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.

Another Rainy Day for the Barbecue Master and Family

I have some new barbecue sauces from Demon Pig that I can't wait to try out, but it's still raining here in the not-so-sunny South, and my nose is still running too. Bummer. Not a good way to celebrate hump day.

This seemed a better day for chicken pot pies (Marie Callender's are definately the best), but I can still dream of a beautiful outdoor grill room with counter space, wine racks and maybe even one of those cool outdoor fountains. Ah heaven.

In the meantime, I've been shopping, since I don't feel up to doing much else. And, online shopping is so easy. Gotta love it.

In addition to some new sauces coming (including Wild n Mild which the hunters who read my blog will love), I'm also waiting on Grill Floss (no kidding) and a Cuisinart silicone basting brush. So, be sure to check back soon, because I'll have some new flavors and new barbecue toys to talk about and some ideas for the holidays.

John Boy & Billy's Grillin' Sauce Saves the Day

I must confess that John Boy & Billy saved the day here, because I feel like crud (although I'm pretty sure it's not the swine flu), and it's raining. It's a toss up as to which is pouring down harder - the rain or my snot. Bummer.

The kid and I had a wonderful smoked pork loin on the PK grill two nights ago sauced up with John Boy & Billy's Grillin' Sauce. I wasn't sure what two radio hosts based out of Charlotte, NC and known for comedy might come up with as far as BBQ sauce, but this was the real deal and no joke.

The taste of John Boy & Billy's Grillin' Sauce is kind of medium as far as texture (thicker than most NC sauces but not as thick as Texas barbecue sauces). The sauce also has a little zip but not enough to put off my mild loving son. He's just not into hot when it comes to food. Girls? Hum. Well, the hot ones do turn his head. He's 16 years old for the record. His sauces - make 'em mild.

Overall the verdict is that John Boy & Billy have a great balanced Grillin' sauce and that's coming from hot Momma and mild Kido.

Having been up most of the night, since it's hard to sleep when you can't breathe and with the chicken thawed in anticipation of grilling along with the rain pouring down (even though I do have porches), I just was not feeling that grilling thing happening. On the flip side, I sent the kid out to get Chinese last night (though did not feel up to eating myself), so I wanted real food but did not want to work too hard at it.

I confess that I plunked the chicken in a pan lined with tin foil (to reduce clean up) and dumped on John Boy & Billy's Grillin' Sauce. There is no rule that says you have to use grilling sauce or any kind of barbecue sauce on the grill, so in the oven went the chicken and sauce at 350 degrees for around an hour - give or take.

Even feeling awful and even having done nothing special to the chicken other than saucing it with John Boy & Billy's Sauce, dinner came out great. My kid had seconds and then thirds. I could taste the bbq sauce even with the nose running and giving me fits, and it taste great after not having been eating much.

I won't bless ya'll with photos of chicken in a pan lined with tin foil. The barbecue sauce gets much thinner when dumped on baked chicken so does not look too gourmet, but hey that's OK. Good barbecue sauce is good sauce. And, you can use it in baking or in the crock pot in a pinch. Today was a pinch, and the food was great if not exactly pretty. A cute bowl could have fixed that, but it would have been one more thing to wash when I doubt the dishes are getting done tonight anyway.

Someone told me that John Boy & Billy mentioned me on their show when I ran for mayor and tied the old guy who held that spot forever - amen. That puts me in good company as the radio boys tend to favor NASCAR guys and wrestlers (called wrastlers in these parts). Well, I hope they said something good about me. I didn't ask. Some things I do not need to know. Really, they need to have the Grill Girl on the radio show some day. Don't ya think? I'm at least as hot as their sauce and can wrastle if necessary.

Pig Pen's Original Seasoning Sprinkle is Great as a Barbecue Rub Too

I have been in a "trying new barbecue stuff" mood lately, and so I grabbed some Pig Pen's at Food Lion. It was with the barbecue sauces and rubs, and since it was dry, I figured it was a barbecue rub. WRONG! Well, it turned out way right. There are times when not being able to see that well comes in handy. This was one of those times. Other times it does not work out so well, so I am trying to learn to use my progressive bifocal glasses, although they make me seasick and walk geeky.

I brought home Pig Pen's Original Seasoning and lathered up my pork loin. Those pork loins were on sale this week at Food Lion, and it's hard to pass up pork loin which is fabulous slow cooked on a grill.


When I opend up the seal on Pig Pen's, I noticed right off that it had a zip. That's fine by me, but my younger son does not like foods too hot, so I went easy on the rub on the pork loin.

That pork loin was smelling like heaven as it was cooking, and my mouth was watering. It takes a while to slow cook a loin, so the kid and I were getting quite hungry, but good food is worth waiting for - and this was massive pork loin.

That pork loin was some of the best I've had. The Pig Pen's gave it just enough zip to make it stand out big times. So, then, I had to round up my reading glasses and get a handle on this new and fabulous grilling rub.

Well, the joke was on me. Pig Pen's is really a seasoning sprikle kind of like a seasoning salt but zestier. The other joke is that the guy who makes this lives right in my home town. How random! I don't know any guy who goes by Pig Pen, so I am going to have to ask around. This is not a big area. It can't be that hard to find the Pig Pen guy.

In the meantime, I will continue to use Pig Pen's Original as a barbecue rub but also as a sprinkle as intended for all kinds of foods - really anything that you might hit with seasoning salt of some type.

Yum! I am tempted to go get another slice of that pork loin with Pig Pen's, but I just came off that winter Consumers Digest grill project where I put on 10 pounds or so. I dropped that (or most of it), so I will hold myself back. But, I can tell you that was sure a good loin.

Never Been to a Redneck Grill Party? You're Missing Out.

Folks do things different in the South and that includes barbecuing. Actually barbecue is slow smoking pork, and grilling is putting anything else on the grill and cooking it. But, we done figured out that the rest of the country don't know no better.

If women are involved in the barbecue party planning, there will be some decorating. If the flowers are not in bloom - no problem. That's what plastic flowers was made for. Other favorites are flags and mostly American and plastic yard birds are also pretty darn popular.

Now, if guys are taking care of the details at the barbecue, you will not have decorations and maybe not napkins. That's what pants are made for.


The best Southern grills are homemade. They are made out of all kinds of stuff, so recycling is alive and well below the Mason/Dixon as is dumpster diving. Most common of the homemade barbecue grills or barbecue smokers are ones made when your oil tanks go to leaking or if you come across a big old barrel that ain't good for much else.


If you have to bring in a store bought grill down South, that's no problem. Most everybody has a pick up or a relative with one. But, some Southern men figure it's too much trouble to unload the grill, so they just fire up in the bed of the truck. This is not FDA approved or recommended but no casualties have been reported to date.


The older guys will, if they get a chance, supervise at the barbecue. After all, they done their dues. Old fellows, however, are not content to go plop down in a lawn chair. Oh no. They figure they better offer up some advice so end up spending as much time supervisiing as they would have grilling. It's just a guy thing I guess. Tell a woman not to worry about cooking, and she mostly won't unless something catches fire (also known as "afar).


The longer a redneck barbecue lasts the more fun is had and the better (or worse) the dancing gets. In fact, a redneck party can last until the cows come home at which time they have to be milked, of course, as things like that just can't be put off to another day.

If you are not sure if you throw redneck barbecue parties, check out Are You a Redneck Grill Guy or Grill Girl at Yes! You Can Grill. Of course, you probably already know, but it's still fun to peek, and you can email in your other redneck party notes if you like.

Lexington, North Carolina Barbecue Festival 2009

It's time for the Lexington, NC Barbecue Festival again. It's an annual event scheduled for October 24 this time, and this is the 26th year. One of the highlights each year is the pig themed sculpture made of sand. It's always impressive.


Yum. The barbcue sauce is simmering and ready to be poured on the slow cooked pork which is served on white bread buns with slaw. They also have curly pig tail fries to round out the signature festival meal. But, there are lots of other great foods at the Lexington BBQ Festival.


There are many artists and craft folks at the BBQ festival each year, so it's fun to do some holiday shopping while enjoying the barbecue pork.


