Name: Haywood Smokehouse
Date: 1/27/24
Address: 403 Haywood Rd, Dillsboro, NC 28725
Order: 2-meat combo platter with pork and brisket plus cole slaw and collards  (Link to menu)
Price: $$$

Monk: After some really positive experiences at Ridgewood Barbecue and Old Hampton Store in late 2023, could my luck with mountain barbecue continue into early 2024 at the Dillsboro outpost of Haywood Smokehouse?

Haywood Smokehouse is a small three-restaurant mini-chain with other western NC locations in Waynesville and Franklin. They specialize in Texas barbecue and at least in Dillsboro smoke with hickory wood using a gas-assist smoker located just off their small parking lot.

Open the door into a cozy dining room, and you are greeted by wood paneling and wood tables. As with many NC barbecue joints back east, you are greeted in short order by a waitress to take your drink order and within just a few minutes of sitting you have placed your food order as well.

For my two meat combo, I selected pork and brisket and all of our orders were brought out rather quickly. No complaints there. As for either meat, while slightly above average, neither the chopped pork nor the brisket stood out. The pork had plenty of bark chopped into a coarsely chopped but the brisket could have used some trimming and in fact some of it was unrendered as if it had been sitting for awhile (possibly overnight?).

For sides, the story continued with neither the cole slaw nor the collards standing out and if either were pre-packaged or semi-homemade (Sandra Lee style) it wouldn’t have surprised me.

Alas, it would not be a three-peat for mountain barbecue. While Haywood Smokehouse is fine, it doesn’t reach the heights of either Ridgewood or Old Hampton Store in large part due to its use of a gas-assisted smoker.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Pulled pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs