Smiley's Barbecue Restaurant in Lexington, North Carolina

Traditional Chopped Pork Sandwich Lexington NC Style from Smiley's BBQ Restaurant

When I am in Lexington, NC (about 45 minutes from my house), I have to get some real down home barbecue which is what Lexington is famous for. There are quite a few great barbecue restaurants in Lexington, and one of my favorites is Smiley's.

Smiley's Barbecue is a fixture in Lexington. It opened in the early 1950s and changed owners and names a few times over the years but has always kept the wood fire burning. That's what sets Lexington BBQ apart from barbecue in other areas - the meat is cooked slow over a wood fire. Well, it's one of the things that sets it apart.

If you are not familiar with North Carolina barbecue, then you need to know that it is chopped pork (shoulders or butts) served on white bread buns with red slaw and with a vinegar based sauce. While your sauce at Smiley's is reddish, it is still thin. That's because it's vinegar based. If someone tries to tell you that Piedmont barbecue sauce is tomato based, they do not know what they are talking about. You can tell them I'm from here, and I said so.

North Carolina BBQ Sauce - AKA Dipping Sauce

The sauce at Smiley's is extra good. It's one of my favorites. It has that nice vinegar twang and just a touch of heat. They heated it up to serve at the table, and I was in heaven. I poured a good splash on my sandwich and dug in. Absolutely divine.

While I was eating my barbecue sandwich I was enjoying looking at the wall art. They had the traditional white board with specials and desserts posted. Someone had drawn peanuts characters on there in dry erase marker and religious messages. Over my shoulder was a painting of moonshiners. Another painting had an old car and Kerr jars which are basically southern Mason jars.

 Barbecue, Moonshine, and NASCAR are Close Relatives in North Carolina

A kid at the next table was getting an etiquette lesson from someone who probably was his MeeMaw. "You cain't be pullin' up your shirt at no restaurant," she advised the little man. That's good advice I'd say.
Across from our table, two beefy men were eating big, old bologna sandwiches. Though I've never bought a bologna sandwich out at a restaurant, the Smiley's bologna sandwiches looked very tasty. I almost wanted one, but I was getting full off my chopped pork sandwich which was great. The chop at Smiley's is a little coarser than some restaurants in the area, and the meat is moister than some of the competition. I'd definitely call Smiley's a front-runner. I can't really pick a number one. I just know which ones are top notch. Smiley's is that.

 Authentic Barbecue Joint Decor at Smiley's BBQ in Lexington, NC

Before leaving we got a big piece of homemade chocolate cake. It's hard to eat dessert after southern pork sandwiches which are filling, but it's hard to pass up desserts made from scratch. The cake looked amazing, and it tasted just as good. I'd also recommend the banana pudding which is a southern favorite.

Smiley's is what I'd call an authentic barbecue joint. Heck, you can blow your horn and get service outside (maybe). The building is unassuming and decorated with stuff that you'd likely see at a southern aunt or uncles home. The ladies waiting tables are going to ask how you're doing and care, and they are likely going to "honey" you at least once.  That's a good time and good eating.

Barbecue Festival Lexington NC 36th 2019 - Tips From a Local

 The Barbecue Festival in Lexington, North Carolina

The Barbecue Festival in Lexington, North Carolina is one of the biggest and best food festivals in the United States and certainly a huge deal in the southeast. The BBQ festival is a family friendly event that showcases the barbecue of the Piedmont of North Carolina. It is not a competition event where pitmasters face off for bragging rights. The idea is to celebrate the local vinegar based, sauced barbecue and have a fun day out in the mild weather typical of central North Carolina in the fall. There are stations serving the festival barbecue, a few other food booths, arts, crafts, and several stages with entertainment.

I live in central North Carolina, and I go the Barbecue Festival most years. It's always a great event, and I always enjoy something new and interesting each year along with favorites that turn up year after year. Being familiar with the area and the festival has advantages, and I'm going to share all the tips that come to mind to make sure that you have a great time if you decide to visit Lexington, North Carolina on the fourth Saturday of October which is the scheduled date each year for the Barbecue Festival.

Plan to Get an Early Start at the BBQ Festival

The first thing I would recommend is that you plan to arrive at the Barbecue Festival right when it opens which is 9 a.am. Downtown Lexington is already cranked up even that early in the morning on festival day, and the crowds are thick by 10 or 11 a.m. I've gone later in the day a couple of times, but it's much easier to see all the things featured at the booths right when the festival opens. Early birds are also much more likely to get samples of products. I like to try out things before springing for full bags, bottles, or packages (at least when it comes to food items like barbecue sauce, dips, and jams).

What About Parking?

If you don't want to get the cart before the horse (so to speak), you will also want to think about parking for the festival. Lexington is a small town in the South of the United States, so you are not going to find parking garages. On the plus side, the festival is well planned and organized, so you can work out transportation in a number of ways. I'll share what I do as a local and arriving early for the festival.

We drive in on Highway 64 which is kind of the back side of the festival and in the center of the activities. We park in lots which are roped off for the event. This year we parked in a bank parking lot for $5. The money goes to the humane society. Other lots benefit other local charities. The location was about two blocks from the festival. Arriving at 9:30 a.m. there were maybe six spaces open, so if we had driven in much later we would have had to have parked a few blocks farther. Spaces do open up all day as people finish up and leave, so you can get lucky sometimes.

Perhaps you do not want to get up early or plan to see specific performances and/or bands. This may rule out the Highway 64 parking option. That's fine. There are parking areas around the festival where you park for free and catch a shuttle. This is a very nice solution. There are occasional lines, but mostly you get on quick, and with shuttles running continuously, it's easy to find a ride back. I've done the shuttle a couple of years, and I would recommend parking and riding in. It really is easy and convenient.

 Chopped Barbecue Sandwiches are the Top Pick at the Festival

The Barbecue

I will guess that you are looking for barbecue if you visit the Lexington Barbecue Festival. It would certainly be a top pick for this festival.

If you're not familiar with Lexington style barbecue, then you should know that the famous barbecue of the area is slow smoked pork which is chopped (sometimes sliced) and served on buns (basic white bread buns like for hamburgers). Trays would include chopped barbecue and red barbecue slaw and usually in sizes small and large. The small usually makes two white bread bun sandwiches with slaw.

There are various sides served with North Carolina barbecue (slaw, hush puppies, fried apples), but most of them are simple and very much sides. At the festival, they have what they call curly tail fries. The slaw is automatic with the barbecue, but you order the fries separate. The French fries are just what you would imagine: potatoes cut in curls like a pig tail and fried up crispy. They are quite tasty when hot even if not the main event.

We like to find a place and sit down. There are a very few picnic and/or folding tables, but there are also quite a few steps and stoops or curbs in Lexington. We often sit on the historic courthouse steps to eat our festival lunch (or dinner). We always have lots of company. People eating rotate out often, so if you don't find a space immediately, you can wait a couple of minutes and slide in.

 Fried Apple Pies are Made Right While You Watch - YUM!

Any Other Foods at the BBQ Festival?

Over the years, more foods have been added to the line up at the Lexington festival. The barbecue booths are the main attractions, but there are other types of foods on the side streets and a very few sprinkled in with the vendors. One repeat is the turkey legs. There are also steak sandwiches, gyros, corn on the cob and other typical festival or carnival foods.

The stand out for me on the foods is the fried apple pies. A group from the mountains of North Carolina comes in and rolls out homemade dough with dried apples and pies fried right there where you can see them being made and cooked. They are absolutely fabulous. I could probably eat my weight in the apple pies. They really are THAT good. I would note that the lines get very long at meal times. I get my pie first thing and consider it breakfast. I'm flexible like that. The pie is certainly worth waiting in line for though.

New This Year - Aunt Sis' Salsa Inc. with Blueberry Jam Which Was Great

Booths at the Lexington Festival

If you aren't familiar with festivals, then know that you will see a ton of booths. Lexington has the one of the biggest selections of the festivals around the state. You will see pretty much everything you can imagine. And, the quality is higher than at many of the festivals overall.

Some of the booths are for the public good you might say or to foster good will. You may see various service clubs set up and health organizations. This year you could get your blood pressure checked for free for an example. And, Food Lion was giving out $5 off $35 on groceries as well as snack bars and handy wipes to clean up with after the barbecue. Food Lion is a local company which was started in Salisbury (another NC barbecue town just down the road) by Ralph Ketner.

Many of the booths feature foods of various types but mostly things you would buy and take home. This is where you can find loads of interesting barbecue sauces to take your own outdoor cooking to new levels. There are also different types of honey and syrups (maple bourbon was really yummy). One of my favorites this year was blueberry jam by Aunt Sis' Salsa Inc. It was their first year at the festival, and I'll predict that they will become a staple. Really fabulous jam - and the salsa was top notch too.

You can also buy all kinds of arts and crafts at the festival. It's a super time to buy your Christmas gifts, since you only have a couple of months left by the time the festival rolls around. My favorite craft booth is the Tin Can Man. He makes airplanes and other neat stuff out of aluminum cans. The art work really is amazing when you get to looking close. I got one of the airplane art pieces for my birthday many years ago. You can also find great pottery, wood and metal items, jewelry, candles, soap, and puppets. Really they have most anything you can think up. You can easily get all your gift shopping done during the day.

 Several Stages with Music and Entertainment All Day Long

Entertainment at the Festival

Most years the Barbecue Festival showcases a pretty big name artist at night on the main stage, and the artist is generally country. There are less famous (but still great) groups scattered at stages up and down the road of the festival. Again you get quite a bit of country music but also gospel and different types of rock. I would suggest checking a schedule online if you are interested in seeing music and planning around the times for the show or shows you want to see. While there are some chairs, taking a fold up chair or even a stroller or wagon for the kids and your purchases can make life much easier.  

There are a number of areas for the kids at the Barbecue Festival. On one end they have the big blow up toys where you bounce or slide. There are a few food treats close by like shaved ice and water/sodas. It's a nice place to hang out and rest while the little ones burn off energy. The crowds tend to be smaller in the kid area.

If the kids get tired, they will likely enjoy a show. This year they had programs like a juggler, a dinosaur show, the spin man, and Elf the musical. I enjoy the shows, although they are geared toward kids. I probably get more tired than the kids do these days (-:

On one end of the festival they have competition areas where you may see bike stunts or pig races. The Hogway Speedway which is where the pigs race always draw a crowd. Pigs run much faster than you might think if you've never actually seen pigs run. You will be impressed I'm pretty sure.

 The Sand Art is Always Amazing

Pig Sand Art

I always look forward to checking out the festival sand art. That's a big sculpture made of sand that has some type of pig theme. It is different every year. And, it's always amazing. I consider the sand art a highlight of the festival and always try to get a photo. I always think the new one is the best ever but when I look back they are all unique and really special.

Other Little Random Things to See or Do at the Lexington Barbecue Festival

Look for the Official Barbecue Festival Souvenirs tent. You will find various items with the annual logo reasonably priced. I especially like the t-shirts. But, I'm not really a person to wear hats. It mashes down my hair which is not such a good look.

Just down from the souvenir tent you will see a big board painted with cut out holes to put your faces. You can shoot a photo of everyone looking all piggie. I guess this is an old trick, but it's still fun. Don't be too "cool" to stick your head in a hole. You will enjoy the shots for years to come especially if you post them on FaceBook.

On your way out, I'd suggest picking up a bottle of Swine Wine. Locals Bob Timberlake (the artist) and Richard Childress (NASCAR owner) teamed up to create a wine especially complimentary to North Carolina pork barbecue. Yes. You can certainly enjoy a good Childress Vineyard wine with your NC swine. And, you can take it home to share with your people too. Can't beat that.

