Heading to Raleigh, NC. BBQ???

No real great bbq in Raleigh. Some will say The Pit but it's average and is way overpriced. Clyde Coopers is decent but they don't cook over wood.

Old Time BBQ on hillsbourough (close to nscu) is the best in Raleigh. Backyard BBQ Pit in Durham is also good. For great BBQ you have to travel a little away from Raleigh

There is a BBQ store in north Raleigh, Grillbillies. They carry rubs and sauces - a lot of the standard big competition brands. It's worth checking out if you need something to do. They are nice people

I would reccomend checking out the nc farmers market. It's very close to nscu. They will have amazing produce and all kinds of homemade items (sauces, jams, jelly, honey, etc). Saturday and Sunday mornings are best. There are two restaurants there also. The state farmers market restaurant has amazing breakfast and the seafood restaurant has great calabash style seafood. I'd eat at one of those before any of the BBQ places in Raleigh.

First off, congrats to your daughter! This thread probably belongs in the Road Trip section.

You should try and hit Allen and Son's bbq in Chapel Hill and Clyde Coopers in Raleigh.

Not to sure on rubs in NC. As for sauces, George's and Scott's are good vinegar sauces for pork that I usually pick up. Carolina Treet is a good mustard sauce that pairs well with chicken. We usually pick up Tongue Tingling sauce when we find it as well. All of this you should be able to pick up at a Food Lion or similar grocery.

I'm sure others will chime in with recommendations.

Not sure if this would mean anything to you, but one of the best bagel places I've been to is in Cary, NC. It's called new York bagels and deli. It's about 7 miles from NC state. I was there for a competition, and ate there 3 days in a row for breakfast. And I'm normally someone who loves to try different places when out of town. I've never looked at bagels the same since.

One of the best IMHO is Hog Heaven in Durham NC.It is on right at I-85.Look the up on line,you can check out the menu and prices,they are reasonable to me.Another good source is check out the "NC Barbecue Society.com " look at the BBQ trail, it evens gives direction.As far as a chain bbq restaurant's go, Smithfield Chicken & BBQ are OK.Try bout sauce's if you eat there.Best wishes to your daughter .

You should definitely go to Kamado Grille. Everything is cooked on Kamado Joe's. Food is awesome!!It's just off of Falls of the Neuse Rd. in North Raleigh. Try the Smoked Apple Cake for dessert! It is the bomb!! If you are there on Fri. or Sat nights, I think they still have Smoked Prime Rib on those nights. Very good!!

Having tried both locations The Pit in Durham was better than The Pit in Raleigh.

If you're going to be there on a Wednesday night, I always head to The Original Q Shack in Durham.

http://www.theqshackoriginal.com/

This is Texas style BBQ, but on Wednesdays, they have a great Blue Grass band that plays in the evening. The other place I always hit is The Blue Note in Durham, especially on Tuesdays for their Blues night. I haven't been to their new location yet.

http://www.thebluenotegrill.com/

I'll be there in a couple weeks and will hit both locations.

Congrats to your daughter!

I would recommend Wilber's bbq in Goldsboro. It's about 45 to an hour away but it is more than worth the trip....

Big Mikes Brew N Que

Big Mikes Brew N Que at 1222 NW Maynard Road in Cary NC. I agree with the others, Raleigh does not have great BBQ but Big Mike's is the best I have found. Try the smoked potato salad, it is fantastic.

I agree with chicagokp for Q-joints = Allen & Son's in Hillsborough (the one on Hwy 86 between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough - NOT the one on 15/501 between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro!); and Clyde Cooper's are my favorites in this area. The PIT in Durham is MUCH better than the ostentatious PIT in Raleigh! Picnic in Durham is a new joint that cooks only 1/2 hogs over charcoal and wood and is pretty good as well. MOST of the other Q-joints around are OKAY, but not worth going out of your way to get to - especially Old Time in Raleigh.

For "non-NC" barbecue, Gore's suggestion of The Original Q Shack in Durham is really decent too.

Grillbillies is a GREAT store for all things barbecue!!! LARGE selection of rubs and sauces, not to mention grills and accouterments.

If you are looking for a good steak, hit the Angus Barn! A bit pricy, but worth it!

And if you really want a road-trip while you are here, swing down east to Ayden to the Skylight Inn or west to Lexington #1 = these are the epitome of Eastern style and Lexington style NC BBQ!

Just my $0.02.

Another vote for The Original Q Shack in Durham

Just as bbq.tom said...if you could get to Lexington bbq or Skylight Inn it would be worth it. Lexington may be a little closer to Raleigh. Roughly an hour west.

Southside said:

Just as bbq.tom said...if you could get to Lexington bbq or Skylight Inn it would be worth it. Lexington may be a little closer to Raleigh. Roughly an hour west.

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Actually, Lexington is closer to Two hours west. I just judged the KCBS contest in Lexington on Saturday and it took me 2 hours to get there from Cary.