Monk: I recently stopped by The Barbecue Center in Lexington for the first time in a few years for a lunch with the Monk clan. Here was my experience in photos.
The barbecue tray with red slaw is the classic order.
A basket of fresh hush puppies comes with every tray or plate order (the plate comes with fries as well).
I wandered around the building to check out their wood pile for the first time, and this was just a couple of the piles of wood right off the smokehouse.
Another view of the stacked pile against the building.
There’s a couple different styles of signs on the property, and this is one at the far end of the parking lot along N. Main Street.
The Barbecue Center is my second favorite barbecue restaurant in town behind Lexington Barbecue and this was yet another great lunch. For my full rankings, check here.
Monk: A fairly wide-ranging state of NC barbecue from News & Observer writer Drew Jackson, who has been very ably covering the barbecue scene in and around Raleigh for the past few years.
Despite the invasive species of brisket coming into the state, there are still a number of places clinging to the NC barbecue tradition, be that eastern whole hog or Lexington-style shoulders (though this story focuses on places east of Durham. Wyatt Dickson, Matt Register, Ronald House (night pitmaster at B’s Barbecue), and Ryan Mitchell are all quoted in the story but of course Sam Jones has the money quote:
“The hard lines that used to exist, that barbecue was either this or it’s not barbecue — that’s over. It used to be, for people in North Carolina, it was either whole hog, or it ain’t (expletive). For 10 million Texans, it’s brisket. As times go on and we’re so much more transient as a society, those lines are blurred.”
Lewis Donald is no longer involved with Dish and will be focusing his efforts on Sweet Lew’s BBQ and the Carolina Barbecue Festival going forward
Former owner Lewis Donald will focus on Sweet Lew’s, and Paper Plane owner Amanda Cranford has taken over. Good news: Meatloaf and fried green tomatoes are here to stay. https://t.co/Np0YFk0Ysr
Barbecue Center in Lexington is closing for a week later this month for some hard earned rest and relaxation, so plan accordingly
We will be closed from July 18 through July 24 for a little vacation and a little maintenance in the kitchen. WE WILL REOPEN MONDAY JULY 25 at 11 am. We will see you then.
Hillsborough’s Hog Day festival is the oldest barbecue festival in Orange County and this year will officially be part of the Whole Hog Barbecue State Championship
— North Carolina Rabbit Hole (@ncrabbithole) July 7, 2022
Non-Native News
A couple of recent stories where Adrian Miller was interviewed:
“Indigenous cooks in the Americas laid the foundation for what we now call barbecue,” says Adrian Miller [@soulfoodscholar], a @beardfoundation Award–winning food writer, author of 'Black Smoke,' and certified barbecue judge." https://t.co/74pCxrYrzT via @CNTraveler
— Bucket List Community Cafe (@CafeBucketList) July 13, 2022
Little Pigs BBQ is on this Eater essential restaurants list for Myrtle Beach
I'm an Eastern North Carolina whole hog vinegar based guy but I had to throw Little Pig's #barbecue on my #MyrtleBeach guide and I definitely gotta get the @BarbecueBros over there for some sandwich at least. https://t.co/u9qJlaYEuX
Monk: I first posted the Lexington Big Board two years ago in June 2020 in the early months of the pandemic and have maintained it ever since but it was only in recent months that we’ve had some actual movement in the rankings. And unfortunately it was due to closures.
As a result of the NC Department of Transportation widening of Highway 8, Smiley’s Barbecue has officially closed as of February 2022 but I did get to check them out one last time in October 2020. They will surely be missed. Speedy’s appears to be open for the time being but their days are numbered as a result of the same project. And, in a shock Facebook post at the end of April, Rick’s Smokehouse (previously my overall Lexington #3) closed. Currently they are listed on Facebook as “temporarily closed” but I’ve seen no indications that they will reopen, despite numerous pleas from comments on Facebook.
That leaves us with 13 open restaurants by my count, which I continue to divide into three tiers. I did try Lexington Trimmings after the publish of the initial list but they slotted into the third tier. Blazin’ BBQ and Kickin’ Chicken was another on my list but they closed in October 2020 after only 4 months open
With that out of the way, the current Lexington Big Board
No movement at the very top with the ever-reliable Lexington Barbecue and Bar-B-Q Center maintaining spots 1 and 2 (really 1 and 1a). Speedy’s is worth one last visit before they close.
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