What Are You Waiting For?

If you have been on the fence about visiting the Lexington Barbecue Festival, then you are all set now. These are the things I'd want to know about the festival if I was driving in. You'll have a blast no matter what, but I think my tips will make your festival visit extra-oink-inary.

Enjoy A Few Other Photos From the Barbecue Festival 

~Cyndi Allison

 Oink! Oink! Frosted Sugar Cookies Getting Their Pig On

 I Think I Need a Pig Balloon - Yes I Do!

 Way Beyond Your Average Pumpkin Carving - I Was Impressed

 Someone Needs To See a Big, Happy Flower Today - You're Welcome!

 I Have No Idea Where You Get a Crazy Heifer Shirt But It Made Me Smile

 When Pigs Fly - At the North Carolina Barbecue Festival Of Course

Church BBQ Dinners in North Carolina - Millford Hills Methodist in Salisbury, NC

Milford Hills United Methodist Church BBQ Dinner

One really popular fundraiser dinner in North Carolina is a BBQ dinner. North Carolina is pork barbecue country with various versions in the east (coastal) and piedmont or central. Central is called western NC barbecue, but it's not the mountains. No telling what you'll get if you order barbeque in the mountains here.

Today I had a delicious BBQ plate of western barbecue from Millford Hills Methodist Church in Salisbury, NC (which likely is the original home of western style barbecue though Lexington takes the credit).

Mr. Ralph Ketner who founded the Food Lion stores and still works at Catawba College well in his 90s gets the yearly dinners for the faculty and staff in the Ketner building (yes - he did have it built - thanks). He's just a really nice guy like that.

Here you see a very traditional North Carolina barbecue dinner. There's chopped pork, dip (thin vinegar sauce), red slaw (a tad spicy), a bun, and then versions of pound cake. This piece I think is Cheerwine cake which is the local soft drink sold in my county (Rowan County) and slated to be in all 50 states soon (the drink - not the cake).

Other areas may have slight differences. When I lived in Raleigh, the church had small boiled potatoes as the side. Brunswick stew is another common side dish but in the coastal area usually.

I think this was Millford Hills Methodist Churches 51st year of their annual BBQ dinners. They are always on a Friday at the end of January. If you live close by or are passing through Salisbury, NC, I can tell that you get a generous and very tasty traditional North Carolina barbecue meal at the church.

North Carolina Barbecue - East and West - The Real Scoop

North Carolina Barbecue Chopped Pork Sandwich Plate

Politics. Religion. Barbecue. You can stir up a hornet’s nest if you bring up any of these topics in North Carolina. We take these things serious and to heart.

What Is North Carolina BBQ?

North Carolina BBQ is chopped (not pulled) pork on a bun in contrast to most barbecues across the country which would be beef or other meats served as a main course like ribs or brisket. Barbeque in North Carolina is, of course, more complicated than that, but that’s a good starting point.

In North Carolina – We Do NOT Barbecue

Like folks from Kansas, North Carolinians do not barbecue. We eat barbecue. Barbecue is a noun and not a verb. Putting food on the grill is called grilling. You do not barbecue hot dogs, burgers, or steak in North Carolina. You grill those. In fact, you do not barbecue anything. That’s just wrong.

Barbecue is what you put on the plate and not what you do in the yard. It’s an artisan food that locals take very personally and proud and rightfully so. We’re not talking ten minutes on the grill and off. Real North Carolina barbecue takes hours with someone getting up during the night to double check.

Someone Is Watching This Meat and For Many Hours

When you're talking North Carolina barbecue, the smoking time it ten, twelve, fourteen hours. That's why you're not going to find many of these real deal barbecue joints and why you can't get NC style barbecue all over the country. The pitmaster is going to be a really dedicated guy (or in very rare cases - a girl) who can keep the barbecue fires burning and day after day for a restaurant.