I always look for the fresh made bread at the Barbecue Festival and take home a loaf or two for supper or for the next day. Hard to beat home baked bread.


Last year it rained for the 25th annual Lexington BBQ Festival, so everyone is hoping for sunny skies this year.

For information and tips on the Lexington, NC Barbecue Festival, check out Yes You Can Grill - my grilling web site.

Free Johnsonville Brats T-Shirt - Tailgate Season 2009

We love grilled brats around here, and my favorite brand is Johnsonville. They don't try to make and sell everything under the sun. Johnsville sells sausages - period. And, darn good sausages.

Grilling bratswurth (or bratsworth) is very simple, but the type of sausage you buy does make a difference in terms of how you grill your brats. If you're not sure how to grill brats, then check out my Grilled Brats Guide.

It's always nice to be styling when grilling at home or when tailgating at a ballgames or NASCAR race, so start saving your Johnsonville labels. If you collect four proofs of purchase, you can mail those in for a Free Johnsonville T-Shirt. Details on the deal are in the right hand corner currently.

Get yourself a free t-shirt and enjoy some tasty grilled brats. That's a real win-win!

Rib Eye Steak on the Weber Kettle Grill with Steak Fries and Salad

The kid and I had an evening to ourselves, so I decided to toss some rib eye steaks on the Weber grill. Honestly, it's hard to beat a Weber 22 inch charcoal grill for taste, and Weber grills are very forgiving. You have more head space, good ventilation, and nice control with the top and bottom vents.

Some folks don't use charcoal, becauce it's harder to start, control, and to clean up the grill. But, if you buy a chimney starter, then you'll have red hot coals in less than 10 minutes. Honestly, I can't believe I ever DIDN'T use a chimney starter. As far as control, Weber grills are much easier to use than most, and almost everyone can master charcoal grilling with a Weber. Clean up on a gas grill can be rather messy too, although some models like the Big Red by Char Broil are self cleaning. Personally, I can deal with a little mess to get that great charcoal taste.

I grill our steaks to medium or a tad to medium well with the tips here in my Grilled Steak Guide. They turn out perfect every time. Well, I did burn the steaks once when I got sidetracked hanging clothes on the clothesline. Not a good plan - that. But, if I watch, even a little bit, I never have any problems with the Weber.

As for the steak fries, they can be done on the grill. They work best packed in tin foil with butter. Cheese can be added to for those who like cheese fries. But, I did these in the oven, since I was tired. They are the Food Lion brand French fries. I wasn't sure how they'd taste, but they were just as good as they look. I find a lot of the Food Lion brand products to be solid. We especially like the cubed hash browns grilled.

I cheated on the salad. Just bought a bag. Very easy. And, salad always goes great with steak.

It's often tempting to just heat up a pizza or something when it's just me and my 16-year-old, but a grilled steak dinner like this one doesn't take much longer than a heat and eat meal - and sure does taste better.

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Grilled Apple Jack Chicken at Blue Ribbon Diner in Mebane, NC

Today we took my son back to college, and we stopped at Blue Ribbon Diner in Mebane, North Carolina. It's right off I40 and about 20 to 30 minutes from UNC-Chapel Hill. If you're headed up I40 from Greensboro to Chapel Hill, you get off the Mebane exit and then turn left. The restaurant is about 1/3 mile on the left. And, they have a sign on the highway too. It's easy to find.


The original Blue Ribbon Diner is in Burlington which is a little further South of Chapel Hill. Business was so good at that restaurant that the two men who opened up Blue Ribbon decided to open the second location.

Jennifer, our waitress who was absolutely terrific, told us that she used to eat at Blue Ribbon when she was a kid. "It got hot standing outside in line," she told us. And, she's glad they opened up a second diner so that they can feed all the folks looking for a delicious diner meal.


Although, Blue Ribbon is called a diner, it's heavy on the burgers, hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches with the specialty being the grilled chicken sandwich (more about that later). They also sell a lot of the "Dirty Dog" which is a big weiner with chili, cheese, bacon and slaw. The guys thought that sounded good and may order the big hot dog next time.

