Where's the best BBQ in Texas? During the month of March, a team of Texas Monthly editors (all barbecue devotees in their own right), sampled the wares at 245 places across the state, rated them on a score from 1-5, and wrote about their favorites – anything that scored 3.5 or higher. Consensus was reached on the top trio – the Big 3 as we call them here, and you’ll also find write-ups for 50 of the worthiest smoke shacks beyond that. http://www.texasmonthly.com/archive/bbq/index.html While you're there carve up some controversy. Enter our BBQ Roundtable discussion and post a question to all the taste-testers or one in particular, and see if you can make 'em sweat. Participating editors are Joe Nick Patoski, Patricia Sharpe, and John Morthland, as well as freelancer Richard Zelade. Join in the roundtable and post your beef, June 2-15. http://www.texasmonthly.com/cgi-bin/WebX?14@@.ee6bf19
Texas
Best BBQ
claudius wrote: > > I didn't much care for the article because I didn't much agree with their > assessments of the places I know best. > > Anybody else catch it? and what's the thought? I was shocked to see Baker's Rib among the top 50. I went to the Garland location about two weeks ago. My first visit there (and last.) Everything was mediorce except the roasted-in-the-husk corn. The kernels were wrinkled as if old, overcooked, or from the day before. Before tasting, I asked for a replacement which they grudgingly provided. The replacement was the same. I tried it and it tasted like it looked. Even without the corn, the meal was underwhelming. ....Paul..... Sonny Bryan's was the other Dallas area Top 50. I think their BBQ is fine but not exceptional for my taste. I did not read any more of the article because I did not care what they thought. My standard reference is Dickey's. They have consistently high quality and good taste for their beef, pork, chicken and turkey at the several locations I have tried and at various times of the day. Staff has been courteous and quality conscious. The side dishes vary in quality with the coleslaw and baked beans being pretty good. Especially at off hours, the other side dishes are often long term residents at the steam table. I like the free-with-meal soft-serve ice cream. I have been disappointed with Colter's several times so I don't go there any more. I ate at Bubba's in Ennis once. I stoppen in because of the cute name. As it turned out, the sliced/chopped beef BBQ was very good. If I were in the area, I would definitely go again. ....Paul.....
Claudius wrote: > I didn't much care for the article because I didn't much agree with their > assessments of the places I know best. > > Anybody else catch it? and what's the thought? me either. i didn't think stubbs was the best choice out of austin. i much prefer green mesquite and county line, but i only get brisket. stubb's brisket was 75% fat. ~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^ "Son, you got a panty on your head" - Raising Arizona ~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^~~~~^^^^
Someone wrote: Someone wrote: : I didn't much care for the article because I didn't much agree with their : assessments of the places I know best. : Anybody else catch it? and what's the thought? I read the article with great interest! I have been to two of the top three (Kreuz in Lockhart, and Cooper's in Llano, and I agree they are the two best I have been to in Texas, and I have taken three different weeks in Spring for a bluebonnet wildflower and BBQ tour in the Hill Country. What a Pleasure! Sam Pool
Someone wrote: RE: Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Places in Texas: >I was shocked to see Baker's Rib among the top 50. >Sonny Bryan's was the other Dallas area Top 50. I think their BBQ is >fine but not exceptional for my taste. >My standard reference is Dickey's. I've posted on all three places, eaten at all three in the past couple months. I eat at Baker's in Deep Ellum or on Greenville, haven't been to Garland. I've had excellent food at those two Baker's. My experience is that bbq doesn't travel well, as the shops that try to smoke their meat in a central oven and haul it to various locations are probably more efficient; if it's efficiency they're after, then bbq isn't the business to be in. (See the next paragraph) I joined with a few others hereabouts who lament that Sonny Bryan's new management has done horrible things to a great tradition and reputation ... I drove past the Inwood location this past week at lunch time ... the lack of a traffic jam in the parking lot confirms I'm not the only one who now goes elsewhere. Dickey's is consistent, but, for some subjective reason I've never undrestood, I find their product boring. I may have eaten the Thursday night rib special one night too many when the ribs had been heated a few hours too long ... but, what the heck do I know. I used to run into R. Perot there all the time, when he wasn't busily running the world. None of these three are anywhere near the quality of a Lockhart or Joe Cotten's in Robstown. But, they're still bunches ahead of Coulter's, County Line, or Pappas ...