Low and Slow Over Smoke

It’s not real barbecue in North Carolina, unless the pork is cooked at low temperatures for many hours and over a wood fire. If you go behind a BBQ joint and don’t see a wood pile, then it’s not really NC barbecue. If there are spider webs on the woodpile, then you’ve been snookered. Ideally, you’ll see smoke coming out of the smoke house, although meat is not cooked around the clock. Still, you should smell that distinct wood smoke in the air.

It Takes a Lot of Wood To Keep Up a NC Wood Burner BBQ Joint

You can get some decent barbecue over gas with wood chips which is how things are going with the government regulations and wood smoking looking like a dying art, but the few wood burners left have been grandfathered in, and let’s all hope they pass the torch. It would really be a shame to lose our food heritage here in the Carolinas.

North Carolina Barbecue – East and West

In eastern North Carolina, the smoked meat is whole hog. In other words, they cook the entire pig. In the piedmont where most barbecue is called Lexington-style, shoulders are cooked down (and sometimes Boston Butts). That’s called eating high on the hog – or the better pig meat, although many will argue that the mixture with more fat and skin is better.

Western or Piedmont North Carolina Smoked BBQ Shoulder

My area is western NC shoulders. This beautiful shoulder was made by the local Lion's Club which is a yearly fundraiser. Mostly we buy shoulders, but when home smoking, we might go with a butt. That's just the top part of the shoulder. It's the same meat, but it's a smaller cut. The butt is not the real butt of the pig - that is the ham. When my boys were little, they grossed out when I said I was smoking butt, so the next time I told them it was shoulder. They loved it as long as I called it shoulder. Go figure. Now, they are older and don't care what I call it. It's all good.

Geography – A Few Miles – They Make a Difference

Speaking of eastern and western North Carolina, it really is a matter of miles. Don’t confuse western NC in terms of barbecue with the mountains where you get goodness-knows-what called barbecue. When people from North Carolina talk about eastern and western on BBQ, they are not including the western half of the state. They mean the beach area and the piedmont (or center part). The dividing line is basically Raleigh. You have the beach land band and then the west band of barbecue.

The Secret is in the Barbecue Sauce

The biggest bone of contention in North Carolina is when it comes to the barbeque sauce. Again, it’s along geographic lines. Eastern NC has vinegar sauce while the piedmont has vinegar based sauce with various levels of tomato or ketchup added. Any hint of tomato is scorned by easterners, but NC western BBQers add a little “red.”

Eastern Style BBQ Sauce at Wilber's

In either case, you have a very thin barbecue sauce very unlike Kansas barbecue sauce which is ketchup based. Both areas of North Carolina add a kick with pepper seeds, so the BBQ sauce is generally spicier than what you see bottled in the store. You look at vinegar and hot pepper seeds, and you have a nice jolt.

What’s the Best NC BBQ?

 Residents of North Carolina are quite vocal about defending the local barbecue styles. It’s kind of like football. You root for your team – no matter what.

For those outside the area, it may all be Greek or so different that the subtleties are lost. There’s great barbecue both on the eastern beach side of the state and in the middle. There are also imitations, and those are not so wonderful. Just follow the smoke and see for yourself. If you find real barbecue in North Carolina, eastern or western, then you’ve found a gem and will be hooked for life.

Tarheel Q on Highway 64 near Lexington, NC

Tarheel Q is listed as a Lexington, NC barbecue joint, but it is out in the country and not in Lexington. Tarheel Q is on the Davidson County line right before moving into Davie county. It's close to a kayak entry area on the Yadkin River.

Here is the address information for anyone wanting to Google exact directions:

6835 West Old US Highway 64
Lexington, NC 27295
(336) 787-4550



Tarheel Q is popular with the locals, so you may have to ask for a menu. They do have some, but we got about 30 seconds to look at the menus before the server walked up to the table and stood there waiting. We wanted North Carolina chopped pork, so we just ordered the special clipped to the menu which was a chopped bbq sandwich with fries and a drink for $5.

