• CAROLINA BARBECUE ROADMAP

EXPLORE THE VERY BEST
BARBECUE IN THE OLD NORTH STATE

From Eastern-style whole hog on the coast to saucy Piedmont chop in the foothills, we’ve mapped North Carolina’s best pits, shacks, and smokehouses so you can eat your way across the state.

Pick your Route
NC Barbecue Guide

Choose Your Direction

Where Are You Headed?

Every region of North Carolina smokes it a little differently. Pick a direction and start exploring — new trails are added all the time.

Headed North

EXPLORE THE TRAIL

Headed South

TRAIL IN THE WORKS

Northern NC Beaches

TRAIL IN THE WORKS

Southern NC Beaches

TRAIL IN THE WORKS

To the Mountains

TRAIL IN THE WORKS

A Tradition Worth the Drive

Barbecue Is Part of Who We Are

Long before food trucks and hashtags, North Carolina families were tending pits through the night — whole hogs cooked low and slow over coals, recipes passed down instead of written down. That patience is still the heart of barbecue here.

Ask a local and they’ll tell you: in North Carolina, “barbecue” is a noun, not a verb. You don’t barbecue a pork shoulder — the finished, smoked dish itself is the barbecue.

With barbecue joints in nearly every town, from tiny cinder-block shacks to third-generation institutions, North Carolina has earned its reputation as one of the true homes of American barbecue — and this roadmap is your guide to tasting why.

“Barbecue is whole hog cooked over wood.”
– Sam Jones

NC Barbecue Guide
Pick Your Route
pik n pig bbq

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