Sam Jones Knows Eastern Carolina BBQ

The chopped pork sandwich is served with slaw on a potato bun. Photo: Sam Jones BBQ.

Any barbecue fan who visits Raleigh, NC, usually asks about Sam Jones BBQ because the owner/pitmaster is so well known in food circles. Jones descends from a family that has prepared whole-hog BBQ the right way — cooked slow over a wood-fueled pit – since grandfather Pete Jones opened a restaurant in 1947 at age 17.

Chopped—not pulled—is the Jones family way. Photo: Sam Jones BBQ.

The grandson of the founder of the legendary Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC, Sam Jones has not fallen far from the family tree, although he has taken his family’s barbecue skills into two other cities — first to Whiteville in 2015 and next to Raleigh in 2021. Even before venturing into these two locations, Jones was named “one of the top pitmasters in the South” by Southern Living magazine back in 2012.

An old auto body shop was transformed into a BBQ destination. Photo: Sam Jones BBQ.

In Raleigh, Jones converted an old auto body shop into a smokehouse and dining room. His team cooks 180-pound hogs in a wood-fired pit for 16 hours every day. The BBQ is seasoned just right, not overly sauced, and chopped (not pulled) with crunchy bits of skin. In addition to chopped pork BBQ, Jones also serves smoked spare ribs, turkey, and chicken.

A traditional Jones family tray of chopped BBQ also comes with a side (here sweet slaw) and cornbread. Photo: Visit Raleigh Insider.

One family tradition that often meets with mixed reviews from first-time customers is the cornbread, which follows the original recipe that dates to 1830 from Skylight Inn. (Some diners skip it and order the sweet potato muffin instead.) Long-term diners consider it an essential part of the full Jones family experience. The cornbread, unsweetened and dense, is made with little more than cornmeal mix and water. A thin slab with crisp edges and a chewy texture, it is a marked contrast to sweeter Southern cornbread that is fluffy or cakey.

The cornbread is unsweetened and dense.

The sides are as good as the BBQ. Sweet slaw, mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, and baked beans are popular choices. The best advice is not to leave without trying the banana pudding. Alone, it makes a trip to Sam Jones BBQ worthwhile.

Don't leave without a serving of banana pudding.

A third-generation pitmaster, Jones knows how to serve eastern N.C.-style BBQ. His perfectly smoked, chopped whole hog barbecue continues a time-honored family tradition. chopped pork with slaw on a potato bun.

Sam Jones is a third-generation pitmaster. Photo: Sam Jones BBQ.

Business Partners Compete Against Each Other For Charities

Turn-in boxes contained four ribs and enough pork BBQ for four judges to take a sample.

Brew-B-Q

Now in its seventh year, Brew-B-Q continues to set high marks for raising funds for local charities and providing an outstanding format for local pitmasters to compete against each other in two meat categories: pork BBQ and pork ribs. The local charities benefiting from the contest this year were The Salvation Army of Wake County and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Business partners competed against each other for bragging rights.

Pork BBQ and Pork Ribs

Boston butts and ribs were provided to each cooking team for the judging. Three teams of judges followed the blind judging rules of the N.C. Pork Council for its Whole Hog Barbecue Series, although the event wasn’t a sanctioned contest.

Pitmasters await the results of the judging.

 

Subcontractors And Business Partners Compete

Sponsored by the general contracting company Brasfield & Gorrie, the competition pits teams organized by its subcontractors and business partners against each other. In addition to bragging rights, the prizes for winners are huge trophies and gas BBQ grills for the winners in each division: Boss Hog, Hog, and Piglet. Registration fees for these divisions, respectively, were $5,000, $4,000, and $2,000. The big prize for the Boss Hog winner was a 60-by-36-inch grill.

Huge trophies are ready for the winners.

I was a judge in the Piglet division, which had the most cooking teams registered. This event was the third time that I was able to participate; the contests in 2022 and 2024 were also great events.

The top team in each division also took home a highly coveted grill.

Funds For Charities

Brasfield & Gorrie has created an amazing community event that strengthens its business relationships as it raises funds for charities. The judges appreciate the superb organization of the event and the hospitality of the organizers. The atmosphere was lively, and the cooking teams were having as much fun as the judges.