The service actually is very good at the Tarheel Q. The young boys who cleared the table so we could sit down were about middle school age and very sweet. The girls with the water and tea were friendly, and the counter crew was good as well.

We, unfortunately, appeared to get the only poor server in the joint. She did not ask if we wanted hush puppies or dessert and never checked the table other than to take the order and to drop off the bill. I did flag her down to order a side of hush puppies, and she said, "OK." I wasn't sure if we'd get any or not, but we did.

Maybe our server just broke up with her boyfriend or something, but I sure wish we had been sitting in another section.



I'd read about the large portions at Tarheel Q, but I did not find that to be the case. As you can see in the photo, the sandwich was tiny. And, it was closer to the camera than my hand, so this is a generous shot of the barbcue sandwich.

In addition, I don't know where they found such thin hamburger rolls. Again, the photo is generous. These were super skimpy buns.

Granted, the prices are low. But, I'd rather pay more and get a decent sized barbecue sandwich and a bun that is not so thin that it is soggy when it gets to the table.

I'd suggest going with the barbecue tray with white or red slaw and just using a fork versus getting a sandwich.



As far as the barbecue meat which is THE THING, this is wood smoked barbecue on a pit in the back. It is slow smoked, and the air around Tarheel Q smells fabulous. I say "hats off" to anyone still doing pork barbecue with wood. It does make a difference, and the barbecue meat was nice and smokey.

North Carolina barbecue is more art than science, and the quality varies at all barbecue joints from day to day. Tarheel Q leans to the dry side from slight over smoking on some days. That can happen at any barbecue restaurant, but I've seen that noted by other reviewers and had already made notes of my own that this barbecue place can run dry.

The barbecue sauce is usually the second thing most people consider when talking NC que. Tarheel Q has a western or Lexington style sauce. It is sweeter than average and lower on the heat, so there is less of the vinegar flavor. That will appeal to some and not to others. I like mine with more heat, but the sauce was good.



The sides are just that - sides. Since so much time is spent on the barbecue meat, it is common for barbecue joints to have heat and eat sides. That's the case here. Everything appeared to be frozen and deep fat fried. The hush puppies had a good flavor but were a tad rubbery. The French fries were hot, and they were not greasy, so it's clear they clean out the fryer and keep the oil fresh.

The size on the sides appears to be pretty good, but that's mostly because the paper trays are really small. They heap the fries and hush puppies up high, and they literally fall out onto the wrap paper when you open up the sides. We had plenty, but I'd call the amount average to below for a barbecue restaurant.

The server did not ask about dessert, but we would not have ordered. The next table over did. The pie looked like frozen thawed out or maybe the grocery store variety in the alunimum tins. The colors were bright like on the sweet potato pie which was very orange.



If you want to experience local culture and eat with and like the locals, then Tarheel Q is definately authentic. It is not a tourist trap like some of the barbecue places around the state. And, the regulars will tell you that it is the best barbecue in the state.

The barbecue meat and sauce are good, although they would not rank as favorites for me. The main issue would be the meat being a bit dry, although it is sauced in the kitchen with more sauce provided at the table. You really can't hide dry pork with sauce, although some folks wouldn't notice the difference. Than again, many people don't seem to notice a difference between wood smoked and electric.

I'd be more likely to recommend Tarheel Q for breakfast and the pork tenderloin biscuits or basic breakfast plates with eggs and meat.

Barbecue Boston Butt - North Carolina Smoked Pork with Vinegar Sauce

Mom and Harry (my new step dad) got a barbecue Boston Butt today from the local Lion's Club. It's North Carolina barbecue pork shoulder, but the butt is the top part and smaller than a full shoulder. The name comes from the names of the barrels they were stored and sent in. So, NO, you are not eating butt when you get Boston butt. Butt is the ham (-: Sorry to have to tell you that.

North Carolina pork is smoked low and slow - low temperatures over a long time like 8 to 12 hours. Then, the pork can be sliced but is usually chopped. Then, the barbecue (not to be confused with something grilled) is served on a white bread bun with a vinegar based sauce which is thin and zippy. Oh my. Let me tell you. It is heaven.

