Looking for Smoke and Finding Barbecue

A pulled pork sandwich by pitmaster Joe Kelso.

[Note: This post, prepared originally for Sandhills Magazine and published in its April-May 2021 issue, is hosted on the magazine's website, with excerpts and a link to the website posted here.]

When family members and guests visit from out-of-state and want to taste authentic N.C. barbecue, where do you take them? The choices are more numerous than you may realize. Do you want to impress, go to a casual Sandhills spot, take a short road trip to a legacy location, search for one of the ubiquitous barbecue food trucks, or visit a competitive cookoff? 

The Impressive 

Nothing is more impressive than watching small planes land and take off on an active runway next to where you are enjoying hickory-smoked barbecue slowly cooked over hot coals. Head to Carthage where Pik-n-Pig, located at Gilliam-McConnell Airport, has created a dedicated following for its pulled pork that is smoked for up to 10 hours. Although the meat is served naturally moist, you can enhance the flavor with a homemade hot-spicy (vinegar-based) sauce or a sweet honey sauce (that is tomato-based). The sides are excellent, but make sure to save room for banana pudding. 

Because some out-of-towners want to combine barbecue with a craft beer (or two), Pinehurst Brewing Company in the century-old steam plant building is a favorite destination to impress. Smoked over hickory and oak coals, its pulled pork shoulder pairs well with its signature barbecue sauces, which include a creative blueberry habanero, as well as its distinctive beers.

Continue reading at Sandhills Magazine and also see an earlier post about pitmaster Joe Kelso and Smok'n Joe's BBQ that are mentioned later in this post ...

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.

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.

Pulling into Stubbs and Son in Carthage, NC

In a hurry and want chopped pork barbecue prepared in the traditional style of eastern North Carolina? As you pass through Carthage, NC, on U.S. 15-501, look for a small, plain building on the east side of the highway. Unless you’re heading north, you may miss the large sign facing southward that marks the third location of Stubbs and Sons BBQ that opened in 2017.

The third location of Stubbs and Son BBQ opened in Carthage in 2017.

It’s one of the few BBQ places with a drive-through window. You can pull in, order, get your food, and keep traveling in minutes. I ordered from the window inside the small indoor eating area, but most customers use the drive-through window. Since my lunch – like all food served -- was packed to go, taking home leftovers was easy.

An menu board is next to the inside order window.

The server said that the barbecue is prepared off site at the Sanford (Tramway) location, which opened in 2013 (replacing the previous Jackson Brothers). The other location is near Pittsboro and still carries its original name of Allen & Sons, which owner Jimmy Stubbs has managed for almost two decades.

Although I was in central North Carolina, the first bite of my barbecue sandwich carried me several hundred miles east to where the whole hog barbecue tradition of vinegar- and pepper-based sauce (with no tomato or ketchup added) has its roots. Complementing the meat on the sandwich was a sweet and slightly spicy coleslaw, which is made fresh daily, also in the eastern style.

Chopped BBQ on a bun with coleslaw is a favorite.

However, before I ordered my sandwich, I first ordered the homemade banana pudding, and I also tasted it first. It is swe-e-e-e-t with fresh bananas and vanilla wafers softened by the pudding. I alternated bites of it with bites of the sandwich. I’m sure that everyone doesn’t follow this approach, but for today it was a great idea.

The banana pudding is the best dessert.

Larger meat orders come on a plate with two sides (and a choice of bread – instead of a plain roll, pick hushpuppies, which are excellent). In addition to coleslaw, the sides include the usual potato offerings (fries, salad, etc.) but the fries are sliced fresh daily. Other noteworthy sides include deep-fried corn on the cob and fried okra.

While I was at the restaurant, all but one order was for barbecue. The lone exception was a BLT. However, seafood, chicken, Brunswick stew and other sandwiches are also on the menu.

It's a rare moment when the drive-through lane is empty.

Don’t hesitate to pull into the drive-through when you’re hungry for eastern N.C. style barbecue and you’re in the hurry. Just remember where you’re going because soon your state of mind will be in the eastern part of North Carolina.

Eastern N.C. Style Barbecue in the Blue Ridge Mountains

It’s a topsy-turvy world. Now you can travel west to the Blue Ridge Mountains to enjoy eastern North Carolina-style barbecue. Since it opened in Asheville in 2015, Buxton Hall Barbecue has been a destination for barbecue fans.

Could this building have been home to a roller rink?

The food is made right in front of you in a wide-open kitchen. Whole hogs are smoked low and slow for 18 hours over hardwood coals in the traditional eastern N.C. style and basted with a vinegar mop based on a family recipe of chef Elliott Moss, who grew up in Florence, S.C. True to eastern N.C., the menu lists “BBQ mop,” not sauce, as the baste that moistens and flavors the meat.

