Eastern NC BBQ is not watery. Its vinegar and spices and no tomatoes or ketchup. If you had watery, then thats sounds like a place not to visit again.
When I graduate, I was thinking of opening a Niner themed BBQ joint with authentic NC BBQ near campus. I think there is demand for closer BBQ to campus and more heavily Niner oreiented dining. I porbably won’t do this, but I was just wondering if anyone else had an idea like this.
Smithfield Chicken and Barbecue is all over Eastern NC. Very good Cue and Fried Chicken. Without going all the way to Lexington - stop at Gary's in China Grove.
Gary’s is the best.
Gary's is the best [I]place to get BBQ if you don't want to drive to Lexington[/I].
Fixed
Born/raised in Lexington and to suggest anything in Charlotte comes close is absurd. Bubba’s and Spoons attempt the style but neither come close to pulling it off. And to even mention Sonny’s is comical. I wouldn’t feed that crap to my dogs. Same goes for Carolina Country.
i know its not really in charlotte but its close enough for me to count it. Smithfields bbq is absolutely amazing in my opinion. Its in albemarle.
jcl speaks the truth. Try any of the following:
Jimmy Harveys
Cooks (in Southmont)
Cooks Back Country (in Linwood)
The BBQ Center
Lexington BBQ (The Monk)
Lexington Style Trimmings
Speedy’s
John Wayne’s BBQ
Speedy Lohrs BBQ(in Arcadia)
Tommy’s BBQ(in T-ville)
Smiley’s BBQ
Stamey’s BBQ (in Tyro)
Kerley’s BBQ (in Welcome)
Andy’s BBQ (in Welcome)
Henry James
Henry James (in Arcadia)
Jed’s BBQ (in T-ville)
Everhart’s BBQ (brand new in uptown)
Smokey Joe’s BBQ
Southern BBQ Too (in Southmont)
Troutman’s BBQ (in Denton)
Whitley’s BBQ
All of the above can be found in the BBQ capital of the world - Lexington (and it’s greater metropolitan areas of T-ville, Welcome, Denton, Tyro, Arcadia, Southmont, and Linwood)
Anybody that thinks Gary’s is the best hasn’t tried Spoons or Smithfield. JCL is right…Sonny’s is a joke. I’ve also heard good things about Bubba’s but I thought it was average at best…nowhere near Spoon’s.
Trust me…if you are serious about your BBQ and haven’t Spoon’s or Smithfield…you MUST try both of these ASAP.
You will not be disappointed.
Anybody that thinks Gary's is the best hasn't tried Spoons or Smithfield. JCL is right....Sonny's is a joke. I've also heard good things about Bubba's but I thought it was average at best....nowhere near Spoon's.Trust me…if you are serious about your BBQ and haven’t Spoon’s or Smithfield…you MUST try both of these ASAP.
You will not be disappointed.
that hurts. i love some gary’s.
[QUOTE=ApexNiner;178892]Eastern NC BBQ is not watery. Its vinegar and spices and no tomatoes or ketchup. If you had watery, then thats sounds like a place not to visit again.[/QUOTE]
Allow me to clarify. The bottle of Eastern Sauce is watery (i. e. Scott’s), but the Q is not.
The one time I ate at Gary’s, I thought it was very dry and lacked flavor. Perhaps I went on a bad day.
I can 2nd Smithfields… its pretty good.
The best I’ve had is a place on Hwy66 in Kernersville (just south of Bus40) called Prissy Pollys. They serve both eastern and lexington style (both are excellent) and have, imo, the best hushpuppies known to man.
If any of you get to Alamance Co., try Hershey’s in Burlington or A & M Grill in Mebane. Mebane also has a Smithfield’s but it doesn’t compare to “The Grill”.
Allow me to clarify. The bottle of Eastern Sauce is watery (i. e. Scott's), but the Q is not.Ahhh yes. Eastern Q has a thinner sauce since its mostly vinegar. I was thrown off by the "watery" description which doesnt provide me with good imagery for Q.
that hurts. i love some gary's.
Then you would LOVE Spoons or Smithfield.
Trust me…try them…but beware, you’ll never look at Gary’s the same again.
