Recommended - BBQ & Ribs Co. - Graham

Address - 501 South Main Street Graham, NC 27253 Map

From the outside, the looks of this place shouted mediocrity. It is very much a fast food restaurant. Inside, they have paper towels and BBQ sauces on the tables. The food is ordered at a typical fast food restaurant cash register, but you get a number and the order is served to the table.
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The sliced pork, which came in chunks rather than slices, is fantastic. The barbecue chicken is coated with a thick (for Eastern style) BBQ sauce, which does not overwhelm the properly cooked chicken. The side dishes were acceptable.

This has become, on just a couple of visits, one of my favorite "fast" food restaurants, as well as one of the best barbecue restaurants. It is definitely a hidden treasure.

Acceptable - Rub's Smokehouse, Morrisville

Address - 10800 Chapel Hill Rd, Morrisville, NC Map
Style - Informal sit-down restaurant

The building was originally a barbecue restaurant, but for many years it was the Deli Box, a lunchtime spot for RTP denizens. As the Deli Box, they only served unsweetened tea. If you asked for sweet tea, they would tell you to go down to Davis Barbecue, a couple of miles down the road in Morrisville proper. The Deli Box served good sandwiches, which you could eat out on the picnic tables by the pond out back. Now, it is Rub's Smokehouse, a barbecue joint with promise.

I had the regular pulled pork plate, which I would have considercd lunch size. For dinner, get the large. Withe the pork came hush puppies and I chose baked beans and brunswick stew. The pork had flavor. It was nicely browned with a few dry bits. This is worth coming back for. The sides were average. The beans had personality, but nothing special. The stew had a hint of something canned and is not worth ordering again. The hush puppies were stone cold. I will try this place again. If larger servings of meat hold up and other sides are better, this place could get a recommended.

The quirkiest thing about the building are the bathrooms. There is no sink in the bathroom, just a hand sanitizer. Instead, there is a sink in the hall outside, which adjoins the main dining area. I do not remember this from when it was the Deli Box, but we always ate out back.

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From Going on Record , "Now here is a blog that most every North Carolinian can support..."
From Kent Craig's Homage To North Carolina-Style Barbecue, "The best North Carolina BBQ pure blog I've found."

Thank you.

Pitt County Barbecue Legend Dies At Age 77

From WRAL, http://www.wral.com/news/7139318/detail.html?rss=ral&psp=news
Pete Jones of the Skylight Inn has passed away.

There is one barbecue place out of the triangle that I would like to visit and review. It is the Skylight Inn in Ayden. (map). Other reviews have been mixed, but the place has such a history that I would love to visit the place.

Acceptable - Ole NC Barbecue, Durham

Address - 3600 N Duke St, Durham Map
Style - Sit down Menu or Buffet Restaurant

After a long cold, I finally get back to visitting barbecue restaurants.

Old NC Barbecue is a sentimental favorite. The food is not memorable, but the barbecue is pretty good, especially for a buffet.

When I was seated, I was asked whether I was going to order from the menu or buffet. I suppose that they try to seat people accordingly to keep buffet goers from inconveniencing the others. I was hungry and went for the buffet. I had barbecue, roast chicken, brunswick stew, potato salad and hushpuppies. The only notable item was the barbecue. It's typical eastern style with a little bite. After a decent plate, I hit the desserts including apple cobbler, banana pudding and banana creme pie.

Someday, I will not be so hungry and try the menu.