In diner tradition, Blue Ribbon has blue plate specials ranging from chicken fried steak to homestyle meatloaf. Sunday is the day for chicken pie, and if I had not eaten so much barbecue over the winter and put on a few pounds, I would have loved to have tried that with the two Southern sides. I saw some of the sides go by, and they looked great. They included traditional dishes like mashed potatoes, fried okra, pinto beans, and blackeyed peas. Yum.

I'd also note that most of the sandwich plates came with unlimited french fries. I had plenty, but that might be good news for those with big appetites. They're kind of thick steak fries with a bit of crinkle. Ours were piping hot and nice and crisp.


Here's a fried chicken sandwich. I tried a bite of that. Very tasty. And, the toppings (lettuce and tomato - although you could get gravy on there if you wanted) were super fresh. The tomato looked like local home grown, and the lettuce appeared to be fresh off a full head of iceburg.


I had to try the diner specialty - the grilled chicken sandwich. Jennifer told me that it had a fabulous apple jack sauce on it and that the chicken was sweet but not over the top. She was absolutely right. The balance was perfect. Plus, the chicken was moist and juicy. It was one of the best grilled chicken sandwiches I've ever had at a restaurant. I usually grill chicken at home.

If you're ever on I40 between Greensboro and Raleigh, then check out the Blue Ribbon Diner. Or, take a side trip and check it out. The grilled chicken sandwich is out of this world, and the other meals passing by looked great too.


After that fun lunch, we headed on to UNC-Chapel Hill where I helped the kid move his stuff up to the 10th floor of Morrison. There are more people in his dorm than in our home town. He does have a good view of the trees which will make him feel more at home I hope, and he has a suite with 6 roommates and a living room.

Grilled Burgers and Hot Dogs at the Woodleaf, NC Tomato Festival

Today I went to the Woodleaf, North Carolina Tomato Festival at Unity Presbyterian Church. They've had the festival for quite a while now, but this is the first time I'd had a chance to go.


They had tomato sandwiches (of course). Sadly, I am one Southern girl who does not like tomato sandwiches.

One year, my Dad had a bumper crop of tomatoes. Mom declared that we would eat tomato sandwiches all summer and made us all big, drippy tomato sandwiches slathered with mayonnaise. If there's one thing I like less than tomato sandwiches, it's tomato sandwiches with mayo. The bread gets all soggy which I think is my main problem.

I did the logical thing and buried my sandwich under the pecan tree.

The next year, Mom was trying to figure out why a tomato plant grew under the pecan tree. I think that was God's way of telling me something, but I never did get a taste for tomato sandwiches.

But, I will eat tomatoes plain or on burgers or something.


Lucky for me, they had grilled burgers and hot dogs at the festival. They were cranking those out with the help of College Barbecue of Salisbury, NC which is one of my favorite places to eat especially for breakfast.


At the festival, they had fresh produce from Wetmore Farm and also some homemade jams and jellies. I was wanting to get some sweet potato butter, but Carol hadn't made any up yet. So, I'll have to wait on that. I've only had apple butter, so I'm looking forward to trying the sweet potato butter which another lady told me tastes like sweet potato pie.

The Woodleaf Tomato Festival is a small town festival, and I really do mean small town. You head out Woodleaf-Barber Road and then they have some parking in a field near the church. In addition to the food, they have entertainment, crafts, play areas for the kids, and a yard sale.


Here's my mom and step-dad with a giant tomato (-:

Barbecue Master Slips Off to See Julie & Julia

I took myself to see Julie & Julia today at the theatre, since the boys are off on vacation. Although I bribed the younger one to go see Mamma Mia (mainly because all the hot high school girls were there to watch it), Julie & Julia was a "no go" with the guys.

There's been quite a bit of buzz about Julie & Julia, but if you've not heard about it . . . it's a film about a young married girl in New York who decided to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's and blog about her one-year adventure. So, the film is all about food and cooking and these two true stories. There's romance too. And, I would attest that it is definately a chick flick, although some of the older women had talked a couple of older gentlemen to attend the showing today.

