perspicacious possum's awesome bbq review

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Our World Famous, totally objective BBQ rating system from Intergalactic Possum Headquarters is located in beautiful southeastern North Carolina.

A cornstick is one fine comestible; a skinny slab of fried cornmeal with a delicate bread like interior. One does not eat dinner rolls with barbecue.Thus, the delicious and essential cornstick stands for us as the symbol for all that is good in the 'cue universe.

Traditional eastern North Carolina barbecue, seasoned with a blend of apple cider vinegar and red pepper, is served with specific side items or fixins, including Brunswick Stew (originally made with squirrel, now with chicken and mixed vegetables), slaw (not that mayonnaise stuff, and don't call it coleslaw), boiled potatoes, and cornsticks or hush puppies, and intensely sweet iced tea. The highly recommended sweet complement to this meal is banana pudding, preferably cooked by a little old lady who has worked at the establishment for 40 years or more.

For those of you wanting to say that they have good 'cue at the Cracker Barrel, we can only assume that they probably don't sell a lot of collards and such off the back of trucks in your home town so you must be easily impressed. To you who are lucky enough to live someplace where you can safely assume that any restaurant serving breakfast will have redeye gravy to put on your grits, and that asking for "tea" will get you 10W40 ultra sweet iced tea without asking-you folks know better.

Marvin's BBQ, Ward's Bridge Rd, Kenansville-Marvin's is yet another excellent country style bbq restaurant in rural Duplin County. Marvin used to serve take-out only behind his double wide but has now built a new restaurant right next door to his house. The 'cue, however, remains the same. Authentic wood-cooked pork bbq and chicken are served up with country vegetables, fresh hush puppies and homemade desserts. Marvin's 'cue is coarse chopped and lightly seasoned pork flavored mostly by hickory. It can be a tad on the dry side (certainly not greasy)and the Possums like to soak it up good with the excellent traditional vinegar and pepper sauce that's on the table. The chicken is nothing short of exquisite. It's a "dry" spit roasted seasoned chicken cooked on wood, not the usually wet bbq chicken swimming in sauce. The chicken itself is plenty juicy and falling off the bone. We recommend the combo plate with pork, chicken, 2 veggies, and dessert. Try the homemade red velvet cake, but beware-you'll want a nap after consuming this meal unless you're going back to the farm to work it all off.

White Swan, Hwy 301 S., Smithfield-The White Swan has been an institution in Smithfield for years and has many loyal customers who believe this to be the finest 'cue in the lad. Traditional Eastern style 'cue, but very mildly seasoned, this 'cue is lean and clean yet very moist. Mr. Possum found the 'cue most palatable and somewhat reminiscent of Scott's in Goldsboro. Ms. Possum was less impressed, pronouncing it "ok." Unfortunately, they were out of Brunswick Stew the day we stopped for lunch; the Possums find that 'cue always tastes a little better with the counterpoint of stew to stimulate the ole taste buds. Excellent fresh homemade hush puppies, good tea, and the black-eyed peas which we ordered in lieu of stew were exceptional. Good authentic atmosphere with lots of working guys and local folks. Located virtually next door to the larger, more opulent (!) Holt Lake BBQ and Seafood (more known for seafood than 'cue).

Branch's Barbeque, Red Hill Road, Summerlins Crossroads-If you aren't from around Duplin County, it may be a challenge to find Branch's, but if you succeed you will be rewarded with the ultimate country authenticity. Mr. Norman Branch's restaurant is only open Friday and Saturday and he fixes whole hog wood cooked 'cue the old fashioned way. His 'cue is on the juicy side-some would say greasy- but to the Possums that just means it's extra tasty. It may not be the leanest 'cue in eastern NC, but it's certainly some of the best. Limited side orders are available-slaw, green beans, hush puppies and sometimes homemade pie for dessert. The atmosphere is simply the most down home found anywhere. If there's a barbecue joint anywhere more "down home" that Branch's, we ain't seen it yet! Absolutely worth the drive (it's a nice cruise, anyway). If you want directions, email the Possums; the email link is at the bottom of the page.

