I’m worried that BBQ is dying.
BBQ is such a distinctly American style of cuisine. One of the few that we can justly claim as our own. Sure, the style has its regional quirks and twists (brisket and “red hots” with oak and mesquite smoke in Texas; pork with vinegar-based sauce in the Carolinas; hickory smoke and sweet sauce in Kansas City), but the basic concepts are the same across the country: meat righteously spiced and slow-cooked over hardwood smoke.
But I’m concerned the art and skill of good BBQ is dying out, it’s being lost.
I’ve spent a lot of time in North Carolina since my dad and stepmom retired down there a couple of years ago. I hadn’t had much exposure to Carolina BBQ before that, and it turns out I was missing out. Carolina BBQ is pork butt. Its whole pigs in the smoke pit. Its vinegar based sauce. Its a friendly rivalry between East Carolina and West Carolina (Lexington) BBQ. Open wood pits. There is a long, celebrated tradition of BBQ in North Carolina.
But the trends are not good. Kepley’s Barbeque closed this year after 77 years. Short Sugar’s BBQ closed this year after 75 years. Bill Ellis Barbecue closed after 55 years. Jack Cobb & Son Barbeque, nationally recognized as an iconic barbecue restaurant, closed. All of that tradition and decades of skill handed down mouth to ear from one generation to the next… gone.
One of the true joys I find in my life is hanging out with friends sharing good BBQ while sipping good American whiskey. So in homage to long heritage of North Carolina BBQ and the many, many fine North Carolina whiskies, let’s walk through some of my favorite North Carolina BBQ and whiskey pairings.
Wilber’s BBQ with Defiant American Single Malt Whiskey
Wilber’s has been smoking whole hogs over hardwood for over 60 years. Ya gotta go with the chopped pork plate here. Coarsely chopped. Tender but not mushy. Drizzle it with their signature pepper-vinegar sauce, and I dare you to find a better example of East Carolina BBQ. With Wilber’s chopped pork I had to go with some sipping on Defiant American Single Malt. American Single Malt whiskeys are having a moment. The malty complexity of Defiant really picks up the pepper spice in the sauce and adds a dimension that deepens the barbecue’s already deep character (and I’m talking James Earl Jones’ voice kinda deep. Yeah. That deep.).
B’s BBQ with Old Raleigh Small Batch Bourbon
There are “hole in the wall” restaurants and then there are hole in the wall restaurants. B’s is one of those. This is absolutely zero frills. The menu is short and simple. Cash only. The hours are short, 10AM to 2PM. There’s a walk-up window to order and outdoor picnic tables to eat it at. That the line starts long before they even open should be a blaring air raid siren to how damn good this food is. Go with the classic chopped pork sandwich here, it is a life lesson in the elegance of simplicity. Pair this epic sando with a nip of Old Raleigh Small Batch Bourbon. This is a bold and balanced whiskey. The hint of vanilla oakiness hitting on the smoky porkiness is just… goddamn sublime. Two great things that make each other even greater. You will be effusive with your self-backpatting for treating yourself to this. It’s a trek to the boonies to get to B’s, but the trip is totally worth it.
BAR-B-Q King with TOPO Carolina Whiskey
BAR-B-Q King has been pit smoking pork in North Carolina for over 50 years. Seriously, they opened up when friggin’ Richard Nixon was president. So “when in Rome” order the BBQ plate: chopped pork, sauce, slaw and hushpuppies. This is a “West Carolina” or Lexington style BBQ, so it’s a vinegar-based sauce with splash of ketchup and a pinch of chile heat (probably cayenne). And I went a little “outside the box” on this one and recommend a wheat whiskey with this food. Specifically, TOPO Carolina Whiskey. TOPO, being a wheat whiskey, is light and sweet and has a hint of citrus. Taken together this all definitely holds up against the acidity of the Western Carolina sauce… umm, excuse me, I meant to say the “Lexington dip”. There’s also a bonus benefit here of this wheat whiskey playing nicely off the sweet cornmeal in the hushpuppies. You can’t go wrong with this pairing. You can’t.
Stamey’s Barbeque with Southern Grace Conviction Bourbon
Stamey’s is the granddad of every other BBQ joint on this list. They’ve been BBQ-ing since 1930! 1930 is year that the planet Pluto was discovered. The year Birdseye started selling the first frozen vegetables. The year the first night baseball game ever was played. It’s the year the very first Looney Tunes cartoon was released, for chrissake! That’s a long ass time ago, my friends. Hell, did they even have cars back then?!? I don’t know if they had cars that far back, but Stamey’s was sure as shit selling barbeque that far back. And I paired this iconic chopped pork plate with a few nips of Conviction Bourbon by Southern Grace Distilling. This is a barrel strength bourbon, kids, so buckle up. Cuz if you’re going to chow down on some smoked pork that’s delicious enough to knock you on your ass then you should pair it with a whiskey that’s gonna punch you in the face.
Hursey’s with Holman Applejack
Yeah, yeah, I know. Applejack is not whiskey. But stick with me for a hot second, and you’ll forgive me for this because it is such a great idea. Hursey’s has been pit smoking over hickory wood for over 75 years, so they know a thing or two about barbeque. Get the chopped pork (cuz of course that’s North Carolina BBQ… seeing a pattern here yet?). And get it with the hushpuppies and Hursey’s honey butter. This honey butter is a goddamn superstar. On the hushpuppies? Holy crap what a winner. You could pair this with any number of fine whiskeys and be super happy. But I decided to color outside the lines on this one. In a moment of inspiration, I went with Applejack from Holman, a North Carolina distiller. The appley sweetness mirrored the sweetness in the honey butter, and tied in the smokey pork. Its so damn good I couldn’t help but think that its quite possible that this particular balance and harmony of food and drink, sweet and smokey, is only available in this particular universe out the entire infinite multiverse. Or… maybe I had too much Applejack.
American BBQ and American whiskey. C’mon, man, they are a match made in heaven. So wherever you live – North Carolina or any of the other 49 states – grab some friends, get some local Q and a bottle of local whiskey, and enjoy some time together.
Got any favorite BBQ & whiskey pairings of your own? Post them in the comments below.
