Dallas Food - Thank You for Smoking (Notes from western North Carolina)

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Thank You for Smoking (Notes from western North Carolina)
Posted on Tuesday, September 08 @ 09:02:44 PDT
Topic: Non-DallasFood

A recent business trip to North Carolina left just enough time for a little barbecue. On to the food...

Stamey's Old Fashioned Barbecue. 2206 High Point Rd., Greensboro, NC.

Ordered a regular sliced pork barbecue plate: sliced pork (shoulder, with Lexington style dip), coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Pork firm enough to slice, tender enough to pull with little effort. Light smokiness. Thin, slightly sweet, very peppery Lexington style dip. Thin, curled hushpuppies, slightly sweet, with crisp, golden crust. Sweet, peppery, finely chopped western NC slaw. Nothing awe inspiring, but a good meal at a very reasonable price ($5.25).

The pits at Stamey's were tended by a Vietnamese man and a Cambodian who'd been working there 23 years.

Barbecue Center. 900 North Main St., Lexington, NC.

Ordered a small barbecue tray: coarsely chopped pork (shoulder, with Lexington style dip), coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Large chunks of pork, firm, but tender; little detectable smoke and few pieces with outside brown. Dip more sweet than peppery. Red slaw quite sweet, with little acidity or pepper to balance. Thin, dark brown, curled hushpuppies. Acceptable, but nothing I'd crave.

Lexington Barbecue (aka Lexington #1, Honey Monk's, The Honeymonk). 10 U.S. 29/70 South, Lexington, NC.

Ordered a barbecue tray: chopped pork (shoulder, with Lexington style dip), coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Pork very finely chopped; very tender, verging on mushy; lightly sauced with thin Lexington style dip (more vinegar than tomato, modestly peppery); moderately smoky, with scattered flecks of outside brown. Fingerling hushpuppies, crisp and golden brown. Crisp, finely chopped red slaw; vinegar and pepper more pronounced than tomato (not overly sweet). Good enough to justify the trip, though not something I'd travel for twice.

Cook's Barbecue. 366 Valiant Dr., Cotton Grove, NC.

Ordered small barbecue tray: chopped pork (shoulder, with Lexington style dip), coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Pork very finely chopped; tender, but not overly soft; flecked with outside brown; moderately smoky. Mild dip with neither excessive sweetness nor vinegar bite. Red slaw chopped very finely; slightly sweet, with little vinegar kick or spiciness to offset. Tiny, round hushpuppies about the size of raspberries; noticeable onion flavor that meshed well with the barbecue. No flash; just good Lexington barbecue.

Backcountry Barbeque. 4014 Linwood-Southmont Rd., Linwood, NC.

Ordered a barbecue tray: coarsely chopped pork (shoulder, with Lexington style dip), coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Beautifully cooked pork; firm, but tender; scattered chunks with outside brown. Lexington style dip, but, as with Cook's, mild enough that it doesn't overwhelm the pork. Barbecue slaw nearly minced, similar in profile with Cook's, but with pronounced black pepper kick. Hushpuppies like Cook's: very small, round, with onion. (Owner is Doug Cook, former owner of Cook's Barbecue which is now operated by his son Brandon, hence the similarities.) Fine Lexington barbecue.

M&K Bar-B-Q. Highway 52, Granite Quarry, NC.

Ordered small barbecue tray: chopped pork (shoulder, with Lexington style dip), coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Pork hand-chopped (not too fine); tender, but not overly soft; light smokiness except on rare bits of outside brown. Thin sauce, more peppery than tomatoey. Red slaw sweet, but with strong vinegar counterpoint and black peppery flavor. Two golf ball-sized hushpuppies, crisp, a little oily, flavored with cooked onion. Acceptable, but nothing I'd return for.

A&M Grill. 401 East Center St., Mebane, NC.

Ordered a small barbecue plate: chopped pork (shoulder, with tomato-base sauce), coleslaw, fried okra, and hushpuppies. Pork rather mushy, few bits of outside brown, light smokiness. Thick sauce ketchupy sweet, offset by vinegar bite (but not as thin or vinegar-based as Lexington dip). Okra breaded in-house, but not crispy. White cornmeal fingerling hushpuppies, thinly crisp on outside. If this is the norm, I wouldn't return, given better options within a reasonable drive.