Three tables of judges, with the Boss Hog judges in the forefront. Photo: John Gibbons.

Another Whole Hog Cookoff in Fuquay-Varina, NC

A whole hog cooked just before the judges inspected it.

Like many small towns in North Carolina, Fuquay-Varina began as a center for tobacco trade and agriculture. As early as 1990, its population was just 4,500. Since then, the population has doubled every decade. It seems that how much Fuquay-Varina appreciates barbecue has grown just as fast.  

The hog after the judges had inspected it.

One of its main community organizations has been the American Legion post, which was founded more than 100 years ago.  Although it took almost that much time for it to organize its first whole hog cookoff, the post has been quite successful in having one annually since 2019.

Teams set up at the American Legion post in Fuquay-Varina.

I was fortunate to return again this year as a judge at the American Legion Whole Hog Cookoff where 11 teams competed for top honors (first-place trophy and $500) as well as the opportunity to be eligible to compete in the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship held at the end of the competition season. 

The winning team takes home the biggest trophy. Photo: American Legion Post 116 via Facebook.

For each site, each judge completed a culinary scoresheet. The criteria include appearance, color, skin crispness, moisture, meat and sauce taste, and completeness of the cooking site. In addition, the judges verify that each pig is fully cooked and the meat can be served to the public.

Some teams added Halloween decorations to their tables.

The cookoff was sanctioned by the N.C. Pork Council and is part of the Whole Hog Barbecue Series. Each year more than 130,000 people attend cooking contests in the series and enjoy the barbecue prepared by the cooking teams. At the Fuquay-Varina cookoff, plates of chopped barbecue were sold to the public for $10 each as a fundraiser after all the judging activities had been completed. Proceeds from the sale are used to fund scholarships for children, aid and assistance to local needy veterans and their families, and financial support for community programs and projects.

Teams chop their barbecue for sale to the public.

Returning to the Fuquay-Varina cookoff was a special privilege. I appreciate being a judge in the Whole Hog Barbecue Series, and seeing the teams in action as they show off their cooking talents is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

N.C. Companies Cook Barbecue To Raise Money For Charities

A table of trophies is ready for the awards ceremony.

The general contracting company Brasfield & Gorrie does amazing work as they envision, build, and manage construction projects. It also does amazing work with rallying interest by corporate teams in cooking barbecue to benefit local charities.

Cooking teams stay busy for hours preparing their entries.

Pork Ribs and Pork Barbecue

For the sixth consecutive year, Brasfield & Gorrie held its annual charity cookoff known as Brew-B-Q that included two meat categories: pork ribs and pork barbecue. Boston butts and ribs were provided to each cooking team for the judging, and extra butts were cooked as well for a people’s choice contest. In addition to the BBQ cookoff, the charity event included a chicken wing competition. Additional events added for this year included a ribeye cooking competition and poker tournament.

A full schedule of activities.

Cooking Teams

Brew-B-Q has increased in popularity as a successful charity fundraiser, and about 40 teams participated. Subcontractors, business contacts, and other companies and friends in Brasfield & Gorrie’s professional network sponsored the cooking teams. The cookoff was held in three divisions: Boss Hog, Hog, and Piglet. Cooking teams contribute $5,000, $4,000, and $2,000, respectively, to register in a division.

The High Caliber Cue team, which won second place in the pork category of the 10 teams in the Boss Hog Division, unwraps and cuts ribs for their entry. Photo: Chad Farmer via Facebook.

Although the entry fees are high, impressive trophies awaited winners of each division plus a winner in each meat category for each division, and proceeds of the event—expected to be about $100,000—are contributed to The Salvation Army and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Blind Judging

Although the event wasn’t sanctioned by the N.C. Pork Council, the judges used its blind judging rules and scoresheets of its Whole Hog Barbecue Series. The judges didn’t know which teams had cooked the samples that they were evaluating. Each judge received a single sample box from each team in the division. Each box contained a Boston butt pork sample and a pork rib sample, and a separate scoresheet was used for each sample.

Scoresheets are ready for the judges.

Brasfield & Gorrie has created a great tradition of raising money while having a great time as cooking teams showcase their best talents for preparing pork ribs and pork barbecue. The cooking teams obviously enjoyed each other’s company as they seriously competed for top honors. For the judges, it was an honor to participate in this event.

Charity BBQ Cookoff in Raleigh, NC

Impressive trophies are ready for the winning Brew-B-Q teams to receive.

What is the best way to raise money for charities? Brasfield & Gorrie, a general contracting company, may have the best idea: Recruit companies that do business with them to compete in a barbecue cookoff and have them donate an entry fee for the right to participate.

Cooking teams were set up in the parking lot next to the Woman's Club of Raleigh.

Brasfield & Gorrie Recruits Brew-B-Q Teams

For four consecutive years, Brasfield & Gorrie has raised a lot of money for charities in the Raleigh, NC, area. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, its Brew-B-Q was not suspended. It continues to be very successful and now recruits 40 teams to participate. The charity BBQ cooking contest is its largest outreach program.

Several cooking teams brought large smokers to the contest.

Charity Event for Brasfield & Gorrie

In the Raleigh area for 30 years and with offices in 13 cities in eight states, Brasfield & Gorrie has a revenue of $4 billion annually and 3,000 employees. The cooking teams it recruited were sponsored by subcontractors, business contacts, and other companies and friends in the professional network of Brasfield & Gorrie. The event last year raised $74,000 for charities, which include The Salvation Army of Wake County and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

L.L. Vann Electric, a subcontractor to Brasfield & Gorrie, proudly displays its trophy for winning the Piglet division last year.

Cookoff Divisions

This year a new division — Boss Hog — was added to the contest. The other two divisions were Hog and Piglet. The Boss Hog section was reserved for teams that had placed among the top five teams in the other two divisions last year. It was limited to 10 teams, and each team donated at least $5,000 to enter. The Hog division had 15 teams; each donated at least $4,000. The Piglet division also had 15 teams; each donated at least $2,000.

Winners of each division also received a grand prize.

Judging Activities

Judging activities, coordinated by lead judge Lubin Prevatt who recruited the other 10 judges, were held in the Raleigh office of Brasfield & Gorrie. I judged in the Piglet division with Tim Croom and Owen Jackson, whom I know from previous whole hog barbecue contests. Each judge received a single sample box from each team in the division. Each box contained a Boston butt pork sample and a pork rib sample, and a separate scoresheet was used for each sample. 

Judging activities were held in the conference rooms of Brasfield & Gorrie.

The entries were quite competitive. An unusual surprise in a box was a pickle slice to “cleanse” the palate between sampling pork barbecue first and a rib next. Some boxes came with a green garnish; the most unusual one was a large collard leaf that covered the meat samples. It was intended to be on the bottom of the box. Because the box had been labeled upside down, it was on the top instead when I opened it.

Where's the meat? (Under the leaf.)

Blind Judging

Unlike whole hog contests sanctioned by N.C. Pork Council in its Whole Hog Barbecue Series where judges visit each site to evaluate a cooking team’s results, the judging for this event was “blind.”

Makela, the event coordinator, keeps a watchful eye over everything from team setup to judging activities.

The judges complied with the council’s requirements for blind judging (although the event wasn’t sanctioned by the Pork Council), and they used its blind judging rules and scoresheets. As a result, the judges didn’t know which teams had cooked the samples that they were evaluating. Boxes were randomly numbered to mask the identities of the teams.

Official scoresheets of N.C. Pork Council were used.

The cooking teams were obviously having a great time during the competition. They arrived early and stayed late, and the sounds of laughter and joking continued to echo throughout the cooking sites. The afternoon was a great one for the charities, Brasfield & Gorrie and its business partners, and the judges.

Cooking teams mingle as they wait to learn their scores.

Whole Hog Cookoff in Fuquay-Varina, NC

A perfectly cooked whole hog is in shambles after the judges complete their evaluations.

A small whole hog cookoff sometimes can be a great format. Judges can allocate all the time needed to fully evaluate each site and not be in a rush, and each team knows that their participation is vital. With just seven teams competing, the American Legion Whole Hog Cookoff in Fuquay-Varina, NC, was the smallest event where I have judged.