On Fri, 06 Jun 1997 19:29:08 -0500, Helen Bivin wrote: >claudius wrote: >> > >> I didn't much care for the article because I didn't much agree with their >> assessments of the places I know best. >> >> Anybody else catch it? and what's the thought? > >I was shocked to see Baker's Rib among the top 50. I went to the >Garland location about two weeks ago. My first visit there (and last.) >Everything was mediorce except the roasted-in-the-husk corn. The >kernels were wrinkled as if old, overcooked, or from the day before. >Before tasting, I asked for a replacement which they grudgingly >provided. The replacement was the same. I tried it and it tasted like >it looked. Even without the corn, the meal was underwhelming. > >....Paul..... > >Sonny Bryan's was the other Dallas area Top 50. I think their BBQ is >fine but not exceptional for my taste. > >I did not read any more of the article because I did not care what they >thought. > > >My standard reference is Dickey's. They have consistently high quality >and good taste for their beef, pork, chicken and turkey at the several >locations I have tried and at various times of the day. Staff has been >courteous and quality conscious. The side dishes vary in quality with >the coleslaw and baked beans being pretty good. Especially at off >hours, the other side dishes are often long term residents at the steam >table. I like the free-with-meal soft-serve ice cream. > >I have been disappointed with Colter's several times so I don't go there >any more. > >I ate at Bubba's in Ennis once. I stoppen in because of the cute name. >As it turned out, the sliced/chopped beef BBQ was very good. If I were >in the area, I would definitely go again. > >....Paul..... Being a native of Ennis, I have the chance to frequent Bubba's quite often. The quality of his Q is pretty infrequent and many a time I have taken home a pound that has a slight "plastic" taste to it. I don't know what it is...maybe the meat is absorbing that flavor from the styrofoam he uses for take out, but one can sure tell there is definitly another flavor besides smoke. I usually have to eat plenty of jalepenos with his Q to cover up that plastic taste. Why do I still go back? Well, he is the only one in town that doesn't serve his brisket in sauce...i.e. like a thick goulash or stew. Everyone else, including Ennis Meat Market serves Q that way here, but ol' Bubba is the only one that doesn't. Bubba's is NOT the best, but when I get too lazy to do my own, his will do in a pinch. Bo (Doin' the bass thing [To email reply, change AT to @ in address] on my 6-string!)
I have always enjoyed Coopers BBQ in Round Rock the food is consistently good and the family that runs it is always a delight.
Well....I read the article..my husband and i decided to try a number of the listed restaurants Cooper's in Llano.....incredible. i love the vinegar based sauce the meat is dipped into. We had major 'foodgasms'.....best beans as well. We tried the brisket, sausage and pork chops Schoepfs in Burnet......meat was not as tasty as Coopers but we really liked the flavor on the smoked chicken. Goode Company BBQ.....love the mesquite smoked meat....the duck is one of my favorites. Excellent jalapeno sausage and brisket. Sides: jambalaya and cole slaw. AND, best pecan pie on the planet. Of the barbaque places we have tried...Cooper's in Llano is our all out favorite. It is worth the 80 mile drive from Austin. maddie Someone wrote: > > Where's the best BBQ in Texas? During the month of March, a team of Texas > Monthly editors (all barbecue devotees in their own right), sampled the > wares at 245 places across the state, rated them on a score from 1-5, and > wrote about their favorites – anything that scored 3.5 or higher. > Consensus was reached on the top trio – the Big 3 as we call them here, > and you’ll also find write-ups for 50 of the worthiest smoke shacks beyond > that. > http://www.texasmonthly.com/archive/bbq/index.html > > While you're there carve up some controversy. Enter our BBQ Roundtable > discussion and post a question to all the taste-testers or one in > particular, and see if you can make 'em sweat. Participating editors are > Joe Nick Patoski, Patricia Sharpe, and John Morthland, as well as > freelancer Richard Zelade. Join in the roundtable and post your beef, June > 2-15. > http://www.texasmonthly.com/cgi-bin/WebX?14@@.ee6bf19 >
Someone wrote: > >Where's the best BBQ in Texas? ********************************************************************** Cartwright's in historic downtown Bastrop surely ranks among the top BBQ places in Texas. It was a meat shop/BBQ combination but is no longer a meat shop. Parking is scarce in front but if you go around back by the Bastrop Advertiser Newspaper and the Bastrop Police Department, there is usually a place to park. By Bastrop standards, this is a pretty fancy place to eat. By Austin standards, it's a dive. It ain't no Z-Tejas or Olive Garden by any stretch of the imagination. Ambience wise, it is probably on a par with Dot's. Terry at Lake Bastrop ********************************************************************
Someone wrote: >I would never eat at a place recommended by one of these 'vanity press' >magazines that seem to cater toward advertisers than the reader. D Magazine >comes to mind. Maybe I am being too harsh, but I found the Texas Monthly >article on BBQ BBBad. The only reason I even read the article was because I >was having my car waxed at Oasis on a Saturday afternoon. I do not know the >editors that reviewed the restaurants included, but perhaps a panel of >various members of the community would be a better selection. A barber in >Oak Cliff, a receptionist working at a lawfirm in Austin, and a Dale Hanson >for good measure. That is an article I would respect. > Open your mind a little. Wisdom can be found in strange places, even "big hair glossies" like Texas Monthly. "Mouths of babes.." and all that. The fact is that the article seems amazingly enough to list excellent places. It hard to argue that Kruez's, Meuller's and Cooper's (their top 3) aren't 3 of the best in Texas/the world. If they had instead chosen, say, Salt Lick, County Line, and Stubb's as the 3 best, then I would agree with you that the article was written by chowder-eatin' yankee tourists. (don't flame me for listing these, I enjoy all 3 on occasion, they just are far from the "best".) I use the article as a roadmap for spring/summer trips. It's the reason I took a 160 mile, top down, twisty road, lake side, round trip through the hill country wild flowers to find Cooper's, which was one of the best Saturdays I've had in ages. (you can search for my review in austin.general if you're interested, I described the backroad way to get there) regards, --Pete (charting a path to the Luling City Market next...)
Larry C. wrote: >>I saw it and loved it because they ranked my favorite place (Kreutz of >>Lockhart, TX) in the "Big 3". This means those guys must know what >>they're talking about... ;-) >Of course it MAY also mean that they don't know good barbecue, and you >don't either... :-) I very seldom buy BBQ because it's something I do well myself. One thing that's always amazed me about Lockhart is the fact that they support 3 very good BBQs (Kreutz, Black's, Chisolm Trail) and yet you see a large smoker in almost every backyard (at least on the east side of the highway). These people cook a lot of BBQ at home but they also buy a lot at these BBQ places. They buy it during the week and cook it on weekends. A mediocre BBQ place would not survive in Lockhart, I garontee! There are so many people besides myself who swear by Kreutz that I would strongly suspect the judgement of anyone who DIDN'T agree that it's at least ONE of the best in Texas. Dave PS- I agree that it was a mistake to leave the Salt Lick off the list.
Steve S. wrote: >We love Spring Creek Barbeque, especially in Addison. The atmosphere is >nice, side dishes are good, portions are generous.... On top of which, >the girl walks around with freshly baked rolls. It is consistently >good. Just don't use their sauce. Yuck! Way to sweet, only good for dipping the bread in. Fortunately their brisket is pretty good sauceless.
Someone wrote: Someone wrote: : >I would never eat at a place recommended by one of these 'vanity press' : >magazines that seem to cater toward advertisers than the reader. D Magazine : >comes to mind. Maybe I am being too harsh, but I found the Texas Monthly : >article on BBQ BBBad. The only reason I even read the article was because I : >was having my car waxed at Oasis on a Saturday afternoon. I do not know the : >editors that reviewed the restaurants included, but perhaps a panel of : >various members of the community would be a better selection. A barber in : >Oak Cliff, a receptionist working at a lawfirm in Austin, and a Dale Hanson : >for good measure. That is an article I would respect. : > : Open your mind a little. Wisdom can be found in strange places, even "big : hair glossies" like Texas Monthly. "Mouths of babes.." and all that. : The fact is that the article seems amazingly enough to list excellent : places. It hard to argue that Kruez's, Meuller's and Cooper's (their top : 3) aren't 3 of the best in Texas/the world. While I've never (yet) had the pleasure of dining at any of the above- mentioned establishments, for several years I kept a BBQ "FAQ" based on people's comments from USENET and email, and Kruez's, Mueller's, and Cooper's got consistent mention as being the best in Texas. On the other hand, Black's in Lockhart would also be included, too... I don't know if they were even mentioned in the _TM_ article. Craig
Barbecue is one of nearly one of those 'polictic and religion' topics, so I tread lightly. One amazing fact about me is that I appreciate excellent barbecue. So much so that I was told about a restaurant in West Memphis that served a fine example of a Memphis pork sandwich, the kind that has a tangy slaw slopped on top. Now before you all get angry and read me the riot act I must tell you that I picked up soon after that conversation and drove straight to Tennesee during a snow storm in Arkansas, only stopping for gas and coffee. What I found was a hole in the wall that had seating outside. This dive had recently been spared by a tornado that ripped the guts out of a football stadium across the road. The barbecue was excellent. The experience the tasty. I chewed my pork sandwich while looking for the old Elvis place. I was truly disapointed by the so called mansion, but the sandwich nearly made me cry with delight. Steven bbq lore, I love it.
Roberta and Craig B. wrote: > > Someone wrote: > Someone wrote: > : >I would never eat at a place recommended by one of these 'vanity press' > : >magazines that seem to cater toward advertisers than the reader. D Magazine > : >comes to mind. Maybe I am being too harsh, but I found the Texas Monthly > : >article on BBQ BBBad. The only reason I even read the article was because I > : >was having my car waxed at Oasis on a Saturday afternoon. I do not know the > : >editors that reviewed the restaurants included, but perhaps a panel of > : >various members of the community would be a better selection. A barber in > : >Oak Cliff, a receptionist working at a lawfirm in Austin, and a Dale Hanson > : >for good measure. That is an article I would respect. > : > > > : Open your mind a little. Wisdom can be found in strange places, even "big > : hair glossies" like Texas Monthly. "Mouths of babes.." and all that. > > : The fact is that the article seems amazingly enough to list excellent > : places. It hard to argue that Kruez's, Meuller's and Cooper's (their top > : 3) aren't 3 of the best in Texas/the world. > > While I've never (yet) had the pleasure of dining at any of the above- > mentioned establishments, for several years I kept a BBQ "FAQ" based > on people's comments from USENET and email, and Kruez's, Mueller's, > and Cooper's got consistent mention as being the best in Texas. On > the other hand, Black's in Lockhart would also be included, too... > I don't know if they were even mentioned in the _TM_ article. > > Craig > -- > -- Craig Becker [email removed] http://www.bga.com/~beckers Austin, TX USA -- > -- HTML Consulting Services - http://www.bga.com/~beckers/craig/tmr.html -- IMOH....I enjoy Green Mesquete BBQ in Austin on Barton Springs Road. I've never gone wrong there. Briskette is tender and smokey and the pork ribs are mighty fine, Constant Companion loves the turkey breast. Cold Shinner Bock by the pitcher! Cannot be beat after a long hot summer afternoon floatin on Barton Springs. Also in Lockhart, bot to Blacks and have their sausage...you are in for a real treat! Enjoy, The Women of Inertia
Dan C. wrote: > > Someone wrote: > RE: Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Places in Texas: > > >I was shocked to see Baker's Rib among the top 50. > >Sonny Bryan's was the other Dallas area Top 50. I think their BBQ is > >fine but not exceptional for my taste. > >My standard reference is Dickey's. > > I've posted on all three places, eaten at all three in the past couple > months. I eat at Baker's in Deep Ellum or on Greenville, haven't been to > Garland. I've had excellent food at those two Baker's. > > My experience is that bbq doesn't travel well, as the shops that try to > smoke their meat in a central oven and haul it to various locations are > probably more efficient; if it's efficiency they're after, then bbq isn't the > business to be in. (See the next paragraph) > > I joined with a few others hereabouts who lament that Sonny Bryan's new > management has done horrible things to a great tradition and reputation ... > I drove past the Inwood location this past week at lunch time ... the lack > of a traffic jam in the parking lot confirms I'm not the only one who now > goes elsewhere. > > Dickey's is consistent, but, for some subjective reason I've never > undrestood, I find their product boring. I may have eaten the Thursday > night rib special one night too many when the ribs had been heated a few > hours too long ... but, what the heck do I know. I used to run into R. > Perot there all the time, when he wasn't busily running the world. > > None of these three are anywhere near the quality of a Lockhart or Joe > Cotten's in Robstown. > > But, they're still bunches ahead of Coulter's, County Line, or Pappas ... I haven't thought about Joe Cotten's in Robstown for a long time. GREAT BBQ. Definitely worth stopping by if you are heading down to the coast.
Once, on one of my many trips to and fro houston-austin, and passing it for the umpteenth time, I actually stopped at Jerry Mikeska's (sic?) BBQ on I10 just east of columbus (on North frontage road). Perhaps not up to Krueze or Blacks, but as I recall it was way more than decent. Maybe not worth a special trip but certainly good for stopping for lunch or dinner.
Dan C. wrote: > > I joined with a few others hereabouts who lament that Sonny Bryan's new > management has done horrible things to a great tradition and reputation ... > I drove past the Inwood location this past week at lunch time ... the lack > of a traffic jam in the parking lot confirms I'm not the only one who now > goes elsewhere. The McKinney location is still just as good. > > Dickey's is consistent, but, for some subjective reason I've never > undrestood, I find their product boring. I may have eaten the Thursday > night rib special one night too many when the ribs had been heated a few > hours too long ... but, what the heck do I know. I used to run into R. > Perot there all the time, when he wasn't busily running the world. Well said...consistent, but dull...with two exceptions. 1) I find the ribs (my bbq yardstick) to be on the greasy side. 2) I did have an outstanding pork loin there once. Unfortunately, it was a special that day and I haven't seen it there again. Given my "pork ribs as yardstick" statement, I have to vote for Shirey's. It's a mom-and-pop in Rockwall that makes the most "un-greasy" (but not dry) ribs with some of the best dry rub I've ever had. The sauce is nothing special, but it is above-average and usually I don't even use it. Just depends on my mood.
Steve S. wrote: > > We love Spring Creek Barbeque, especially in Addison. The atmosphere is > nice, side dishes are good, portions are generous.... On top of which, > the girl walks around with freshly baked rolls. It is consistently > good. I can't agree with this one. Spring Creek was the first BBQ I tried when I first moved to Dallas. I found it to be some of the dullest stuff I've ever had. I remember thinking, "THIS is Dallas BBQ?" Took me two weeks to screw up the courage to try another place ;-)
REMOVESPAM wrote: >Once, on one of my many trips to and fro houston-austin, and passing it for >the umpteenth time, I actually stopped at Jerry Mikeska's (sic?) BBQ on I10 >just east of columbus (on North frontage road). Perhaps not up to Krueze >or Blacks, but as I recall it was way more than decent. I did this. Was singularly unimpressed, especially given the hype I've heard about the place.
Cooper's rules. Llano is also home to a couple of other places to get Q. Inman's, which is good not great and just to the east of Cooper's on Hwy 29, makes killer homemade white bread and fabulous pies and is an acceptable lunch place if Cooper's is closed. When I go to the Hill Country, we stop a Cooper's for the Q, then drive over to Inman's for bread and Fredricksburg Peach Pie. At least one loaf of bread gets eaten in the car driving back to our Lake house 20 miles away in Kingsland. Oh yeah, Inman's is closed on Sundays and Mondays. If you drive into Llano proper, just south of the courthouse, you may be lucky enough to see a sandwich board sign advertising BBQ. There's this guy who loves to Q, mainly on weekends but I've seen the sign out on some weekdays too. You follow the sign down an alley and into this guy's backyard. He's got a great big pit and some really fine brisket. I can't remember his name but ask around, everybody knows him. Since Cooper's remodeled a couple of years ago, I've tried the guy in the alley several times and haven't been disappointed. Speaking of the differences between Southern and Texas style BBQ-- the differences are more than simply farmer food (pigs) and cowboy food (cows). Memphis ribs are killer and not many things are finer than a pig pickin' North Carolina style. (A whole pig is BBQ'd, the skin peeled back, then you dig right in--Yum!) The only similarity I find in these regional differences is that classic Q is made without any sugar or tomato in the rub or sauce while grilling. Both seem to caramelize in the time it takes to slow smoke these meats. Great Q is characterized by the pink ring the smoking process imparts while cooking. Sweet tomato based sauces are best left for table sauces, the best rubs and mopping sauces are all vinegar based, IMHO. Someone wrote:
Ident-User: throop Xref: alexander.INS.CWRU.Edu alt.food.barbecue:2132 austin.food:833 alt.food:9639 rec.food.cooking:335436 REMOVESPAM wrote: >.. stopped at Jerry Mikeska's (sic?) BBQ on I10 >just east of columbus (on North frontage road). Perhaps not up to Krueze >or Blacks, but as I recall it was way more than decent. Maybe not worth a >special trip but certainly good for stopping for lunch or dinner. Yeah, it's decent. Better than average for Houston, below average for the Hill Country. But he sure does have a lot of wierd trophy animals. I particularly liked the pair of stuffed polar bear cubs, which are mounted rampant and holding out little baskets of after dinner mints. Unique taxidermy. David Throop
On Mon, 09 Jun 1997 14:28:43 -0500, Fran Arthur wrote: >Helen B. wrote: >snip >> Sonny Bryan's was the other Dallas area Top 50. I think their BBQ is >> fine but not exceptional for my taste. >> >snip >> My standard reference is Dickey's. They have consistently high quality >> and good taste for their beef, pork, chicken and turkey at the several >> locations I have tried and at various times of the day. Staff has been >> courteous and quality conscious. The side dishes vary in quality with >> the coleslaw and baked beans being pretty good. Especially at off >> hours, the other side dishes are often long term residents at the steam >> table. I like the free-with-meal soft-serve ice cream. >> >I second the Dickeys BBQ comment. It is ALWAYS consistently high >quality. > >Fran Unless the quality of particular Dickey's locations varies wildly, you two have been grievously misled as to HIGH quality barbeque. Last time I was in Dallas,(well, actually Irving), I ate at the Las Colinas Dickey's, and honestly, it wasn't any better than the Sbisa Dining Hall barbeque at Texas A&M. There are FAR better barbeque restaraunts out there- about all I can say for Dickey's is that it's adequate and inexpensive. Granted, adequate barbeque beats the hell out of most other foods, but great barbeque is something to experience. For truly excellent barbeque, try going to Universal Meats on Murphy Road about 1-2 miles south of US 59 in Stafford Texas. As far as I remember, it's not a restaraunt, but they sell barbecue 2-3 times a week. Mark Pruett
>How about Euless Main? Has anybocy eaten there? I do agree it is not >much when it comes to atmosphere (paper rolls on the tables and >furniture that has seen better days), but the food is actually quite >good. Unfortunatelly they are a mom and pop operation so their schedule >is very limited. >Just my 2 cents... >Ileana If you are speaking of North Main BBQ in Euless (from your description, you are) I definitely recommend a stop to anyone in the area. The atmosphere is part of the experience. North main is all about the eatin'. Only open on Friday and Saturday. $10 (cash only please) for all you can eat. Ribs, brisket, sandwiches, sausages, and chicken. Plus all the fixins and iced tea. Come hungry, leave happy. Very good BBQ. ---------------- Sapo [email removed]
Any of you ever been to/had Poboy's barbeque in Champaign Illinois. Laugh as I'm sure many of you will, but to this day Arnie's (of Poboy's) sauce was the best I ever had. I don't even know what style to compare it to. I swear Arnie's sauce had medicinal value. If you felt a cold coming on, a polish and a beef both with the hot sauce just knocked it right out, within an hour you were fine. Ooohh how I long for it now.
Whenever I get out to Austin, I love to visit Ruby's. I enjoy the food and the atmosphere very much. My two-year-old loves it, too. I just thought I'd put a word in for Ruby's, since so many people didn't like it. David
Leigh M. wrote: > > I grew up in Texas and moved to Raleigh, NC six years ago. It was > a year ago that I was able to bring myself to even taste NC bbq. The > first time I saw it, I thought it was tuna fish on a bun. Still don't > like it. Usually end up eating the fried chicken at the pig pickin's > we've been to. And don't even get me started on sweet tea. Tastes > hummingbird food. > What really bugs me is when people use the term barbeque as a verb > they really mean "grill." Not eveything that is grilled is barbeque. > To me, barbeque implies some sort of sauce. You grill hamburgers, not > barbeque them. > > Leigh in raLeigh For the BEST NC style BBQ, head down US 70 to Wilber's in Goldsboro or over to Lexington BBQ, west of Winston-Salem in Lexington. These two places are the absolute definition of NC BBQ, and they still cook over real hardwood coals. Many places now use gas or electricity and smoke seasoning or very little real wood, usually chunks of wood for a slight smoky taste. Of course if you're used to Texas BBQ, beef's the only way, but you're in NC now, so it'll be pork. Try either one of those places, and you will change your mind, if not, move back here to Texas... And, yes, the tea is wayyyyy to sweet, they must've spilled all the sugar in the tea before they made the sauce. ;^)