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.