As I was watching the movie, I wondered how our life would be if I'd taken up French cooking rather than outdoor cooking. As the mom of two boys, I frankly can't imagine it. They get a tad nervous about squash, unless I bread and Southern fry it. Also, I can't imagine cooking (especially grilling) wearing a string of pearls, although I do have a nice set from my Granny. Nope. Makes much more sense to put on a Harley t-shirt and tennis shoes.

I sure did enjoy the movie. It was fun to see a girlie movie for a change. I thought about some of those great dishes, but I ended up with chicken on the grill. Hard to beat that though.

A Great Six Foot Table for Outdoor Barbecues or Inside Too

When we have big barbecue parties here at the house, table space is always an issue. We have a small outdoor table, a little camp table, and then the grills have side spaces to work. But, all the spaces are small. It's not like you can put a full spread out on any of those.

Our workaround has been to borrow a table from the church and then return it (of course). You'll see a church table at my son's graduation luau above. Now, that's a good sturdy table and something I have been needing.

The issue has been space though. Like many folks, I do not live in a mansion. Finding space for a 6 foot table is a problem.

Fortunately I won a contest at Solutions. This was back when Mug Root Beer gave me some prizes for readers for Father's Day. I was googling up "contest" and "giveaway" and looking for my Mug contest. Forgive me. I just can't help myself. I get excited about my blog and was excited to have the contest and prizes for folks who stop by Barbecue Master. It was while googling that I saw that Solutions had a Father's Day contest too.

Hum. I thought, "Well, I'm having fun with the contest on my bbq blog. I'm sure Solutions will enjoy more stories." I'm generally not lucky at all. But, I thought I'd enter for the fun of it and to support another site hosting an online reader contest.

Well, what do you know?

I WON!

I had not been familiar with Solutions but had looked around when I entered. I knew they had some cool stuff (including grill accessories), so I was all pumped up about $200 in shopping.

I am not a fast shopper at all, so I spent several hours looking at the items at Solutions. One of the first things that went on my list was a six foot table that folded to 3 foot. Oh yes. That sounded perfect for my outdoor parties. It would take a few weeks longer, and it was $5 extra on shipping. I pressed the button and hoped that it would be as great as I thought it would be.



Here's the folding table from the Solutions web site. I do need to snap a photo the next time we are set up in the yard.

First off, I would note that it is a very sturdy table and heavy. I can handle it (and it does have a carry handle when it's folded too), but it's not flimsy. That's good, because a table used outdoors gets pretty rough handling sometimes.

The table looks more white in the photo, but it's actually a gray color. It does not show dirt like I thought it might. Also it's some type of resin I think, so it wipes off better than the old church tables which seem to be some type of fake wood on top and do stain if you're not careful.

The best part, of course, is that that table folds in half. So, it's just three feet wide for storing. I find it fits behind a chair in the game room which is kind of a square type chair. It could go a number of places in my house with it only being 3 feet when folded, but it just really fits perfect behind the chair.

I was really excited with the table and the other items I got when I won the contest at Solutions.com. The other things I got were one of the garden hoses that curls so does not get kinked (and we have not kinked it yet), a long handled grill brush (nice quality and bristles do not fall out like some barbecue brushes), and a measuring cup thing where you pour in the pot licker like when you cook down a chicken and then the grease goes up and you can pour out broth that is healthier.

The one item that I wanted and why it took so long to decide was the brownie pan. It was made kind of like a maze so that the brownie pieces were all basically edge pieces. Now, you will only understand that if you are a brownie fan who loves the edges and especially the corner pieces. The pan was pretty expensive, and I had the other things on my list too. So, I had to decide what I most wanted. I know my homemade brownies would be super in this pan, but they are great in a regular pan as well.

That was my super fun splurge at Solutions.com. I'm sure glad I saw the contest and entered. Everything I got on the prize shopping trip was great and especially the barbecue table which will also be perfect for the Christmas morning brunch I host every year. We were getting really crowded on that as well, so a table will be just the thing for that as well as our outdoor fun.

Playboy.com Names Top 10 Barbecue Joints for 2009

Pork Shoulders Smoking in Durham, NC

I noticed a restaurant claiming to be in Playboy's top 10 for barbecue restaurants, so I had to go check that out. Sure enough. Playboy.com does have a list of barbecue joints across the nation.

Hum. I don't think I'd go to a barbecue restaurant looking for naked women (or anywhere else for that matter), and I don't know that I'd go with Playboy for my restaurant advice. Then again, they do have some excellent articles. I first discovered that when they ran the interview with President Jimmy Carter where he said that he had lusted in his heart. I guess I was in middle or high school, but I managed to get a look at that article, since it caused quite a stir at the time. That's kind of funny, I guess, given that it seemed more shocking at that time than the Clinton scandal did for this generation.

In any case, the list does span the map which probably annoys most anyone who is big on barbecue. Why? Barbecue varies greatly depending on the area of the country. Ribs in Kansas, beef in Texas, and pork in North Carolina are very different. It makes for a strange list as far as lists go. But, at least, they did define barbecue as being something other than cooked over gas or electric (meaning wood or perhaps charcoal I gather).

The only North Carolina barbecue joint to make the cut is Wilber's out of Goldsboro which makes me wonder if the writer tried out the barbecue joints or just picked one well known bbq place from the state. I'm not saying Wilber's isn't great. I'm just wondering how it was deemed the very best across the entire state. There's a tiny blurb about the number of sandwiches sold. Perhaps the list was based on volume of sales. Hard to tell.

I'd say, "Go out and try any of the restaurants listed if you're in the state where you see one." They appear to be the well known barbeque places that you can find listed online over and over. So, you're likely to get a good meal. If you're looking for the hole in the wall or mom & pop bbq places known mostly to locals, then you will not find those in Playboy. After all, you can tell those girls do not eat much barbecue or they would not be so thin.

Feel free to add your favorite barbecue joint in the comments.

Wink's Barbecue & Seafood - Salisbury, NC

I've been checking out some of my old favorite barbecue joints as well as some new ones for my Yes You Can Grill web site. You can grill all the time, but it is nice to take a break from time to time and let someone else do the work. That's especially true of slow smoked North Carolina barbecue.

North Carolina barbecue is pork, and it varies depending on whether you're on the coast (east) or piedmont (Lexington style). The main difference is that east is whole hog with vinegar sauce and piedmont is shoulders with a little tomato (ketchup etc) in a vinegar based sauce (also thin and spicy like the east but with a little red color).


Yesterday we were at Wink's which is a favorite here in Salisbury, NC. It's been around a long time. I remember when Wink's was over near the motel on Innes St. They moved over to a bigger spot on Faith Road just past Lowe's off I85.

They have been and stir are wood burners. They slow cook the pork out back. You can look and see the big wood pile and the pit. That's what we call real barbecue here in NC, and it's getting harder to find it done the old fashioned way but well worth it.


They have a lot of good old Southern side dishes to go with the barbecue at Wink's. My boys always go for the fries, but okra is my favorite when it's done right. It's done right at Wink's. Yum.


Portions are generous at Wink's, but if you have room, they have homemade desserts. You can see here that they have the classic Southern sweets. I need to go one day and just get dessert as I always get too full on the barbecue to have dessert.

For more on Wink's, see my Wink's review and more photos. I'm also adding more barbecue restaurants - mostly in North Carolina for now but branching out as I travel more and can get reviews written up.

Be sure to tip me off to any favorite barbecue joints in your neck of the woods. I'm always on the look out for great BBQ.

Cooking Out in Faith, NC for the 4th of July 2009

Faith, NC has a yearly 4th of July festival, and the entire town gets in the spirit. When ride through to the festival or to visit friends, you'll see lots of patriotic decorations and lots of cook outs.

I stopped by this one which was at full tilt when we were leaving the festival. They thought I was an old buddy but couldn't place my name (-: So, I had to confess that I was a blogger and wanted to see if I could chat and take a few photos.


The blonde lady lives right on Main Street in Faith, so she is the yearly cook out host. She does all the set up and provides the place to party, and everyone else brings the food. The guys do the grilling. Now, that's the way to do a cook out with everyone pitching in.

