This barbecue joint was named the best in North Carolina. What makes it so special?
A barbecue joint tries to stick to tradition — and was named the best of its kind in North Carolina.
Lexington Barbecue ranks No. 1 on a list of the state’s top places to taste the the saucy staple, according to results that Southern Living magazine published Tuesday, March 7.
The top-ranking restaurant is in Lexington, which is synonymous with a barbecue style that some also call “Western” or “Piedmont.” Lexington style is known for incorporating “meat from the pork shoulder with a vinegar, ketchup and spice-based sauce,” according to a blog post on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library website.
Meanwhile, Eastern-style barbecue uses the “whole hog” and doesn’t have tomatoes in its sauce.
Southern Living stoked the longtime North Carolina barbecue debate after its editors nominated standout barbecue joints in the state. Then, more than 15,000 readers responded to an online survey that allowed them to choose the places they craved the most.
After Lexington Barbecue rose to the top of the list, Southern Living praised the decades-old restaurant for setting a standard for its area’s “signature style.”
“In Lexington, barbecue means pork — specifically, pork shoulders cooked on big brick pits over glowing hickory coals then chopped, sliced, or coarse chopped and dressed in the thin vinegar-based sauce that locals call dip,” the report said.
So, how did other North Carolina barbecue joints fare? Rounding out the top five favorites on Southern Living’s list were:
- Stamey’s Barbecue in Greensboro, at No. 2
- Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby, at No. 3
- Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, at No. 4
- Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh and Winterville, at No. 5
The results come as the magazine said “the Southern barbecue scene just keeps growing stronger,” with skilled pitmasters coming on board and some popular restaurants expanding their reach.
“All the while, plenty of old-school classics have kept plugging right along, maintaining the distinctive styles of their own regions — styles they helped define decades ago,” Southern Living wrote.
Lexington Barbecue is at 100 Smokehouse Lane, roughly 20 miles south of Winston-Salem.
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 1:19 PM with the headline "This barbecue joint was named the best in North Carolina. What makes it so special?."