The wide-open kitchen adjoins the dining area.

Loyal to its region, Buxton Hall sources its pasture-raised hogs, produce and other ingredients from area farms. Although pulled pork is the reason many customers visit Buxton Hall, fried chicken and catfish are also popular, and South Carolina-style “hash” is served in a combo plate with barbecue. In addition to plates that come with cornbread and pickles, sandwich options include barbecue, chicken and catfish, and the sandwiches are as good as the plates. In fact, the “Fried Chicken Sandwich of the Year” as proclaimed by Bon Appétit in 2016 is the one made at Buxton Hall.

A cooked whole hog has just been taken out of a smoker.

The dozen sides at Buxton Hall deserve special mention and are very appealing. Narrowing down to the two that come with a plate is difficult. The collard greens, which has flavors of sweet and sour, are worth taking home to serve to company if any are left over. The green beans are good but have a spicy kick that need to be calmed down with a sip of a cold beverage. Next time I will try the chicken bog -- a combination of rice, sausage and peas. The spiced peaches with fromage blanc also are tempting.

The sauce bar satisfies more than one regional preference.

The hushpuppies are crispy and convey buttermilk and jalapeño flavors. Other appetizers include mussels cooked under the pig (not the typical menu offering of a barbecue pitmaster) and smoky pimento cheese.

My pulled pork plate with collard greens, green beans and cornbread is ready to be enjoyed.

Because Buxton Hall has an in-house bakery, all desserts are homemade. I couldn’t leave with trying the banana pudding pie, which was delicious. With a wafer crumb crust and a brown sugar meringue top, it was the perfect end to the peppery and vinegary entrée. Although I’d order the same dessert on another visit, the nectarine poundcake and black forest cake were also top contenders on the dessert list. On the day I visited, the black raspberry pie wasn’t available. If it had been, I would have taken home a serving.

Banana pudding pie is a clear favorite.

Buxton Hall represents the “new” style of barbecue establishments, as explained by food writer Kathleen Purvis. Traditional barbecue fare is offered in a large restaurant with meat sourced locally and cooked over wood by an owner whose reputation was made in fine dining, a long and interesting list of sides, creative appetizers and craft beer. Buxton Hall not only has craft beer but also the “world famous” Buxton Slushie, a frozen concoction of bourbon and Cheerwine, along with several creative cocktails. An extensive list of beer and wine is available as is the traditional iced tea (sweet or unsweet).

The Buxton Slushie (bourbon and Cheerwine) is "world famous" (well, it's becoming better known).

The restaurant’s historic location is on Asheville’s South Slope. The enormous space has been a boat showroom, the site of auto shops and even a wood-floored roller rink. Along the walls are several murals, well worth preserving, that date to 1936.

A skier in a mural on a side wall seems to be airborne over wood cut for the kitchen.

The steady stream of customers who arrive each day don’t seem perplexed at finding whole hog barbecue prepared in the style of eastern North Carolina in western Asheville. Moss and his partner Meherwan Iran (both are James Beard nominees) say that they are “revitalizing Carolina barbecue history,” and the customers enjoy experiencing that renaissance.

The menu includes plates, sandwiches and an extensive list of sides.

Still Serving Like It’s the 1950s

When you walk into Parker’s Barbecue in Wilson, NC, you are met as soon as you pass through the front door -- sometimes by a greeter, frequently by two, and often by a whole host of friendly faces, including young men wearing 1950s-style paper hats who as servers will wait on you soon.

Parker's in Wilson, NC, is a destination for barbecue lovers.

Most customers don’t need a menu when they arrive. After all, Parker’s has been in business since 1946, and little has changed since then. Parker’s serves pork barbecue only one way: chopped. There’s little indication that it will ever change its approach. Why change what has worked well for decade?

Servers wait near the cashiers for customers to arrive.

Although Parker’s is also now known for its chicken and seafood, many customers still arrive hungry for only barbecue, which is slowly roasted every day and infused with Parker’s signature vinegar-based sauce. Each week about 150 whole hogs are cooked (only gas, not wood, has been used since the 1950s).

The kitchen is continually busy throughout the day.

Corn sticks or hushpuppies usually accompany a meal; I got both. In addition, I picked slaw, boiled potatoes and Brunswick stew as the sides for my dinner. The slaw has more “zip” than I had expected, but it combines nicely with the barbecue.

The centerpiece of my dinner is chopped barbecue.

The centerpiece, of course, is Parker’s chopped barbecue. When it arrives at the table, it is drier than a visitor might expect. However, on the table are two bottles of sauce -- both vinegar-based and one with more crushed red peppers -- so that the meat can be moistened to match a customer’s preferences.

Most customers arrive at Parker's with barbecue on their minds, although fried chicken is also popular.

