This barbecue was easily the blandest of the trip and had the same bun and same red slaw as everywhere else today. The tea was also un-noteworthy, although that might be attributable to the fact that our taste buds are pretty shot at this point in the day. But! The hushpuppies were amazing, some of the best of the trip. (They would’ve gotten top marks from me had they been a bit smaller so they had a better crispy outside to cakey inside ratio, but Nick said they were his favorite.) They were remarkable not only for their size but also because they had a unique ingredient: small bits of chopped onion. Richard came over while we were eating and said, “Only one sandwich? What the hell?” to which Nick explained that we weren’t too hungry (to put it mildly!) and just wanted a little bite to eat. He then made the mistake of complementing him on his hushpuppies, which provoked Richard to say, “We’re supposed to be famous for our barbecue, but everyone likes these hushpuppies!” Apparently we weren’t the first to comment on the pups and without first mentioning the cue.
The same buns reappeared at Wink’s, and it seemed like the hushpuppies were made of the same batter as Darrell’s - they were identical in taste but differed in size. These were actually the first ball-shaped hushpuppies of the trip, and the only ones served with butter other than Wilber’s. The tea was sweeter than Darrell’s but not in the same echelon as yesterday’s sweet teas.
M&K’s Barbecue. Granite Quarry, NC. It was closed but since it was right on our way to Salisbury we stopped to take a picture.
These people had the same bun as Bridges in Shelby! Do the bun-making companies cater to eastern and western NC distinctively? This sauce was slightly more vinegar-y and less viscous than Bridges with a nice bite to it without being hot. The slaw on the sandwich had the same sauce. The tea was probably the least sweet of the trip. And OH WOW, their hush puppies are out of this world!! We both enthusiastically agreed that they were the best pups of the trip, no contest. They were huge, incredibly light, and had a great flavor. I’m afraid we can’t do them justice in a tumblr post!
Day 3 started off with our first western-style barbecue of the trip. The sauce is distinctly different - thicker and some tomato component (although nowhere near the consistency of, say, ketchup). It was markedly sweeter than all of yesterday’s (eastern) sauces while still maintaining a tangy, vinegar-y edge. They served it in a small styrofoam cup, as the server put it, “so the sandwiches don’t get soggy”. For the first time on our trip, we were asked if we wanted “chopped or sliced” barbecue on our sandwiches (we chose chopped). They came with a red slaw on them that seemed to be the same sauce as in the cup. The buns were noticeably different than yesterday; most barbecue sandwiches are served on the cheapest buns possible but these seemed a bit higher quality (which wasn’t good or bad, just different.) The hushpuppies were quite a bit crisper and bigger and seemed like they’d been left in the fryer longer in comparison to yesterday’s pups. The tea was as good as Wilber’s - just the right amount of too much sweetness.
Alston Bridges Barbecue. Shelby, NC. Open Monday-Thursday 10:45-8; Friday 10:45-8:30. (Womp womp.)
They split the sandwich for us when we told them we wanted to share it! In comparison to all of the other sandwiches we had today, this was the spiciest - you could see the pepper flakes throughout the cue. The hush puppies were not as light as Allen and Son and not as sweet as some others we’d had earlier in the day. Wilber’s wins first place for tea - very sweet without being too sweet. (Although admittedly, can sweet tea ever be too sweet?)
This generous portion of barbecue was decidedly better than our first two stops today (Parker’s and Bill Ellis), but it could have used a bit more slaw to balance out the amount of cue. The hush puppies were pretty cakey and nothing to write home about. Maybe it was partly because I was getting full, but I couldn’t even bring myself to eat a whole one. (Never one to leave food wasted, however, Nick ate the rest of them, including my sad half a pup.) We didn’t order tea here. We drove around the back and found what we think was the barbecue pit, but they had a mix of chopped wood and propane outside of it.
Grady’s. Dudley, NC (south of Goldsboro). As you can see, not very open. FYI to any other barbecue hunters, their hours are: Wednesday-Saturday 10-3.
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