Q "carolina style" pulled pork in a grocery? .... yeah, buddy!

[alkapal]

nova hounds,

go directly to harris teeter, prepared foods section (not next to sushi, but not too far away), and find the "north carolina bbq" deli container tray (black plastic rectangle, clear top) of pulled pork from brookwood farms, siler city, n.c. (a bit less than a pound) and enjoy.

no big label, just look for an oval sticker "carolina bbq".

authentic eastern carolina flavor, NO fatty crap like those "tubs" from other places. no fake smoke.

it is the real deal. around $5.50/container --@12-14 oz.. let me know if i steered you wrong.

thank me!

[rbish39]

The local Richfood Store in Central Va. carries a NC Barbcue Hardison's out of Jamesville, NC which is a very good store brand to cater to that NC craving. When I can't get down to Rocky Mount I settle for this.

[Steve]

My local HT no longer carries it in the 'deli' section where they offer foods prepared in-store. It is in the section with pre-wrapped coldcuts in round black plastic tubs with carboard packaging. Both with or without tomato sauce. Clearly labeled Brookwood Farms.

[fldhkybnva]

Checked there - no luck

[alkapal]

they no longer even carry the brookwood tomato-based bbq sauce one in the harrison street, arlington store -- only the original east carolina style.

[fldhkybnva]

The pulled pork craving hit last night and I happened upon this thread. First thing this morning I drove a few minutes out of the way to swing by the local Harris Teeter with much excitement and dreams of pulled pork on an onion bun, but to my dismay they don't carry it. I just thought I'd post here so that people in Baltimore know that as of now the Harris Teeter in Federal Hill is not carrying this product. Thanks for the find, though!

[alkapal]

you asked them at customer service or meat dept. manager? a shame if your store doesn't carry it. maybe they'll order it for the store….

sometimes our store is out, too.

[fldhkybnva]

I checked near the prepared foods section and they had a black tray with clear wrap on top but it had the Harris Teeter label on it and did not resemble traditional Carolina pulled pork but was shredded pork loaded with BBQ sauce which was pretty similar to the Niman Ranch pulled pork I picked up last night in hopes that it would be the one. The prepared foods employee was very helpful and directed me to the meat department manager who initially said that yes, they did have it but then checked in the section with the other tub BBQ (e.g. Lloyds') and it was no longer there. Perhaps, they will get it back in stock. Or...I could suck it up and drive the 40 minutes to Andy Nelson's BBQ to buy a few lbs.

[alkapal]

mine was out just the other day, as i mentioned. i'll bet it was just out of stock. keep checking for it in the tub section. it has a colorful pkg. HT carries lloyd's and this brookwood farms brands.

if no satisfaction, contact HT hq.

[fldhkybnva]

I FOUND IT!! I was at the Teeter this morning doing some last minute New Year's Eve dinner shopping and remembered to give the deli section another thorough sweeping. They had it this time!! Only 2 packages though so I picked up both. Any good tips for storing.

[Steve]

Freezes just fine.

[alkapal]

just a heads up: the harris teeter's brand of pulled pork bbq ("tangy NC style) is VERY close to brookwood farms' brand in quality, leanness, flavor.... so, if it is on sale, go for it! (that's why i tried it -- for $3.99) i enjoyed it.

[alkapal]

sale: two tubs for $5 at harris teeter this week -- at least in d.c. area. it is in the meat dept. near other bbq, not in deli section.

[RobertM]

Brand name, or the stuff they usually sell?

[alkapal]

brookwood farms, from siler city, n.c. "eastern carolina" style bbq

1 pound tub

[vttp926]

its on sale here. i definitely will be hitting up ht to get some. 1 for the fridge and 1 for the freezer since it will take me a while just to eat 1 tub. but the last time i went into food lion i also saw them but saw that they had 2 styles on there. but oh man just pulled up their website and i am drooling!

[alkapal]

yes, it freezes well. when i've frozen it, i do "revive" it with a little fresh "east carolina Q sauce," though, as it tends to get a wee bit dry.

[alkapal]

starting today -- for a week i presume -- this great brookwood farms bbq tub (in the meat section, near the other bbq tubs like lloyd's) is on sale 2/$5!!!!

[Bob W]

Thanks alka -- I'm finally going to try this 'cue. Perfect Super Bowl food. Cholesterol be damned!

[Steve]

Awesome news. I get this on a regular basis. It is really great, especially with the HT cole slaw on a hamburger bun. Thanks so much for pointing this out.

[vttp926]

i saw that in the sale ads. i think i will definitely have to try it out. love me some bbq even though no one else likes it in the family.

[Bob W]

We finally tried the Brookwood Farms bbq. Pretty good, a little wetter than I like my eastern NC cue to be, but certainly nice to find at the local Harris Teeter.