The site of a cooking team waits for the judges to arrive.

American Legion Cookoff 

The cookoff was the fourth competition conducted by American Legion Post 166. Its previous events had a few more competitors, but this one still was helpful for building community interest in the event and supporting local programs. After judging activities were completed, plates of chopped barbecue plates were sold to the public for $10 each as a fundraiser. With music playing throughout the afternoon, the scene was quite festive.

Because the cookoff was only days before Halloween, spooky decorations decorate several cooking sites.

Sanctioned by N.C. Pork Council, the event is part of the Whole Hog Barbecue Series that celebrates the history and artistry of whole hog cooking and supports communities and nonprofits. Each year more than 130,000 people attend cooking contests in the series and enjoy the barbecue prepared by the cooking teams. 

After the judging is over, each team prepares their barbecue for the fundraiser. 

Judging at Whole Hog Cookoffs

For each site, each judge completed a culinary scoresheet. The criteria include appearance, color, skin crispness, moisture, meat and sauce taste, and completeness of the cooking site. In addition, the judges verify that each pig is fully cooked and the meat can be served to the public. Although at some contests a team is often disqualified for undercooked meat, at this contest all teams successfully met this requirement. 

Scoresheets are prepared before the judging activities begin.

Unfortunately for the teams, at least 10 cooks need to participate for the winner in the contest to be eligible to compete in the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship held in Raleigh at the end of the competition season. If the minimum participates, then the winner qualifies for the next state championship. 

Cooking teams set up the night before the day of the contest.

I was able to judge because I was the replacement for a judge who was recovering from COVID, another sign that the pandemic still has not subsided. I was eager to judge because my last whole hog cookoff had been more than three years ago; the pandemic caused the cancellation of several cookoffs and even one state championship.

Sauces are judged with the meat.

Cookoff Sponsor

Chartered in 1922, the post has a significant legacy that stretches over a century of being a supportive member of the community. With an energetic membership base, the post was already looking forward to a chili cookoff only a week away before the whole hog contest had ended. 

All the funds raised by the post are given back to the community. Its projects include scholarships for children, aid and assistance to local needy veterans and their families, and financial support for community programs and projects.

 

 A table of trophies is ready for the awards ceremony.

Because American Legion Post 166 contributes so much to its local community, being involved in one of its programs is an honor for me. I hope to return again.

Judging Hash in South Carolina

One of 11 heads used in traditional Lowcountry hogshead hash being made in Camp Branch, SC. Image: Carolina Hash / Folkstreams.

A special experience in barbecue judging is the opportunity to judge a youth contest or an ancillary dish. Sometimes young, aspiring pitmasters compete in “Kids Que” contests. In “Anything Butt” (or “Anything Goes”) and deserts-only contests, family favorites compete for special recognition and prizes. Barbecue cookoffs often have contests for side dishes like the one for hash at the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery in Greenwood, SC. You might ask, What is hash?

 

The Festival of Discovery features BBQ & Blues — and hash.

What Is South Carolina Hash? 

Hash is a traditional stew in South Carolina that dates back to the early 1800s, according to barbecue writer and historian Robert Moss. When hogs were slaughtered for barbecuing, parts such as the head, liver, and other organ meats that didn’t make it onto the pit were used to make hash and to make sure during a rural hog-killin’ that every last scrap of a hog wasn’t wasted. 

These items were cooked in a pot with water over an open fire for many hours until they had broken down and become a thick, gravy-like substance. Items such as red pepper, potatoes, and onions were often added, but the hash depends on the slowly cooked meat items for its hearty flavor.

 

Hash being made in The Hash House in Greenwood, SC. Image: Carolina Hash / Folkstreams.

  

Moss describes hash as a cross between a thick gravy and a stew. It’s typically a side dish that accompanies barbecue and not a meal by itself. Outside of South Carolina, nothing resembles this dish. Hash recipes have also been included in issues of food magazines such as Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and The Local Palate. The name may come from “haslet,” an Old English word for the entrails of a butchered animal but other accounts also attribute the name to the French Huguenot population in early Charleston. 

