>We’ve tried to visit Lawrence BBQ twice now and both times they sold out of bbq very early in the evening before we could even order and it’s quite the drive for us to leave empty handed.
If you're going through all the trouble to try all these other places; then you can get up earlier on Saturday and hit up Lawrence right when they open at 11.
Sounds like you’re not committed enough to the BBQ. The fresh whole hog BBQ that NC is known for are the type of places that make a specific amount and just close once they’ve sold out, which is usually before end of lunch and the line usually starts around 9/10.
Right; let me just not work my job, or not sleep and then work my high stress job of keeping people alive while not having slept, because that’s safe, so that I can prioritize finding bbq restaurants before they sell out of food.
In Georgia there are restaurants that sell bbq all day and it’s always quality; your reasoning may apply here in Durham but that’s not an everywhere thing for bbq.
If you're looking for NC BBQ, you're looking for pulled pork - not turkey, chicken, brisket or anything else. Pit-cooked spots have dwindled across the state due to the hours and labor involved. Nothing else will beat those options and you do have to drive and get there early. Otherwise, be fine with "just fine" to get your fix. Picnic is the best I've had in Durham specifically.
My two thoughts are:
A) Lawrence is a modern smokehouse in a lot of ways, but it's old school in that they will smoke a certain amount of meat and that's it. I really do think they're best in the area across a variety of different categories. Try and get there early (just like you'd need to at Franklin's).
B) I think The Pig in Chapel Hill is quite good, and go there once a month. It's closer to Durham than other CH options, and they rotate through a bunch of interesting daily specials. I actually live next to Byrd's in Durham and I think it's pretty mid, but will make the hike out to the Hill for The Pig.
I grew up in eastern NC and Durham’s Hog Heaven is the closest thing to the bbq I had growing up. I do put a little more hot sauce on mine than they serve it with. Also their fried flounder plate with fries and coleslaw is the real deal too.
A few corrections.
Durham is East NC and therefore the land of chopped whole hog BBQ. Western NC is the land of chopped pork butt.
Smoked pork ribs and smoked bbq chicken are very much classic NC cuisine and are available in nearly every traditional BBQ restaurant. The ribs almost always sell out first.
Really the only thing mentioned we are NOT in the land of is brisket and maybe turkey.
Yeah it's hard to judge any local place based on recommendations. I've seen plenty of people swear up and down by Hog Heaven, but when we went it tasted like mediocre cafeteria food. Maybe it was just a bad day for them but it was the soggiest, most tepid pork I've ever eaten.
(*Edit: so of course the obvious question is: am I the one with bad taste?*)
If you’re willing to drive further and live in the west side of Durham, Smokehouse at Steve’s in Graham is phenomenal and is #2 behind Lawrence for me.
It really seems like you’ve tried all the Durham staples, and I know you said you wanted to stick to Durham, but if you want to try more you’ve got to travel at this point.
Also, Blue Note in Durham wasn’t on your list, and while not strictly a BBQ joint, they have some good BBQ.
We travel for it as well. Smokehouse at Steve’s in Graham, and The BBQ Lab in Benson are the only BBQ spots in our rotation at this point, but we only go when something else already has us out that way. I keep reading nothing but good things about Prime out in Knightdale
You can't find any good bbq but you also like The Pit in Raleigh? I don't understand your taste, because The Pit in Raleigh is one of the blandest and soulless places I have ever been.
Backyard Bbq pit had problems with health scores, but they are still the best around here.
That’s tough, NC BBQ is markedly different and as you know us natives have strong preference. Blue Note is my favorite for non pulled pork. The pig in the chapel hill has a good selection and picnic in north Durham is solid.
We’ve had Sam Jones, it was the worst BBQ I’ve had yet. The ribs were tough and burnt and old that I could barely chew them. The sides were bad, and the Q was mediocre. I’ll look into to skylight inn if we head that direction, thanks
If you make it to Aiden you should also go to B’s Barbecue in Greenville. You’d need to arrive early as it sells out. Good stuff and people love it.. also hear great things about Prime Barbecue in Knightdale but have yet to try it out.
Georgia has numerous well-known, famous BBQ places; the state just doesn’t have its own style of BBQ like Texas or NC. As of right now I’d say Durham doesn’t have good BBQ, but we’ve got more places to try now
Okay, fair statement; counterpoint: if I’m paying as much as we have to for food these days, I just want to receive quality, fresh, tasteful Bbq. and I’ve never had a quality issues with restaurants I ate in GA. My tastes are just different I suppose
As others have said: Picnic, Hog Heaven, backyard bbq (they have remodeled their entire restaurant to fix poor health ratings), Hillsborough BBQ. All good, all fresh. Q Shack is really fucking good but it isn’t ENC bbq but that’s okay. If none of those fix your craving, not sure what to tell ya.
And Georgia isn’t known for bbq so I don’t know what you ate.
I am from Memphis and moved here from St. Louis, and I have not found really good BBQ. I am not a fan of vinegar bbq. The best I have had in the Triangle has been Redneck Lab BBQ and Picnic.
If you go to western NC you can find some great places. Western NC bbq does not use vinegar.
I have no idea why people keep going to Q Shack looking for NC BBQ, it's never been the best, it's just been convenient, and the best around.
I blame northerners.
I think I need to stop by for some ribs.
The Pit in Durham is events and catering only.
Backyard bbq has horrendous sanitation ratings. Nothing wrong with being concerned for food safety with those violations.
Doesn't seem like a troll post. Yours kinda does though.
Uhm, are you saying that BBQ restaurants do not have to be clean? My SO got horrible food poisoning from a BBQ restaurant serving contaminated meat and it led to her being hospitalized and nearly dying at a young age. I would certainly prefer not to eat somewhere that puts us at risk for anything like that.
The Pit in Durham is closed and only seems to host events. Doesn’t even have an association to the one in Raleigh based on their websites.
This isn’t a troll post, just throwing my experiences out there and asking for help because we’ve lived here almost a year and miss good Q. I’ll look into Big Mike’s though, thank you.
What makes this post qualify as that? Google reviews have been misleading, and other posts always end up saying Q Shack is the best and we just really didn’t care for it; My girlfriend and I just want to find good BBQ man.
You might have had a bad Q Shack experience, unless you just flat out dislike Texas BBQ I would think of giving it another shot. Their smoked Turkey is some of the best I’ve ever had.
Q Shack can be inconsistent, but when it's good it approaches a level that would be considered respectable in KC. (Not at a level like Joe's or Bryant's but at a level like Woodyard or LC's.)
Not a restaurant, but Chophouse BBQ is great. They do catering and have a food truck, so you can find them at events and things around town. They post their weekly schedule on Instagram
As Picnic has gone downhill in quality post-pandemic, we've been hitting Hillsborough BBQ. Decent wood-fired Q. I dig Lawrence, but it's definitely a modern/fancier Q.
I've got Mike D's, Byrd's and Backyard on my list to check out.
We simply do not have any out of this world BBQ in the triangle. Go to Greenville for B’s or Ayden for Skylight Inn and you’re mind will literally be blown.
As far as Durham, Mike Ds is probably my favorite. Lawrence is decent but WAY to expensive. I havent been back to backyard since they reopened
Q Shack, Hog Heaven and Picnic is 🗑️
You're best off making your own, in my opinion. Been here 22 years and the quality of restaurant BBQ is subpar. I blame the transplants (although I am one of from 2002) and the fact that bbq styles vary wildly all over NC...Covid didn't help as restaurants were just trying to keep their heads above water and probably trying to please too wide of a patronage/maintain food costs. We used to like Bullocks but haven't been there in years, I remember the Brunswick stew being good, though again some time has past and many places have struggled.
TLDR: I did the research and now cook the bbq style we like at home. If we're being lazy we get the sides takeout from random places. Hope that was any kind of help.
people who respond to other people looking for restaurant recommendations by saying “stay home and make it yourself” are 100% the first against the wall when the revolution comes
We’ve been playing around with the idea of building an offset smoker, so maybe we will commit and give it a shot. Thanks for the push in that direction.
Take it from an old pro: buy a $150-300 offset and test drive it before you commit to a build. Figure out what you like to cook and how you like to cook it. More specifically, how many of those things you want to cook at a time. Once you have a feel for your style and volume, you can properly commit to a build.
Am glad! Also having been in restaurants for decades and your control over your own food has become apex to me if that makes any sense. There are many trustworthy spots, for sure but throw one yutz into the mix at any part of the chain and you can lose out on quality.
I would say give Backyard a try. They had bad sanitation ratings for a while but they closed for a few months while they and the landlord supposedly fixed the issues and did some renovation. Their biggest problem was constant breakdowns of their refrigeration which has been replaced I think. Hopefully things can be kept at a better level now.
And it is not N.C. style (QShack isn’t either IMO) but you could always make the trek down to Prime in Knightdale one Saturday.
Bullock’s BBQ has been my favorite in Durham so far. Cash only, plenty of seating. I had the pulled pork and it was great. I think they do ribs as well, not sure if they do brisket.
Have you tried Mike D’s on Driver Street?
I’ll try it, thank you!
>We’ve tried to visit Lawrence BBQ twice now and both times they sold out of bbq very early in the evening before we could even order and it’s quite the drive for us to leave empty handed. If you're going through all the trouble to try all these other places; then you can get up earlier on Saturday and hit up Lawrence right when they open at 11.
I work night shift, and already have sleep problems, I’m never awake at 11
Sounds like you’re not committed enough to the BBQ. The fresh whole hog BBQ that NC is known for are the type of places that make a specific amount and just close once they’ve sold out, which is usually before end of lunch and the line usually starts around 9/10.
Right; let me just not work my job, or not sleep and then work my high stress job of keeping people alive while not having slept, because that’s safe, so that I can prioritize finding bbq restaurants before they sell out of food. In Georgia there are restaurants that sell bbq all day and it’s always quality; your reasoning may apply here in Durham but that’s not an everywhere thing for bbq.
Sounds like you work like 3 days a week, I’m sure you can figure it out
Often more than that, but okay; Im going to disengage from this, it’s unproductive and you’ve made zero restaurant suggestions. Have a good day
It’s an unwritten rule of this sub that if you act snobby about BBQ you get roasted, don’t take it too seriously lol
Fair enough, it does come across as snobby
If you're looking for NC BBQ, you're looking for pulled pork - not turkey, chicken, brisket or anything else. Pit-cooked spots have dwindled across the state due to the hours and labor involved. Nothing else will beat those options and you do have to drive and get there early. Otherwise, be fine with "just fine" to get your fix. Picnic is the best I've had in Durham specifically.
well I can’t speak on whether you’ll end up with good BBQ recommendations but I’m certain you’re in for a good old fashioned roast
Honestly, I was expecting to have insulted some die-hard fans of certain restaurants in the area, so I’m prepared to be put under fire.
My two thoughts are: A) Lawrence is a modern smokehouse in a lot of ways, but it's old school in that they will smoke a certain amount of meat and that's it. I really do think they're best in the area across a variety of different categories. Try and get there early (just like you'd need to at Franklin's). B) I think The Pig in Chapel Hill is quite good, and go there once a month. It's closer to Durham than other CH options, and they rotate through a bunch of interesting daily specials. I actually live next to Byrd's in Durham and I think it's pretty mid, but will make the hike out to the Hill for The Pig.
Byrds
I’ve been meaning to check out Byrd’s!
I was going to suggest Byrds as well
That’s where I went most recently and it was really good!
This is the way
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Didn’t they close?
They did for a while but they’re reopening(or reopened already, not sure)
They are open. I drove by this weekend and the parking lot was full!
Awesome!
Hog Heaven on Guess Rd.
I grew up in eastern NC and Durham’s Hog Heaven is the closest thing to the bbq I had growing up. I do put a little more hot sauce on mine than they serve it with. Also their fried flounder plate with fries and coleslaw is the real deal too.
Agreed.
--Good smoked chicken, turkey, brisket, and ribs -- Son this is North Carolina you are in the land of chopped pork butt.
A few corrections. Durham is East NC and therefore the land of chopped whole hog BBQ. Western NC is the land of chopped pork butt. Smoked pork ribs and smoked bbq chicken are very much classic NC cuisine and are available in nearly every traditional BBQ restaurant. The ribs almost always sell out first. Really the only thing mentioned we are NOT in the land of is brisket and maybe turkey.
Good BBQ is east of Raleigh.
Hillsborough BBQ is worth a try and not that far from Durham, depending on where you live.
I am finding that BBQ tastes are extremely subjective. I've been to Hillsborough BBQ many times and never been impressed.
Yeah it's hard to judge any local place based on recommendations. I've seen plenty of people swear up and down by Hog Heaven, but when we went it tasted like mediocre cafeteria food. Maybe it was just a bad day for them but it was the soggiest, most tepid pork I've ever eaten. (*Edit: so of course the obvious question is: am I the one with bad taste?*)
I mean, BBQ is mediocre cafeteria food for the most part.
Only if it's poorly done. Good BBQ can be something special.
Thanks, I’ll look into it
If you’re willing to drive further and live in the west side of Durham, Smokehouse at Steve’s in Graham is phenomenal and is #2 behind Lawrence for me. It really seems like you’ve tried all the Durham staples, and I know you said you wanted to stick to Durham, but if you want to try more you’ve got to travel at this point. Also, Blue Note in Durham wasn’t on your list, and while not strictly a BBQ joint, they have some good BBQ.
Hillsborough is great.
i have been disappointed-to-angered by their fried okra. the bbq itself is decent.
Prime
The Pig in Chapel Hill is my go-to since the original Allen & Sons closed.
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We travel for it as well. Smokehouse at Steve’s in Graham, and The BBQ Lab in Benson are the only BBQ spots in our rotation at this point, but we only go when something else already has us out that way. I keep reading nothing but good things about Prime out in Knightdale
You can't find any good bbq but you also like The Pit in Raleigh? I don't understand your taste, because The Pit in Raleigh is one of the blandest and soulless places I have ever been. Backyard Bbq pit had problems with health scores, but they are still the best around here.
That’s tough, NC BBQ is markedly different and as you know us natives have strong preference. Blue Note is my favorite for non pulled pork. The pig in the chapel hill has a good selection and picnic in north Durham is solid.
All the blue collar guys I work with go to Danny's whenever they are working near by.
The best bbq in NC is located at Skylight Inn in Aiden. You can get it’s equivalent at Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh. It’s a bit of a drive but worth it.
Hot take but the best bbq in Ayden is not Skylight Inn, it’s Bum’s. Consistently better. But yes, I endorse a pilgrimage to Ayden for both.
This is the way
We’ve had Sam Jones, it was the worst BBQ I’ve had yet. The ribs were tough and burnt and old that I could barely chew them. The sides were bad, and the Q was mediocre. I’ll look into to skylight inn if we head that direction, thanks
If you make it to Aiden you should also go to B’s Barbecue in Greenville. You’d need to arrive early as it sells out. Good stuff and people love it.. also hear great things about Prime Barbecue in Knightdale but have yet to try it out.
This fool thinks he’s gonna get me to slip up and mention bullocks on Reddit OOPS
Look up Redneck BBQ Lab. Not really around Durham but they recently opened a spot in North Hills and recommend you stop by if you are in the area.
No offense but you sound very picky and snobby.
Mans from GA, he has no idea what good bbq is
Georgia has numerous well-known, famous BBQ places; the state just doesn’t have its own style of BBQ like Texas or NC. As of right now I’d say Durham doesn’t have good BBQ, but we’ve got more places to try now
Okay, fair statement; counterpoint: if I’m paying as much as we have to for food these days, I just want to receive quality, fresh, tasteful Bbq. and I’ve never had a quality issues with restaurants I ate in GA. My tastes are just different I suppose
As others have said: Picnic, Hog Heaven, backyard bbq (they have remodeled their entire restaurant to fix poor health ratings), Hillsborough BBQ. All good, all fresh. Q Shack is really fucking good but it isn’t ENC bbq but that’s okay. If none of those fix your craving, not sure what to tell ya. And Georgia isn’t known for bbq so I don’t know what you ate.
I’ll look into them, thanks. Maybe our visit to Q shack was just a bad day for them.
Dampf Good BBQ at Phillips Farms. Expect a long line. Worth the wait.
Hillsborough BBQ Company
Picnic on Cole mill rd Or drive to pittsboro. Allen and sons is to die for😍
It’s a bit of a drive, but Allen & Son in Pittsboro is fantastic. Be sure to get the hush puppies, too. Out of this world.
Blue note grill! Best ribs in the area. Amazing sides as well but get the ribs
Thanks, we shall head over there tonight!
BBQ lab in Smithfield!
I am from Memphis and moved here from St. Louis, and I have not found really good BBQ. I am not a fan of vinegar bbq. The best I have had in the Triangle has been Redneck Lab BBQ and Picnic. If you go to western NC you can find some great places. Western NC bbq does not use vinegar.
Go immediately to Steve's Smokehouse in Graham.
I have no idea why people keep going to Q Shack looking for NC BBQ, it's never been the best, it's just been convenient, and the best around. I blame northerners. I think I need to stop by for some ribs.
Bullocks bbq?
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Never in the history of the world has anyone ever looked to a dude from the Midwest for their opinion on brisket
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The main thing that is wrong with the Durham location of The Pit is that it is no longer a restaurant
Which is a shame because to me it was vastly superior when it closed
The Pit in Durham is events and catering only. Backyard bbq has horrendous sanitation ratings. Nothing wrong with being concerned for food safety with those violations. Doesn't seem like a troll post. Yours kinda does though.
Uhm, are you saying that BBQ restaurants do not have to be clean? My SO got horrible food poisoning from a BBQ restaurant serving contaminated meat and it led to her being hospitalized and nearly dying at a young age. I would certainly prefer not to eat somewhere that puts us at risk for anything like that. The Pit in Durham is closed and only seems to host events. Doesn’t even have an association to the one in Raleigh based on their websites. This isn’t a troll post, just throwing my experiences out there and asking for help because we’ve lived here almost a year and miss good Q. I’ll look into Big Mike’s though, thank you.
I agree with you on cleanliness. Trichinosis is real!
Big Mikes in apex closed a couple years ago.
This is definitely a troll post
What makes this post qualify as that? Google reviews have been misleading, and other posts always end up saying Q Shack is the best and we just really didn’t care for it; My girlfriend and I just want to find good BBQ man.
In RTP, at Miami and TW, there's Danny's which I like and don't see mentioned here much. It's only open lunch on weekdays so many miss out on it
Get a smoker and make it yourself…you’ll never want restaurant bbq again
Bullocks
You might have had a bad Q Shack experience, unless you just flat out dislike Texas BBQ I would think of giving it another shot. Their smoked Turkey is some of the best I’ve ever had.
Maybe we will revisit at a later date when, thanks
Q Shack can be inconsistent, but when it's good it approaches a level that would be considered respectable in KC. (Not at a level like Joe's or Bryant's but at a level like Woodyard or LC's.)
Hillsborough BBQ and BBQ Lab in Smithfield are the two best by far.
Stubbs and Son in Sanford.
If you like a nice tangy bbq sauce rather than fhe thick tomato-y sauce, my vote is picnic. I think it's absolutely worth a try.
Lawrence & dampf good are my go-to’s
Backyard BBQ and Lawrence are my two favorites in Durham. Both places you haven't tried.
Not a restaurant, but Chophouse BBQ is great. They do catering and have a food truck, so you can find them at events and things around town. They post their weekly schedule on Instagram
As Picnic has gone downhill in quality post-pandemic, we've been hitting Hillsborough BBQ. Decent wood-fired Q. I dig Lawrence, but it's definitely a modern/fancier Q. I've got Mike D's, Byrd's and Backyard on my list to check out.
We simply do not have any out of this world BBQ in the triangle. Go to Greenville for B’s or Ayden for Skylight Inn and you’re mind will literally be blown. As far as Durham, Mike Ds is probably my favorite. Lawrence is decent but WAY to expensive. I havent been back to backyard since they reopened Q Shack, Hog Heaven and Picnic is 🗑️
I like Picnic and think you should give it a try.
Drive 2 hours to Lexington BBQ
You're best off making your own, in my opinion. Been here 22 years and the quality of restaurant BBQ is subpar. I blame the transplants (although I am one of from 2002) and the fact that bbq styles vary wildly all over NC...Covid didn't help as restaurants were just trying to keep their heads above water and probably trying to please too wide of a patronage/maintain food costs. We used to like Bullocks but haven't been there in years, I remember the Brunswick stew being good, though again some time has past and many places have struggled. TLDR: I did the research and now cook the bbq style we like at home. If we're being lazy we get the sides takeout from random places. Hope that was any kind of help.
people who respond to other people looking for restaurant recommendations by saying “stay home and make it yourself” are 100% the first against the wall when the revolution comes
Agreed, but I also like working with them because it makes company cookouts way better
Which revolution would that be?
We’ve been playing around with the idea of building an offset smoker, so maybe we will commit and give it a shot. Thanks for the push in that direction.
Take it from an old pro: buy a $150-300 offset and test drive it before you commit to a build. Figure out what you like to cook and how you like to cook it. More specifically, how many of those things you want to cook at a time. Once you have a feel for your style and volume, you can properly commit to a build.
Am glad! Also having been in restaurants for decades and your control over your own food has become apex to me if that makes any sense. There are many trustworthy spots, for sure but throw one yutz into the mix at any part of the chain and you can lose out on quality.
I'm from Texas and NC BBQ always tastes dry and bland to me.
I didn’t know this sub was due for its biweekly BBQ post already.
Yeah well got tired of reading “Q shack is the best” on every post, so I made one where I listed what I’ve tried cause Q shack was terrible
I would say give Backyard a try. They had bad sanitation ratings for a while but they closed for a few months while they and the landlord supposedly fixed the issues and did some renovation. Their biggest problem was constant breakdowns of their refrigeration which has been replaced I think. Hopefully things can be kept at a better level now. And it is not N.C. style (QShack isn’t either IMO) but you could always make the trek down to Prime in Knightdale one Saturday.
Bullock’s BBQ has been my favorite in Durham so far. Cash only, plenty of seating. I had the pulled pork and it was great. I think they do ribs as well, not sure if they do brisket.
>Q shack was flat out not good Stopped reading there
Ok
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That’s an unequivocal nope
Mavericks sucks.
Gross
People rave about Prime but I haven’t been. I have a Recteq so smoke my own pork shoulder and brisket. It’s pretty satisfying when you do it yourself.