In eastern North Carolina, when you mention Parker’s, most people know that you are referring to the original location in Wilson. However, Parker’s has expanded to nearby Greenville, but the first location is still the destination for many barbecue fans. Until 2018, it was listed on the Historic Barbecue Trail of the North Carolina Barbecue Society but was removed when the trail was limited to historic pits that cook with only wood or charcoal (the original listing may still be displayed on the web.)

The takeout counter always has customers waiting.

Stepping into Parker’s is like going back to the 1950s. Little has changed. Thank goodness.

The menu rarely changes -- this one has been used for more than four years.

A Place Unchanged After 50 Years

As soon as I entered through the door, I knew that I had arrived at a place that many people would call their favorite restaurant. “Sit anywhere you want,” says the nearest server as someone comes in. I picked the closest table to the checkout counter, which is in front of the kitchen, and watched families and other groups amble to their regular places.

A moon, hanging in fog, watches over Stephenson's late in the evening before it closes.

Although most of its business today is with local residents, Stephenson’s does attract out-of-towners as the guest register at the front entrance indicates. Its inclusion on the North Carolina Barbecue Trail keeps new faces arriving. Travelers from Kentucky, New Jersey, and Virginia had signed recently.

A guest register is prominently displayed at the entrance.

Located on NC Highway 50 about 20 miles south of Raleigh in a community known as McGee’s Crossroads, Stephenson’s would have been a regular stop for families traveling to the North Carolina coast. Highway 50 begins in Granville County (adjacent to the Virginia border) and travels south to Topsail Beach in Pender County. Traversing only 164 miles, it once would have been the primary road for summer destinations for many residents in central North Carolina before the days of Interstate travel. Now that Highway 50 has been supplanted by I-40 for fast travel, Stephenson’s is almost forgotten by the beach traffic (except for those in the know), although it is less than three miles from the nearest interchange with I-40.

The parking lot lined with cars indicates Stephenson's popularity, although it's no longer on the primary road to the beach.

Stephenson’s was opened because William Paul Stephenson, Jr., a farmer, decided he could make more money by operating a barbecue business and selling sandwiches than by selling the hogs that he was raising. The building, in the shape of a barn, looks vintage 1958, the year that Stephenson opened his restaurant. A Pepsi sign near the entrance simply stating “Bar-b-que” also has a 1950s look. With only “Stephenson’s Bar-B-Q” in white letters above the entrance, a fast traveler might not even notice the building because it is set back from the road and no sign by the road marks the place.

The sign by the front door looks like it hasn't changed since the 1950s.

The classic red-and-white checkered tablecloths provide an easy, at-home feel. Soon after I had sat down and ordered, my server brought a tall pitcher of tea with a small pan of crushed ice -- more than adequate for a single customer and more ice that I would expect in February. I appreciate the service that patrons have plenty of tea -- with lots of ice.

Tea comes with all the ice that you need.

The barbecue is pit-cooked daily, hand-chopped, and seasoned lightly with a pepper-vinegar sauce in the finest traditions of eastern North Carolina, although Stephenson’s cooks only pork shoulders, not whole hog. For someone who needs more sauce, only two kinds – a pepper-vinegar sauce and the commercial Texas Pete – are on a table.

Although the menu lists chicken, barbecue brings in the customers.

The sandwiches are reasonably priced -- $3.65 for barbecue pork with slaw. For plates, the BBQ choices are simple: only two sizes -- small pig and large pig. On weekends, ribs are also available. The sides are typical for a barbecue restaurant in eastern North Carolina (except no baked beans): coleslaw, collards (in season), cabbage, applesauce, spiced apples, green beans, corn, and potatoes (boiled or french fries). Other sides include gizzards and livers! As a traditional barbecue house, Stephenson’s does offer dessert but only one: banana pudding.

The counter is always busy with customers placing takeout orders.

For large groups, Stephenson’s serves an all-you-can-eat, family style meal of pig, barbecue chicken, and Brunswick stew with boiled potatoes, coleslaw, and hushpuppies. (The menu warns, “Please don’t ask to take leftovers home.”)

Stephenson's pit is at the back of the building -- no wood pile here, Stephenson's cooks with hardwood coals.

Because I couldn’t miss on trying Brunswick stew, I ordered it as a plate with chopped barbecue that comes with two sides (for me, collards and coleslaw) and hushpuppies (that are excellent) or rolls. Everything more than met my expectations, and having a full glass of iced tea without having to ask for service was a nice touch for the family-operated business, now run by Stephenson’s son Andy.

On my plate of chopped barbecue and Brunswick, I ordered coleslaw and collards.

Stephenson’s deserves its place in the legends of pit-cooked barbecue, and it will continue to earn this respect for a long time as the second generation honors its traditions begun in 1958.

The founder, who died in 2008, opened the restaurant in 1958.