[alkapal]

i didn't think it was wet; i hope they haven't changed!

[vttp926]

its on sale again this week alkapal. i definitely will need to pick it up now there are no more meat restrictions on fridays.

[alkapal]

great! i'm in florida, so i'll miss out. hope the quality has stayed high with their popularity. eat some for me! ;-).

[vttp926]

will definitely be trying...hopefully get over to ht by tues otherwise it goes off sale...but i need to find a really good slaw recipe now...

[Steve]

The HT blue cheese cole slaw goes perfectly with the Brookwood Farms east carolina bbq.

[vttp926]

will definitely have to look for that. already making a grocery list for monday since they will be closed on easter sunday.

[vttp926]

omg it was so good! i think the serving was recommend for only 3 sandwiches. i probably could have made 5 sandwiches out of it since i dont eat much meat. but 1 thing i do wish, was that for me i like it a bit more saucy. it was the right amount but i like a little bit more sauce. couldnt find the ht blue cheese cole slaw though. will have to look at a different ht.

[Steve]

The Eastern NC style bbq (I think this is labeled as Carolina) is marinated in a clear vinegar sauce and is quite wet. I have to drain mine after heating up. No tomato or red sauce used. This is the stuff I'm getting.

They also make a style labeled Western with a red sauce, but I haven't tried it.

Which kind did you have?

I usually make five sandwiches out of it.

[vttp926]

it didn't specific if it was eastern or western. but i think it is a bit of both because it wasn't a strong tomato or vinegar to it at all. probably western though since i do live in the western part of the carolina.

i was able to make 2 sandwiches last night for dinner and 1 for tonight. i probably could have gotten 2 more sandwiches out of what i do have left. but i dont think i can eat it for a 3rd day in a row.

[weezycom]

It freezes well

[vttp926]

I just didn't want to freeze it after it has been heated through. But I will definitely keep that in mind.

[rbish39]

Sam's stores have a good NC Style barbcue called Lancaster's NC Style Barbcue. Living in Va. when I can't get to NC this will stop the craving. Most Sam's stores have it.

[Bob W]

I just wanted to point out for NC cue novices that -- unlike for hamburgers -- the preferred bun for NC cue is a cheap, tasteless thing. Do not invest a penny more than what a bag of store brand burger rolls will cost you. It's all about the meat!

You should be able to scrunch an entire NC cue sandwich into your mouth. If you can't, your bun is too good!

[alkapal]

i stand by my martin's potato dinner rolls! ;-)

[danhole]

Okay Miss hot shot! Where can I find this in Houston? Can you tell me that? Please?

Dani

[alkapal]

so sorry miss dani! harris teeter is only in s.e./mid-atlantic (not even fla!). you've got plenty of good texas-style Q there in houston, don't you? maybe you'll have to do a smoked pork butt or shoulder, and sauce it yourself! do you have a smoker (or a friend with one? surely!. ;-).

but, would mr. h like it, since he doesn't like sour things (i recall, no kraut!)?

[danhole]

Oh yes, we have a smoke, a gas grill and a charcoal grill! Who cares if mr. h doesn't like it? I have daughters with families who would gladly take some. I'll have to see if my favorite BBQ place has that - he was thinking about a pulled pork

[treetop tom]

Got a package over the weekend at the HT in Columbia. The verdict - Me and Son (Baltimorons) pronounce it the real deal. Wife, Harnett County, NC, raised (and a real BBQ snob) ate it with a unsatisfied look on her face and proclaimed "too much vinegar, don't bother getting any more for me." Luckily for her, we have a tub of Smith's Red & White BBQ from Dortches, NC, coming on Wednesday with a buddy from work who is retiring to Rocky Mount. It is the only "store bought" BBQ she will proclaim to be "real BBQ." I noticed they had white tubs of BBQ from Brookwood Farms in the meat case for a buck less. Don't know if it's any different or not. Also saw the dreaded red "Jesse Jones" hot dogs that are popular in NC and southern VA.

[alkapal]

thanks for the tip on the tubs in the meat case. i'll ask about it. a tub is probably greater weight, too. so -- a better deal! yay!

and re your wife's taste: i thought their vinegar was just right (but i like vinegar). but, to each her own! it leaves more for you and son! ;-D

tell us about the "smith's red and white bbq" from dortches, nc.

[treetop tom]

Smith's Red & White is a venerable grocery store/butcher just off I-95 in Dortches, NC, just north of Rocky Mount. They do all their hog butchering every Tuesday and make some of the best East Carolina sausage (sage and red pepper) and BBQ I've ever had. Around the holidays it gets so busy with people coming off the interstate to buy their sausage that they have to have police directing traffic and the line for the meat counter snakes through the store. They have two clerks who sell nothing but sausage during the rush (30,000 lbs a week!). Most of the time, though, it's just a small town grocer who closes at 6 PM and is closed on Sundays.

