Little Richard’s Barbecue in Winston-Salem

[Melanie Wong]

After Winkler Bakery and P B’s Takeout, next stop on Friday’s quickie tour of Winston-Salem was a stop at the original Little Richard’s Bar-B-Que on Country Club Road.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5644419160/

Even before noon, all the tables were taken.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5643857093/

My host suggested that we eat in the pick-up truck to give me the full redneck experience. But I opted for the picnic table around the side with the view of the parking lot and Marco’s Car Wash & Lube.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5643861789/

Really wet, just carrying the sandwich from the counter to the table, the bun was soaked through. Bill added a few shakes of Texas Pete’s hot sauce. Other than that, this was regular chopped, as seasoned by the kitchen.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5643863815/

Coarse chopped is an option on the menu, but we didn’t order it. My first taste of Lexington-style BBQ left my mouth parched, despite the wetness added to the chopped pork by the slaw and sauce. I was really struck by how lean the meat was and the lack of natural moisture. It felt very cotton-y and fibrous on the palate. Bill suggested that this sandwich needed more dip, but I wanted to taste it as presented first. Also, it had little smoke or wood influence, basically tasted like dried-out roast pork.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5644432354/

My take-away lesson from Little Richard’s was three-fold:

1) Order coarse chopped and ask for some outside brown
2) Add more sauce/dip to the meat if it needs it for flavor and moisture
3) I don’t like the slaw and meat in the same mouthful. The flavors clash to my taste and I prefer them as alternating bites.

Little Richard’s is Bill’s go-to place in Winston-Salem. I’m glad I had a chance to try it, but it wasn’t going to make me a fan of Lexington-style.
http://plixi.com/p/94835276

Little Richard’s slideshow (click on “show info” for captions
)http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/tags/littlerichardslexingtonbbq/show/

http://eatmopig.com/

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Little Richard's Bar-B-Que
4885 Country Club Rd, Winston Salem, NC 27104

[mikeh]

Hopefully you can wash your mouth out with some Pete Jones' Skylight Inn tomorrow! (I would also swing by Bum's, also in Ayden, just to sample or takeout a side of their collards, green beans, or rutabagas - you won't find better country-style veggies anywhere in the entire state. They use a special type of collards called "cabbage collards" only grown in that county, and the seeds are guarded like the Coca-Cola recipe).

[Melanie Wong]

I tried 3 others in Lexington that were better or maybe I got better at ordering.

BUT, I'll say that my stop just now at Wilber's has restored my faith in NC BBQ. I enjoyed that so much more. On to Skylight Inn!

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Wilber's Barbecue
4172 US Hwy 70 E, Goldsboro, NC 27534

Skylight Inn
4618 S Lee St, Ayden, NC

Skylight Inn
1501 Lee St, Ayden, NC 28513

[Naco]

The nice thing about eastern style is you don't have to worry about all that inside baseball ordering lingo.

[arbyunc]

Haha, agreed! "Plate or sandwich?" is pretty much the only lingo you have to know. :)

[Melanie Wong]

Ha! Talk atcha later.

Skylight Inn tray
http://plixi.com/p/96205851

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Skylight Inn
4618 S Lee St, Ayden, NC

[Thomas Nash]

Melanie -- If you are reading this at Skylight, be sure to check out the incredible smoking building in the back toward the right. Amazing technology! Much more than a "pit".