I think we stop at Smithfield’s heading to Niner games (from Apex) in Siler City on hwy 64 75% of the time. I stopped at Blue Mist on hwy 64once… just once. It didnt do it for me. Smithfields cooks their Q with gas so it what it lacks in smokey flavor they make up with their sauce… really good but probably not the best eastern style to me.
There’s this guy in a trailor called “Ron’s BBQ” which makes stops at Cashion’s off of exit 25 in Cornelius on Saturdays…great stuff. Also, try Hog Heaven at the corner of Eastway and Sugar Creek.
jcl speaks the truth. Try any of the following:Jimmy Harveys
Cooks (in Southmont)
Cooks Back Country (in Linwood)
The BBQ Center
Lexington BBQ (The Monk)
Lexington Style Trimmings
Speedy’s
John Wayne’s BBQ
Speedy Lohrs BBQ(in Arcadia)
Tommy’s BBQ(in T-ville)
Smiley’s BBQ
Stamey’s BBQ (in Tyro)
Kerley’s BBQ (in Welcome)
Andy’s BBQ (in Welcome)
Henry James
Henry James (in Arcadia)
Jed’s BBQ (in T-ville)
Everhart’s BBQ (brand new in uptown)
Smokey Joe’s BBQ
Southern BBQ Too (in Southmont)
Troutman’s BBQ (in Denton)
Whitley’s BBQAll of the above can be found in the BBQ capital of the world - Lexington (and it’s greater metropolitan areas of T-ville, Welcome, Denton, Tyro, Arcadia, Southmont, and Linwood)
This man knows good Q. 
I’ve eaten at every place on your list with the exception of the two spots in T-ville and Everhart’s. For me personally, I’d rank The Monk at #1, followed by Speedy’s, Jimmy’s, BBQ Center and Stamey’s. Cooks (Southmont) is good too but I usually go there for their BBQ chicken which is great. And it helps when as a teen, most of your buddies worked in the kitchen/curb at these places and hooked you up with a lot of free food. 
I still know most of the people working at The Monk so I can get a pretty good hookup when I’m up that way. Man, now I’m hungry for some “good” Q.
Anybody that thinks Gary's is the best hasn't tried Spoons or Smithfield. JCL is right....Sonny's is a joke. I've also heard good things about Bubba's but I thought it was average at best....nowhere near Spoon's.Trust me…if you are serious about your BBQ and haven’t Spoon’s or Smithfield…you MUST try both of these ASAP.
You will not be disappointed.
Had to edit my post because I wrote “Sonny’s” instead of Spoon’s. Don’t get me wrong, Spoon’s is MUCH better than Sonny’s but I still don’t think Spoon’s is all that great. I found it to be really dry and a real BBQ joint doesn’t sell those types of fries.
Also, the key to a great BBQ place is the slaw. If the slaw is yellow or white, you’re automatically out of contention. Bubba’s has white slaw which is a complete injustice to any true fan of BBQ.
[QUOTE=jcl49er;178979]Also, the key to a great BBQ place is the slaw. If the slaw is yellow or white, you’re automatically out of contention. [/QUOTE]
I’ll drink to that.
My favorite place is Lexington BBQ on Business 85 at W Center Str Exit.
...Spoon's is MUCH better than Sonny's but I still don't think Spoon's is all that great. I found it to be really dry and a real BBQ joint doesn't sell those types of fries.Also, the key to a great BBQ place is the slaw. If the slaw is yellow or white, you’re automatically out of contention. Bubba’s has white slaw which is a complete injustice to any true fan of BBQ.
WOW.
I have never thought of Spoon’s as dry. No bone, no gristle, no fat…and I have always found it to be very juicy with a ton of flavor. Then adding the extra sauce makes it insane!!
Don’t know about the fries or slaw…I don’t eat either.
They do have very good baked beans and hush puppies.
LOVE THAT PLACE!!!
Guys when Ktown refers to “Spoons” he is referring to “Bill Spoon’s”, not “Spoons.” Just wanted to clarify that, to make sure the right place gets its credit, not the other place. (although Spoons is reeaally good!)