I get requests for North Carolina style pork barbecue recipes, but pork barbecue is much more art than science. A basic recipe would be hard to post, but I'll probably give it a go some time. So, be sure to sign up for my newsletter to the right or hit follow on one of the follow opitons. I'll think it through one of these days and give everyone a starting point on NC BBQ.

Do know that every pitmaster or smoker in NC uses different rubs, techniques, and sauces. The smoker makes a difference too in terms of how you smoke the pork and how long and so on. Personally I don't think you can beat the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet, and that's the one I use most for barbecue smoking.

The barbecue shoulder was good today. The Lion's do a nice job on that fundraiser, and I know it's labor intensive. They also have a good recipe for the vinegar sauce. The sauce really can make or break North Carolina barbecue. It's really not NC BBQ without that unusual vinegar based barbecue sauce.

Guy Fieri Needs to Head on Out Here for Some NC Barbecue

Keaton's Should Be on The Must-Visit List for Guy Fieri - Don't Ya Think?

Doesn’t Guy Fieri have the coolest job around – hosting Diners, Drive-in and Dives? If you haven’t seen the show, he visits little eateries all over the country to get the best food in town (including barbecue). The show is not gourmet now. Fieri really does visit the little joints that draw the locals. So, if you’re looking for good stick-to-your-rib eats, you should check out the TV show and take some notes.

Guy has been out in California lately crowning the “Next Pork Personality.” Seems they had a pig grill off, and Kristina Vanni of Hollywood won with her Spicy Asian Pork Tenderloin with Pear Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Baby Bok Choy. What? Haven’t tried those yet? Well, you have to remember this is California barbecue we’re talking, so they do things different out there.

I am wondering if those pear mashed potatoes taste anything like the ones my sister made for Thanksgiving with applesauce. All I will say is that they did, indeed, look like mashed potatoes, but putting gravy on them was not such a great idea. It would rank right up there with gravy on ice cream which is about the only thing we don’t gravy up here in the South.

In any case, I’m glad that we have all kinds of barbecue all over this country and something to appeal to every palate. I'll have to get out to California one of these days and check out what they're doing in those parts.

Around here, of course, barbecue is pork served on a white bread bun with a vinegar based sauce. And, it’s some mighty fine stuff even if folks from other parts of the country often just don’t know what to make of pig pickin’ North Carolina BBQ with vinegar mop. Generally it grows on them, or I guess they move away – one or the other.

Then, there’s also Keaton’s Barbecue in Cleveland NC (sort of – really it’s in the middle of nowhere) which is chicken, and it’s barbi-fried. Yep. They fry it some way but not Southern with a thick coating and then they get it lathered up with a thin barbecue sauce that sinks to the bone. It used to be the thing to slip off from high school now and then and get some Keaton’s chicken, although I won’t confess to involvement or not in such truancy.

I’m sure it’s getting old out there in California what with the great weather and all, and I think Fieri needs to road trip on out here to North Carolina and dive some barbecue joints. Heck, he won’t even have to visit three states to get his cue. In fact, he might start a Hatfield and McCoy feud again if he doesn’t showcase eastern AND western style North Carolina barbecue. Yes. There is a difference. Just ask anyone who loves NC barbecue. And, then Guy really does have to round that out with Keaton’s chicken, because it’s just the best barbecue chicken ever.

If Guy needs some tips on NC barbecue, he can give me a call (-: I can hook him right up and also round up some camouflage pants and a ball cap if he doesn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb. He can also practice saying “ya’ll,” although most people from other parts of the country just can’t manage to pull that off very well. Ya’ll know what I’m saying – wink.

So, any great barbecue dives from your neck of the woods that you think Guy needs to check out? If so, drop a comment. Maybe we can turn him on to some good ones. But, then we might have to wait in line at our favorite barbecue joint. Hum. Maybe you should just whisper in my ear and keep our secrets.