Picnic offers locally sourced whole hog barbecue alongside an expansive menu of Southern classics like a fried catfish sandwich, deviled eggs, Brunswick stew, and more. The menu often changes with new specials and homemade desserts making star appearances — keep an eye out for the Picnic burger. A full bar serves beer, wine, and cocktails, with catering and takeout also available.

Family-run Bullock’s has been a Durham institution since 1940, with faded framed photographs of celebrities and sports stars dotting the window, a pay-at-the-front system, and cafeteria-style service in the dining room. Expect to find barbecue joint staples like pulled pork, fried chicken, collards, mac and cheese, and more, alongside more eclectic offerings (for a North Carolina barbecue shop) like Maryland-style crab cakes, chicken parmesan, and quesadillas.

The only place in Chapel Hill currently offering whole hog barbecue, the Pig serves classic ‘cue with some updates. There’s Eastern-style pork barbecue, of course, but also pork cheek served banh mi-style, pork tongue tacos, and fried bologna sandwiches with the bologna made in-house. For a barbecue restaurant, there’s also a surprising number of vegetarian options, and it recently opened the Piggyback Bar behind the main shop, serving beer, wine, cocktails, and an abbreviated bar snacks menu.

In 2021, Southern Living Magazine named Backyard BBQ Pit one of the South’s most legendary barbecue joints, and the legions of fans who continue to flock to this South Durham staple would agree. The menu is focused on the meats — pork, turkey, beef brisket, chicken, ribs, and fish. Plates, platters, and sandwiches are all available, as are more than a dozen sides. Soul food aficionados will appreciate deep cuts like the pork feet and the fried whiting.

Since opening in Raleigh less than a year ago, Lechon Latin BBQ has injected new excitement into the Triangle’s barbecue scene. It certainly isn’t the first to introduce Latin barbecue traditions to the Triangle, but it is one of the only ones with such a dedicated focus to the craft. The menu includes pernil, Cuban sandwiches, salchipapas (fries topped with smoked Argentine sausage), empanadas, tacos, Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, and more.

After closing the iconic Chapel Hill location, the Allen family licensed the Pittsboro location of Allen & Son to be run by the folks behind Sanford’s Stubbs & Son Barbecue. The menu remains fairly similar, with a focus on sandwiches or plates of wood-smoked pulled pork, fried catfish, and burgers, alongside plenty of classic house sides.

Since 1938, Clyde Cooper’s has been downtown Raleigh’s go-to for barbecue. The Eastern-style pork comes chopped or pulled, and there’s also chopped chicken and beef brisket. The Brunswick stew is so popular that it can be ordered by the gallon, and for something different, it has a special dog on the menu — chopped pork barbecue topped with a sausage dog and slaw.

Sam Jones is one of America’s most foremost pitmasters, and for years fans had to make the trek east to Winterville, North Carolina, to get a taste of his award-winning barbecue. Luckily Jones and his team opened a Raleigh location that serves much of the same menu, with some twists for the big city folk. Go-tos include the Jones family barbecue tray (smoked pulled pork, a piece of Skylight Inn-style cornbread, and a side) and the Jones family chicken tray (choice of white or dark meat slow-smoked chicken quarter, choice of bread, and a side). There’s also fried catfish bites, pork skins, and pimento cheese, with plenty of sides and salads.