Billy Pickett's Beef and Pork, Lyman-Yet another great country bbq restaurant way off the beaten path in rural Duplin County. Billy Pickett's, like many 'cue places in these parts, is open only on Friday and Saturday. If you can find your way to "downtown" Lyman, stop at the convenient store (we know they's convenience stores, but we likes 'em to be convenient) and ask directions to Billy's; the store is the only one in Lyman, and is an O-ffishal weighing station for NC wildlife hunting kill records. Billy's is really nice for a way out in the country 'cue restaurant. It has a spacious dining room and features pork chops and seafood platters as well as pork and chicken. Billy's 'cue is wood cooked and really tasty; Mr. Possum finds it occasionally dry while Ms. Possum just loves it. An excellent and very bite-y vinegar and pepper sauce is available for topping your pig. The Brunswick Stew is superlative, outstanding, awesome (what else would you like?). They put 'cue in their stew ("I've got tears in my ears...") and so much of it that you eat it with a fork rather than a spoon. The banana pudding is also notable; homemade and excellent. Email for directions.

Mitchell's, Hwy 301, Wilson-Ms. Possum here-I did a really bad thing and went to Mitchell's without Mr. Possum (who may never forgive me). Someone emailed and asked me why I didn't have Mitchell's on the list-this one's for you! I think that this may be a new favorite-this seriously prepared pork was juicy, peppery, and just plain foot-stompin' great. All the veggies were wonderful, including slaw, greens, yams, and potato salad. My dining companions clearly enjoyed their bbq chicken and raved about the banana pudding. Excellent sweet tea, bread pudding, and most funky atmosphere. In fact, my young friends were a mite hesitant to go in until they saw several of Wilson's finest come through the door (cops know where the good food is, and not just donuts either).

Barbecue Lodge, Raleigh/Garner-The atmosphere's better in the Garner restaurant, but don't let the shopping-mall-in-North-Raleigh location fool you; it's the same great food there, too. Archetypal eastern NC style 'cue. Chopped lean pork seasoned liberally with vinegar and pepper. Excellent table sauce (how come the vinegar and pepper mix tastes different everywhere you go?). The best homemade banana pudding in the universe. Excellent brunswick stew, fine hushpuppies, good slaw; in fact all the fixins are top notch, and the barbeque chicken is killer as well.

Clyde Cooper's, Raleigh-reportedly Greg Allman's favorite, this restaurant if a venerable institution in downtown Raleigh. State government suits and working guys sit side by side and enjoy Cooper's classic eastern NC style 'cue. Excellent fresh fried pork rinds and killer ribs. The ribs are those eastern NC style shorties cooked until the meat is falling off the bone and seasoned with a mildly vinegar sauce. Good stew, other fixins not noteworthy.

Murray's, Raleigh-Located on Poole Rd in an unassuming cinder block building, Murray's has an authentic down home atmosphere and an excellent NASCAR memorabilia collection. Good solid eastern style 'cue and excellent banana pudding (served chilled when the possums partook). Other fixins limited.

The Late Great O.T.'s Barbecue, Apex-Gone but not forgotten, the standard by which Mr. Possum judges all other 'cue; a stop here on buffet day would result in a food induced stupor, likely to last for a half day or more. The 'cue here was coarse chopped in big chunks almost pig pickin' style and liberally seasoned with vinegar and pepper. The ribs were eastern style shorties, slightly fatty and surrealistically delicious. The stew, bbq potatoes (taters, we say), and other fixins were top notch. Lots of pick up trucks in the parking lot. Lots of construction workers, lots of 350 lb. patrons. If you wanted to eat lunch here and not gain weight, 8 hours of heavy labor was essential.

Parker's Barbecue, Wilson-Located on hwy 301 south, the BBQ highway; one of the most revered institutions in barbecue history, Parker's serves a finely chopped, very lean yet moist eastern NC style 'cue. Excellent stew, killer taters. The only downside is no dessert!

Bill's Barbecue, Wilson-Bill Ellis's bbq empire is located in the mecca of pork bbq (the Possums make pilgrimages to Wilson frequently). Bill's has a drive-up take out window, a walk-up take out window, and a large restaurant with several dining rooms. A fleet of Bill Ellis catering trucks is parked outside, all featuring the "from the squeal to the meal" slogan. If you want to cater for a few thousand, Bill is your man. Bill raises his own hogs on a special diet to ensure quality. Excellent traditional eastern NC 'cue. Great bbq chicken, excellent fixins. In this case, one of the biggest is truly the best. Watch for the Bill Ellis Racing Team at Southern National Speedway!