It looked like they were grilling hot dogs and hamburgers when I was visiting, and you can never go wrong with those. Yum!

I also gave them one of my Yes You Can Grill cards, so maybe next year they'll try out some Grill Girl ideas too.


The guys were getting the truck on down the road from the parking lot, so I had to say good bye to these friendly Faith, NC grillers. I'll look for them again next year and give a wave and see if they remember me.

Faith, North Carolina 4th of July Festival

As many years as I have lived in this area, I've never made it out to the Faith, North Carolina 4th of July festival. It's a week long event kind of like a county fair and with entertainment, contests (like the Apple Ugly eating contest), Faith Idol singing, and fireworks to wrap the week.


I'll probably crank up the grill later tonight, but the Faith NC Festival had plenty of good grilled good. There were loads of hot dogs and hamburgers at different booths. I would have to recommend this delicious grilled corn too. For the young ladies, I might add that the grill chef is a cutie as well. Just in case you didn't notice - which you probably did.

If you want to make your own grilled corn on the cob, then check out my grilled corn recipes at Yes You Can Grill. It really is easy to make.


The curly fries also looked great. I try to stay away from those, since the doc said to watch that fried food. But, yum, those are good. That's one of those things you save up for as a treat when you have high cholesterol.


I was thinking not to get on the swings after eating carnival food. I learned that early on. I also learned not to get cotton candy before visiting the cow barn, although Faith does not have a cow barn at the 4th of July festival. They did, however, have cotton candy.


Faith, NC puts on the biggest 4th of July party I know of, and I'm glad I went this year. I'll have to put that on the calendar, and since it's the week of the 4th, it ought to be easy enough to remember. They were having a good time down there, and it's only about 1/2 hour from my house. Heck. I wouldn't even need to crank up the grill. I could just go back later and get dinner too.

Happy 4th of July to all my readers (thanks) and to the good folks in Faith, NC who certainly were friendly and were very patriotic too for the 4th.

Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade Review - Mexican Chile & Lime

I've always liked Lawry's products. The boys are especially wild about the seasoning shake that's orange colored. They like that on almost anything.

When I saw that Lawry's had grill marinades out, I decided I'd better get a bottle and see what they were doing with marinades.

They had several different types of grill marinade, but I went with the Mexican Chile & Lime. I've always been a Mexican and Tex-Mex food fan.

When I took the lid off, yum. This stuff smells fabulous. You get a combo of tomatoes, lime, and just a little chile heat. It's heavenly smelling.



I was a little concerned about marinating in the Lawry's, since it's pretty thick. It must have more vinegar and less tomato and sugar though, because I didn't have any problems with burning, and I was grilling a pork loin (indirect heat on a Portable Kitchen grill).

As the pork loin cooked, I continued to mop with the marinade. Hum. I'm not sure I'd do that next time. I'd say the 30 minutes and on smaller cuts of meat like boneless chicken breasts or maybe shrimp would work out better. With the time cooking and the mopping, the marinade ended up being a little overpowering. And, that's was just on the outside and is in the photo.

Actually I liked the sauce. The boys weren't as keen on it. I think it's a good mixture and that this is just one where you want to use a light hand when marinating and probably avoid saucing other than for those who really like to do that. Just let them pour to taste as the flavors are strong on this marinade.

Happy 4th of July and Be Sure to Get Your Grill Cranked Up

The 4th of July is the biggest grilling day of the year. Remember that it doesn't have to be fancy, although it can be fun to try out some new grilled or smoked foods.

If you're looking for some inspiration, check out my grill web site Yes You Can Gril. The quickest way to see if I have what you're looking for it to check out the site map. I try to add all new articles there, and I am adding all the time. I take requests too, so let me know if you don't find what you're looking for.


Have some fun stuff going to keep your guests busy. Now, it does depend on the age of course. But, the little ones always love homemade bubbles. Old fashioned flyswatters make mega mini bubbles.


YUM! We always have way more than we can eat family gatherings. That's OK. Leftovers are nice, and that means I don't have to cook later in the day.