The original plan called for a visit to Allen & Son, but upon arriving during business hours and finding a deserted BBQ joint, we learned they were on vacation. Unfortunately, when you try to visit hole-in-wall BBQ joint, turning up and finding the meat has run out, the owner called in sick or just taking a vacation is one of the occupational hazards.
So we called a quick audible and found our way across town, very quickly, as we were coming up on closing time (8 PM) to Bullocks. From the outside it is a bit unassuming and from the inside, it looks like it hasn't changed since they moved to this location in 1952, which we later confirmed.
Our waitress recommend the BBQ pork, the brisket and the Brunswick Stew. So naturally, we ordered them all plus some of the ribs.
Our food was promptly delivered and our mouths were watering. The course chopped BBQ pork was really good and had a subtle smokey sweetness. The brisket was really good, it was sliced thin and dressed in their spicy sweet BBQ sauce. It was melt in your mouth fatty and had a deep pink smoke ring from hours in the smoker. Combined with some of the mayonnaise based coleslaw it was a hit of smokey, sweet, creamy goodness, plus check out that smoke huge smoke ring.
The real winner at Bullocks was the Brunswick Stew. For the uninitiated, don't feel bad we were too until yesterday, Brunswick Stew is a tomato based stew with seasonal vegetables (Lima beans, corn, black eyed peas), BBQ meat and and potatoes - it is often described as a thick vegetable soup with BBQ meat.
After dinner we made sure to get a picture with our harbinger of southern hospitality, our waitress. We were also introduced to owner Tom Bullock, who took an interest in our trip and spent about 20 minutes talking us through the sublet variations in the East North Carolina BBQ and the history of Bullocks.
Ratings;
Ambiance - 5 - the place was just really old, but didn't have that hole-in-the-wallness we are in search of. It was like an older version of a Denny's
So we called a quick audible and found our way across town, very quickly, as we were coming up on closing time (8 PM) to Bullocks. From the outside it is a bit unassuming and from the inside, it looks like it hasn't changed since they moved to this location in 1952, which we later confirmed.
Our food was promptly delivered and our mouths were watering. The course chopped BBQ pork was really good and had a subtle smokey sweetness. The brisket was really good, it was sliced thin and dressed in their spicy sweet BBQ sauce. It was melt in your mouth fatty and had a deep pink smoke ring from hours in the smoker. Combined with some of the mayonnaise based coleslaw it was a hit of smokey, sweet, creamy goodness, plus check out that smoke huge smoke ring.
After dinner we made sure to get a picture with our harbinger of southern hospitality, our waitress. We were also introduced to owner Tom Bullock, who took an interest in our trip and spent about 20 minutes talking us through the sublet variations in the East North Carolina BBQ and the history of Bullocks.
Ratings;
Chopped Pork - 7.5 - very good, slightly sweeter and less spicy in our minds
Brisket - 9 - amazing, fatty, smokey, sweet sauce - so good
Brunswick Stew -9 - smokey pork combined with veggies made this awesome
Ribs - 3 - tasted overly sweet, tough to eat, only ate one each then stopped
Baked Beans - 2 - overly sweet, mushy, flat finish, overall not good
Coleslaw - 6 - mayo based, worked great with brisket and OK with chopped pork
Ambiance - 5 - the place was just really old, but didn't have that hole-in-the-wallness we are in search of. It was like an older version of a Denny's
Overall - 6.5 - great brisket and Brunswick Stew, BBQ is good, staff and owner were very friendly
Memorable Quote:
Waitress - while getting photos - "I have Kids older than you boys"
Mr. Bullock - "What is your next Stop?"
Shingai - "Lexington"
Mr. Bullock - "There is so much damn good BBQ packed into that little town."
Memorable Quote:
Waitress - while getting photos - "I have Kids older than you boys"
Mr. Bullock - "What is your next Stop?"
Shingai - "Lexington"
Mr. Bullock - "There is so much damn good BBQ packed into that little town."
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