Wilbur's, Goldsboro-Possibly the most famous 'cue restaurant in the world, Wilbur's is always jammed with tourists and locals alike. It sits outside Goldsboro on a crowded stretch of US 70 east, almost directly across the road from our favorite Goldsbor eatin' spot, McCall's BBQ and Seafood. Wilbur's still cooks up some good basic Eastern style 'cue, but the fixins aren't that good they commit a major bbq faux pas (!) by serving canned Brunswick stew. Wilbur's is pretty good but seems to be riding on their reputation a bit these days. Rather than stand in line with a mess of tourists, we'd sooner cross the highway and eat at McCall's.

McCall's BBQ and Seafood, Goldsboro-McCall's serves excellent traditional chopped eastern style 'cue but also serves seafood. The feature an awesome buffet that's long on meat and fish, maybe a little short on veggies; they could use some good greens, black-eyed peas, and sweet tater soufflé to even things out a bit. To prepare to eat at McCall's, fast for at least 24 hours and then consume until you explode. Calabash style fried shrimp and oysters make a nice appetizer before your 2 or 3 plates of traditional wood-cooked 'cue, ribs, mac and cheese and veggies. Then you need to sample at least 3 of the desserts. The possums recommend the banana pudding, peach cobbler, and blueberry cobbler topped with self-serve soft vanilla ice cream. Just keep in mind it's all you can eat-don't be a wimp!

Bland's BBQ, Warsaw-Located in the possums' neck of the woods, Bland's is in Duplin County, just a touch south of the Barbecue epicenter of NC (Smithfield-Wilson-Goldsboro), and they serve up some of the best 'cue in southeastern NC. Their traditional chopped eastern style 'cue is juicier than most (if not the leanest 'cue around) and they have an awesome table sauce that is again made from vinegar and red and black peppers and tastes like no one else's. Cafeteria style plates are available at lunch and this is one seriously local place. Great down-home atmosphere and great down-home cooking featuring excellent collards, field peas, sweet taters, etc. No Brunswick stew is the only downer.

Jackson's Big Oak BBQ, Wilmington-Wilmywood is not renowned as a 'cue town, but Jackson's serves up good ole' traditional eastern NC style 'cue as well as fine barbecued chicken, Brunswick stew and all the other fixins. Try the homemade blueberry cobbler with ice cream if it's available. It's "to die for" for sure. They also sell their excellent barbecue sauce bottled to go. It's the same good stuff sitting on every table.

Billy's Beef and Pork Center, Tin City-Billy's is take-out only, but it's Ms. Possum's favorite in Duplin County so we had to put it in. It's a "lean n' clean" chopped 'cue, just a little on the dry side but it is truly excellent pig. Sides are available from the hot bar, and Billy's Brunswick stew and chicken pastry are both world class. It's right off I-40 at exit 385 and west on NC 41, so stop off and git some on the way to the beach.

Stephenson's BBQ, Willow Spring near McGee's Crossroads-One of a small handful of 'cue restaurants that still cook with wood, Stephenson's is nothing less than the Possums' all time favorite. Just get down wind of it and drive up with your windows down and you'll be salivating before you cut the engine. Head inside and feast on the finest traditional wood cooked eastern style 'cue and the best eastern style ribs you've ever sunk your teeth into. Great stew, great hushpuppies, great banana pudding, and chicken pastry the likes of which we've never had. Stephenson's is the real deal and would be Mr. Possum's choice for a last meal were he waiting to meet Ol' Sparky in Central Prison up there in Raleigh.

Smithfield's Barbecue and Chicken, Smithfield, Clayton, and Warsaw-Smithfield's original restaurant (in Smithfield, of course) has grown into a small chain of adequate but somewhat uninspired establishments. The 'cue is very basic eastern NC style, chopped not too fine and seasoned fairly mildly; it's a tad too dry for the Possums' taste but douse it up good with the vinegar and pepper sauce at the table and, voila, you got you some pretty fine eatin' (Mrs. Possum suspects that the 'cue is purposefully mild, so's not to overwhelm the Yankees coming off the interstate). Good Brunswick stew, hushpuppies; they make sure that your cup of 40 weight tea never sets anywhere near empty. The banana pudding is forgettable, but hey, this place is off the interstate and you don't get food this good near the highway, now do you?

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Bubba's BBQ, Siler City-Chopped pork, mildly seasoned with a hint of the ketchupy "Lexington style" sauce. Whoever came up with the idea of adding tomatoes to pork barbecue and why?