When barbecue moved “indoors” as restaurants opened, hash was a standard side dish with the stew ladled over a bed of cooked white rice (or bread). When restaurants shifted from cooking whole hog to just shoulders and hams, many began making hash from the barbecue left over from the previous day, and about half of the S.C. barbecue restaurants surveyed by the (Charleston) Post & Courier no longer today include liver in their hash. 

Legendary in its time, The Hash House in Greenwood, SC, has closed. Image: Stan Woodward / Folkstreams.

The S.C. Office of Tourism describes hash as “a stewlike concoction of ground meats flavored with vegetables, condiments, and spices.” Most people are ready to sample it until they learn more about the history of hash and realize that many recipes rely on liver and other organ meats for the pungent flavor of hash. 

What Makes Hash Popular? 

Hash remains popular in South Carolina because it’s rooted in the state’s barbecue traditions. It is a typical side dish that usually accompanies a barbecue order. Definitely comfort food, it also commemorates the humble lifestyles of the past, and many people have developed a fondness for it because of family traditions. At one time “hash houses” were located throughout South Carolina with the largest concentration in the Upstate region, although many such as this one in Troy that closed in 2014 are no longer open. 

The Hash House in Troy, S.C., closed more than a decade ago. Photo: Hash House / Facebook.

The city of Greenwood was one of the most active hash-making places in the state, according to the folklife documentary Carolina Hash on the history of South Carolina hash. (Learn more by watching the documentary.) Today many barbecue restaurants have hash on their menus as the map below illustrates. 

At least 160 S.C. barbecue restaurants serve hash. Image: Southern Living.

How Do You Judge Hash? 

For events such as judging hash, there are no national standards or guidelines like for contests sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Sometimes a contest specifies only turn-in times; however, several guidelines were announced for the Greenwood event. 

This entry has a dominant tomato flavor.

For this contest, hash can consist of potatoes, onions, spices, and other seasonings with shredded pork or beef, or both. Because contest rules prohibited the presentation of the hash with side dishes or with any else such as rice or bread, each entry was simply the hash. (At KCBS events, barbecue is typically presented with a garnish.) 

Diced potatoes are the main component in this hash.

Each entry was judged on appearance, taste, and tenderness (the three criteria of a KCBS contest) and could have earned a maximum of 180 points. The winning team was Chicka-Piga-Moo that outdistanced K&E’s Little Smokers, which finished second, by only three points. Incidentally, Chicka-Piga-Moo is a top competitor in the S.C. Barbecue Association and routinely places high in barbecue contests. 

Mustard could be clearly detected in this hash.

How Different Were the Entries? 

Nineteen teams competed, and every entry had its own distinguishing characteristics, although the ingredients and presentation were limited. The entries varied in color, consistency, taste (some were pungent; some were sweet), texture (from stringy to clumpy), ingredients (from meat items only to all permitted ingredients), and moisture content (some were soupy, some had little moisture). One surprise of the judging activity happened when an entry being shown to a judge was tipped too low and about half a cup of hash “liquid” spilled onto the scoresheet and pants of the judge. How he scored this entry wasn't disclosed!

This hash seemed to have all permitted ingredients.

What Were the Rewards? 

The hash contest had a total of $1,200 in prizes that was divided among the top three places: $500 for first place, $400 for second, and $300 for third. However, more important than the money are the bragging rights for placing among the top three, particularly for the first-place winner. Imagine claiming that you are the state champion for South Carolina, which is known for its barbecue and hash traditions. 

Chicka-Piga-Moo took home $500 for placing first in the hash contest. Photo: Festival of Discovery / Facebook.

What Were the Other Side Contests? 

At the Festival of Discovery, contests were also held for Anything Goes with 29 entries and Desserts with 26 entries. Two Kids Que contests were held; one for kids 10 and under (with five participants) and another for ages 11 and older (three participants). 

The festival conducted two Kids Que contests. Photo: Festival of Discovery / Facebook.

Because teams competing in the hash contest were also permitted to sell their hash to the public during the festival, appreciation for the hash wasn’t limited to only the judges. 

Wrap Up 

The next time you are in South Carolina, find a barbecue restaurant with hash on its menu. See if you don’t agree with the state’s traditions that it belongs on a plate with barbecue.

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Finally, the following video shows hash being made: