Howard DuBose
I recently was given the Official NC Barbeque Map. Looking at it gave me a thrill and a quandary: Why would anyone need to go camping at the beach in order to eat really good BBQ? I am writing an article on coastal camping. So. The truth is there are many places to go camping at the beach in NC.
As you would expect, BBQ places are clustered around population centers. The further East or West you go, the fewer places you will find. They are also often clustered around our interstate highways. But BBQ is everywhere.
(You need one of these maps.) In a way, BBQ is very historical and old-fashioned in NC, probably dating from well before the Civil War. It is one of the original ways our early settlers cooked.
A reminder: There are several types of BBQ in NC, with local variations, so if you are from here and go really far east, you may find unfamiliar BBQ. Eastern BBQ is usually very finely chopped, and they use the whole Pig (BBQ is Pork, OK?), the sauce is more vinegary, the slaw is white, with lots of mayonnaise. Sauce: anyone can cook a pig, but every BBQ cook has his own sauce. This is why people have their favorite BBQ joints! We are really only considering Eastern BBQ today, but here is more info.
Piedmont (western or Lexington) BBQ is usually more coarsely chopped, and lots of BBQ guys use only the shoulder. The Piedmont Sauce is sweeter, more sugar, tomato sauce added, vinegar, as usual. Now, I personally get mine with no sauce, just the coarsely chopped pig, with whatever red/black pepper & salt & vinegar it is cooked with. Then I can add my sauce. I know a guy who uses Texas Pete straight on his BBQ. Piedmont slaw is supposed to be red slaw, with sauce or ketchup in it.
One of my better friends swears that Allen & Son Bar-Be-Que in Bynum, NC, is the best BBQ in NC. This is near the Haw River, so when you are down there paddling, you should try it. It is right on Hwy 15-501, just up from the River.
My favorite BBQ only happenes once a year, and my church, Salem UMC. in Bushy Fork, NC, makes it in October. This is in Person County and the “old” guys who cook this are using generations’ old methods. It is delicious. One of our guys also makes a “dyno-mite” sauce that he also sells at our Harvest Sale. Too bad, folks!!!
Eastward from the Triangle you have BBQ hubs in Greenville, Rocky Mount, Fayetteville and Wilmington. There is almost no way you can go to the beach without passing close to two or three BBQ places. If you get to the coast to camp, there are 9 places north of Nags Head (plus plenty of camping on the northern islands). There are also 9 close to Morehead City and the southern islands.
Hatteras seems to be one of the few places in the east that does not have one!
In Little Washington, “Boss Hog’s Backyard BBQ” seems to have one of the cooler names. That is on the way to Hatteras, but still a ways off. Smithfield, NC, has one of those “BBQ” names. One of those is Smithfield Chicken N BBQ. I know I said that BBQ is pork, but there are some who try to make it work with chicken and do a pretty good job of it too. As does Smithfield’s Chicken ’N BBQ… There are 35 of these, spread around the eastern part of the state, Smithfield, Dunn, Fayetteville, etc. They must be good, since there are so many of them. I am not a fan of chicken BBQ, but I guess there are more than a few folks out there who are, or the franchise would not be so big. So, check it out online, and on your way to the beach, you can be well served!
Starting up north, things seem to have grown a bit since my first trip to Corolla in 1965. One of the BBQ emporiums in that part of NC with the best success is Sooey’s BBQ & Rib Shack. (I do not know why they always feel they have to be a shack, but that is a very common description.)
Sooey’s has shacks in Corolla, Duck, Nags Head. If you have never been to Duck, you owe it to yourself to go. FYI: the nearby campgrounds are all in Nags Head, or Kill Devil Hills. The same is true for Corolla, camp in Nags Head, or on the mainland. But, the BBQ is there. There are actually 3 BBQ places in Corolla, 1 in Duck, 1 in Kitty Hawk, & 2 in Nags Head. These string out along Hwy 12. Do remember that Corolla is the end of the road.
Camping wise, on the coast, your better bets for Camping & Q, are going to be around Wilmington. There are many more choices, and camping and cottage options are much better there. Let us, however, talk about Morehead City first. It is a long and mostly BBQ-less way from Nags Head to Morehead City. On Hwy 17, you will find a couple of Smithfield’s Chicken ‘n BBQ, if that is your wish. But arriving, you do have a couple of locals. Roland’s BBQ is really in Beaufort, just a couple of blocks off Hwy 70. This comes highly recommended. White Swan BBQ in Atlantic Beach, is one of six locations in NC, but is locally owned and operated, which means it is pretty good. They also have chicken.
Another eatery of note is Big Oak Drive-In (BBQ) on the barrier island, near Indian Beach & Salter Path. Their big draw seems to be their Shrimp Burger. Hmmm. There are several others, as well, further off. The camping here seems to be on the mainland, and mostly RV parks/campgrounds. Oyster Point Campground is the most out of the way, if you like quiet.
So, Wilmington & the southern islands: This is a great town, nice beer, some antiques, as well as 2 Smithfield’s Chicken and a couple of locals. Jackson’s Big Oak BBQ is smack in the middle of town, just off Hwy 117, but touts their Authentic Eastern NC Pork BBQ (& other southern cookin’). If you want to venture into town this is a good place to try. Casey’s Buffet BBQ calls itself sprawling, so if you are looking for small & intimate, this may not be it. But they do take out and have a buffet, both of which are quick. This one is also sort of in town, just off Hwy 17. There are a total of 6 BBQ places, in town. South a bit, in Carolina Beach is A&G BBQ & Chicken. They call themselves Carolina Beach’s Premier BBQ Place, but then, they are the only one. They also do breakfast, and have been around for 30 years, so I would go there!
As for camping in this area, I would go to Carolina Beach State Park. I love State Parks. They are usually cheaper, and you get to see your tax dollars at work. You can also camp at Carolina Beach Family Campground.
Enjoy the beach this summer, and while you are there, eat a BBQ plate or two for me, my beach town, Surf City, does not have a BBQ place, Drat!!!