[alkapal]

treetop tom, i'm envious that you have a friend in rocky mount with easy fresh pork access! i wish the smith's sausage was sold around here. i recently got some fresh sausage at the italian store, and was not very happy with it.

[rockycat]

Better than Nahunta sausage? Is that possible?

[treetop tom]

The mild sausage is better than Nahunta Pork Center's. The hot is too hot for me, so I can't speak to it. The country hams are better at Nahunta. The BBQ is better at Smith's, but not as good as Wilber's, right down the road from Nahunta.

[rbish39]

I live in central Va. I always make a run to Smith's Red & White off of I-95 for sausage and barbcue. The stew is not bad either. When going to NC for a Hurricanes game are heading to SC we always try to find a Smithfield Chickin & Barbcue Resturant they are all consistently good. There NC style barbcue is the best if you can't get to NC go to Sam's Store and get Lancaster's NC Style Barbcue it's the best ranks in with any NC style.

[MikeR]

To people who weren't raised with it, the taste of North Carolina BBQ IS vinegar. I always think it has too much vinegar (as I do with the Harris-Teeter version) but a lot of "foreign" foods have flavors that appear strong to us because we're not accustomed to it.

I noticed that H-T also has Western BBQ along side the Carolina BBQ. Next time I get the urge, I'll have to try that. I'll bet it'll be too sweet, which is typical of the "Americanized" version of Kansas City BBQ.

[alkapal]

i don't know if it is kc style, but i know it has tomato. i somehow got the impression it was western nc style. i'm going to ht today for more eastern style, and will check out the other.

i liked this little article about Q variations: http://homecooking.about.com/gi/dynam...

[MsDiPesto]

Thanks for letting us know about this Alkapal! I scored a package the other day and bought some cole slaw and knot rolls to go with it, and...YUM!

[alkapal]

you go, girl!

and, if i didn't mention it upthread, the little martin's potato dinner rolls are great with the Q.

[MikeR]

And it's 50 cents off this week. ;)

[Bob W]

Good call alka. I'm a huge eastern NC cue fan and gave this stuff a try the first time I saw it. It's a lot cheaper than driving four or five hours to Parker's, Wilber's, Moore's, etc.

Another unusual source for good eastern NC cue in this area is the Weenie-Beenie in Shirlington. They serve it with the proper little packs of Texas Pete hot sauce (made in Winston-Salem).

[RobertM]

There are Weenie-Beenie shops in Beltsville MD!
The name has changed to Burger Delite, but it is the same menu.
The one over on Kenelworth Ave closed I think.

[freckmoto]

Alkapal-
I'm headed home to NC this weekend and plan to eat some of the real thing while I'm there. I cannot thank you enough for this tip. 1st stop Harris Teeter when I return. Can you identify a metro accessible HT that carries the product?

[repete]

Brand new H-T near White Flint has it.

[alkapal]

freckmoto, the glebe rd. location on this "store locator" site is near ballston metro: http://www.harristeeter.com/other/sto...

pentagon row store location is close to pentagon city metro stop.

call and be sure they carry it, but it sounds like it is widely available.

do me a favor, find me some good fresh green peanuts to boil up, or some good boiled ones, while you're at home. have a safe trip!

[Henry Spencer]

This thread gave me a taste for it, so I stopped at the Ballston store tonight. They were out of it on the shelf, but someone got me some out of the back that was still frozen, so I had to thaw it when I got home. As an added bonus, it was on sale with .50 off. Because of HT's NC roots they carry a lot of things I used to stock up on on trips south like good fine ground corn meal to make my grandmother's corn bread recipe.

[alkapal]

henry, now all you need with that cornbread is some good field peas!

[chowmac]

Went to the ballston store - did not see anything by the deli - but they had a white tub in the packaged meats section (near the hot dogs etc) from the same company - is it the same thing?

[alkapal]

chowmac, i have to check that location. i know a tub is available for the stores to carry, as the butcher at the harrison street store told me -- but they don't have it there......yet.

[Henry Spencer]

My father, who's a Craven County native turned me onto it. It's not Wilber's, but it is definitely satisfying.

[alkapal]

i just got 3 more containers today. they had to go get them from the back. (i think they were chilled or frozen/thawed.) excellent again, esp. with the potato rolls.

[Steve]

You didn't steer me wrong. Like a dutiful Chowhound, I took your advice and enjoyed the Carolina Q. I've never had Q in Carolina, but have had this style before. This had good porkiness and nice smoke flavor that shone through the clear vinegar sauce. A winner all around.

[alkapal]

there you go! glad you liked it. you must've had a Q craving! ;-)