Blue Mist, Ramseur-More mildly interesting "Lexington style" chopped pork 'cue. Bring your own vinegar and pepper sauce, 'cause this here is west of Raleigh 'cue and that means there's nothing on the table but ketchup.

B's Barbeque, Oxford-B's serves up succulent dry rub Memphis pork ribs with their ho-made sauce on the side. These are some of the best memphis style ribs the Possums have ever eaten, and they were much appreciated by Ms. Possum who was recovering from a nasty hornet sting on her thumb, incurred earlier in the afternoon at Lake Sardis near Oxford. We ate the ribs and rubbed the extra sauce on the wound (the sauce being the closest thing to an Irish potato that we had in our room at the Ole Miss Motel). Notably, as soon as Ms. Possum stuck one of B's ribs in her mouth she quit complaining about her throbbing thumb.

B's is located in a gas station/convenience store and serves not only ribs but bbq chicken, bbq turkey legs, cornish game hens, and marinated quail. Vegetables are limited to baked beans and slaw, which seems to be standard fare in many Alabama/Mississippi bbq restaurants. (we're so sperled in Cackalacky, with our Brunswick stew, bbq taters, yams, collards, and other delicious sides that are served with our world's best bbq).

Jim Deerman's BBQ, Hwy 78, Birmingham-On the outskirts of Birmingham, this funky drive-thru also features limited seating. The pork ribs are tasty Memphis style; the chopped pork is less interesting. Chopped 'cue just does not work with that ketchupy sauce which merely covers the natural flavor of the pork. An interesting note-famous blues harp man Little Milton stopped by to get some bbq to go-we saw the bus in the parking lot-it was too big for the drive thru-and sho'nuff, Little Milton hisself came in for a rib sandwich! Deerman's had excellent sides, including delicious baked beans and cornbread.

Little Pigs BBQ, Anderson-We were hoping for that mustard-based South Carolina low country style 'cue, but Anderson is, after all, upstate in the hill country, so what we got was a rather uninspired chopped pork barbecue, seemingly unseasoned, served with only potato salad, slaw, and french fries. A ketchupy red sauce was available at each table for topping it off. The sweet tea was at least up to snuff. We still want to try that famous SC mustard-based type 'cue-we'd appreciate suggestions.

B. B. King's, Memphis-The babyback rib sandwich has tasty little ribs but don't have enough meat (frankly, they don't compare to the short ribs in eastern NC). The ribs were topped with that slightly sweet ketchupy Memphis style sauce. Great atmosphere! We rate this 2 1/2 cornsticks, but hey, they don't serve cornsticks with Memphis style bbq or Brunswick stew for that matter. Oh, well... that's why the Possums don't spend all that much time away from eastern NC.

Garner's, Amarillo-Award winning Texas style BBQ, which means meat (including beef?!) slow cooked and sliced down into big pieces and served with a ketchupy red sauce. At little like my momma's pork roast with supermarket bbq sauce poured on top. What's the hubbub, bub? Oh, well...they sure do have some real nice folks in Texas, anyway (apologies to Mr. Possum's old buddy, Fort Worth John).

Cattle Call, Amarillo-More Texas 'cue, this time featuring some pretty tasty big beef ribs soaking in that sweet sauce that all but covers up the taste of the meat. Portions are Texas sized, the service is great, and we loved the Texas Toast. Folks in Texas are so nice that we hate to say anything bad about their barbecue, so we won't say anything more.

Check out Bob Garner's book, North Carolina Barbecue, Flavored by Time, (ISBN 0-89587-152-1) published by John F. Blair, Winston-Salem, NC- blairpub@blairpub.com. Bob is a certified NC Pork Producers' Association barbecue judge, so he knows his 'cue. See Mr. Bob on Carolina Countryside on local PBS station WUNC-TV. Check out the web site at www.carolinacountryside.com.

Join bbq fanatics on the web! Check out The Smoke Ring for all that's bbq. Includes stuff that we've never heard of, like bbq in Massachussetts and smoked lamb. They've got it all.

Comments? reply to virtualveggie@mindspring.com. The Possums welcome any reviews or suggestions about places that we haven't included or gently worded missives encouraging us to broaden our tastes (can't hurt to try). We kindly reserve the right to make editorial alterations in material that we receive. Don't forget to say "please" and "thank you"; we're civilized folks here and you know your mother taught you better!