Lexington North Carolina, self described as the grandaddy of all North Carolina BBQ towns was the first stop on day two of our BBQ across America tour.
Following numerous recommendations, we headed straight for Lexington BBQ on Smokehouse Lane. We had high expectations after all the praise heaped on this place and in short, It delivered!
Before we even walked in the front door, we wandered around back to meet the heart and soul of any BBQ joint, the pit masters. At Lexington, they were named Rick and Rick, not to be confused with the owner, also named Rick.
They took us through their entire BBQ process. First, stoke the "Hot Box" with hickory and oak wood, shovel the coals into the pit after 45 minutes, pit cook their salt rubbed pork shoulders and turkey for 8-9 hours, break them down and serve. Rick, even gave us a taste of the "Brown Bits" or the outside char straight off the pork shoulder - it was salty, hot, crunchy, fatty - in short amazing!
Rick and Rick told us " if you're not watching your figure - get the brown chop with fried pork skin on top". Of course we obliged. The BBQ hit the table served with a steaming hot, vinegar based mild BBQ sauce and Rick's own Smokehouse BBQ sauce, which apparently only he knows the recipe.
The meal was unbelievable! At one point our waitress, came over to ask if we were OK, because we were so busy shoveling meat into our mouths, we had stopped talking.
The Ratings:
Ambiance: 7 - clean, simply decorated and had a new coat of red paint throughout. The staff was very friendly with prompt serve.
Overall - 9 - Could be a 10, but we are just starting and don't want to give away the top spot, just yet!
Memorable Quote:
Anthony - "Rick and Rick, out back, told us to order the Brown Course Chop with a pig skin on top"
Waitress - "Oh lord, they are trying to kill you off young aren't they"
Here is a shot of that pit again - God, is that Sexy or What??
Following numerous recommendations, we headed straight for Lexington BBQ on Smokehouse Lane. We had high expectations after all the praise heaped on this place and in short, It delivered!
Before we even walked in the front door, we wandered around back to meet the heart and soul of any BBQ joint, the pit masters. At Lexington, they were named Rick and Rick, not to be confused with the owner, also named Rick.
They took us through their entire BBQ process. First, stoke the "Hot Box" with hickory and oak wood, shovel the coals into the pit after 45 minutes, pit cook their salt rubbed pork shoulders and turkey for 8-9 hours, break them down and serve. Rick, even gave us a taste of the "Brown Bits" or the outside char straight off the pork shoulder - it was salty, hot, crunchy, fatty - in short amazing!
Rick and Rick told us " if you're not watching your figure - get the brown chop with fried pork skin on top". Of course we obliged. The BBQ hit the table served with a steaming hot, vinegar based mild BBQ sauce and Rick's own Smokehouse BBQ sauce, which apparently only he knows the recipe.
The meal was unbelievable! At one point our waitress, came over to ask if we were OK, because we were so busy shoveling meat into our mouths, we had stopped talking.
The Ratings:
The Pork - 10- sublime- smokey, salty, fatty, melt in your mouth, hint of vinegar and spices
"Red" Coleslaw - 7 - a traditional vinegar coleslaw with some added ketchup to give you a little sweet up front and then some vinegary punch - Shingai doesn't care for coleslaw, but liked it
BBQ Beans - 5 - they came out of a can (we saw the giant cans in the smokehouse)
Hush Puppies - most places they are mediocre but these were noteworthy - hot and tasty
Pork Skin - 10- So good - crunchy, fatty pork skin - honestly might be the worlds best food
Ambiance: 7 - clean, simply decorated and had a new coat of red paint throughout. The staff was very friendly with prompt serve.
Overall - 9 - Could be a 10, but we are just starting and don't want to give away the top spot, just yet!
Memorable Quote:
Anthony - "Rick and Rick, out back, told us to order the Brown Course Chop with a pig skin on top"
Waitress - "Oh lord, they are trying to kill you off young aren't they"
Here is a shot of that pit again - God, is that Sexy or What??
Are hush puppies always served with NC BBQ? How are they different from the cafeteria kind most of us are used to?
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