters are invited. Each one has won or placed with top honors in a regional contest earlier in the year.

The state championship was held as part of the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival.

Each regional contest is very competitive with the champion eking out a victory over the second-place finisher usually by only a few points. The state championship is even more intense as award-winning pitmasters seek to prove who is the best of the best.

Pitmasters set up along South Street in Raleigh.

For the 2018 event, the weather couldn’t have been more favorable. The morning of judging activities was balmy and sunny as should be expected in late September in central North Carolina. However, this year the event was sandwiched by two monster hurricanes — Florence and Michael — that brought high winds and excessive rain that devastated many areas. Fortunately, the contest itself was not affected by either one.

Lots of interest developed early in the people's choice contest.

I was very happy to be a judge that morning because I have long appreciated how the series culminates in the selection of the state champion. The competition included several categories — on-site, crispy skin, and blind taste by judges certified by the N.C. Pork Council. In addition, a sauce competition was held with “celebrity” judges (writers and chefs), and a people’s choice category let the public vote for their favorites. In all, 13 different cooks won a trophy or a cash prize.

Andy Curliss (left), CEO of the N.C. Pork Council, makes sure judges are ready.

As one of the judges in the blind taste category, I sampled entries from each competitor without knowing the pitmaster. In this competition, most entries were moist with a mild vinegar-pepper flavor. Only a few entries included a piece of crispy skin, either separately with the barbecue or finely chopped into it. Every entry was definitely prepared by a champion, and differences between the scores was very limited.

Judges had an official scoresheet to complete for each entry.

Top honors as the winner of the on-site category went to Chris Fineran of Beach Boys Barbecue who as declared state champion again. He had previously won in 2016. Fineran was also the winner in the crispy skin category.

Chris Fineran of Beach Boys BBQ reigned supreme again this year.

The top two winners in the blind taste category were Mark Copeland and Billy Perry of Pocosin Boys, first place, and Ashley Wheeler of Smokin’ Black Jack BBQ, second place. Third place was a tie between Bobby Prescott of BP Country Cookers and Kevin Peterson of Showtime’s Legit BBQ. 

Only Wheeler placed in the inaugural people’s choice competition. He won second place. First place went to David Hoffman of Grilling Palms BBQ, and Brooke South of Purdy in Pink Cookin’ Team won third place.

Brooke South of Purdy in Pink Cookin' Team placed third in the people's choice contest.

As the judging activities got underway in the blind taste category, I missed seeing the pitmasters and cookers where the barbecue had been prepared. In cookoffs sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council when I have judged, I’ve been on-site with the other judges as each pitmaster watched as we evaluated the entry.

Proceeds from the sale of tickets for the people's choice contest were donated to the Interfaith Food Shuttle and Bluegrass Trust Fund.

However, I appreciate the format of the blind taste category and the objectivity that it provides because judges can’t identify pitmasters with their barbecue. Being a judge in the state championship was a very rewarding experience, and I consider myself very fortunate to be part of this special weekend.

Smokehouse at Pinehurst Brewery

Most barbecue restaurants I visit are usually historic or legendary. However, for the Smokehouse at Pinehurst Brewery, I wanted to visit before it opened and earned its reputation.

The new brewery occupies the historic steam plant building.

A few days before it opened to the public, I had an opportunity to have lunch as well as take a tour. Beer lovers will appreciate the 10-barrel microbrewery, the focal point of the taproom. More interesting to barbecue fans will be the smokehouse for the restaurant.

The brewery combines old and new architectual features.

Meats -- pork shoulder, beef brisket, chicken, and sausage -- smoked on site with local oak, hickory, and pecan woods are the primary menu items to be enjoyed as sandwiches or plates. They are complemented by four signature sauces: eastern N.C. (spicy vinegar and pepper), western N.C. (sweet and tangy), S.C. mustard, and blackberry habanero. Smoked mashed potatoes, baked beans, coleslaw, mac ‘n’ cheese, and collard greens are among the sides.

A plate of ribs comes with cornbread and two sides (collards and mac 'n' cheese were my choices).

For the Smokehouse at Pinehurst Brewery, another reason to visit is to see its facilities, which occupy the old steam plant for the Village of Pinehurst. Built in 1895, it was decommissioned in 1998 after providing power and heat for homes, businesses and hotels of the village for decades.

Four sauces are available to add flavor to the smoked meats.

The building was fully renovated, but the original brick, façade and steel windows have been kept. Old piping and other artifacts reclaimed in 2016 by Black Dog Savage, an architectural salvage company, are displayed as artwork.

Black Dog Savage saves original features of the steam plant in 2016.

Having another barbecue restaurant that cooks meat slow and low over wood is much appreciated. Even though it’s brand new, it will soon become a destination. The smoked barbecue by itself is reason to visit, but the craft beer and scenic setting are additional enticements.

Original fixtures of the steam plant add to the interior decor.

The smokehouse uses oak, hickory, and pecan wood.

A new smokehouse was built next to the brewery, which occupies the old steam plant building.