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Pickin’ Pig
In late 2002, we invited alumni to share thoughts
on a very important topic — barbecue. The message
board now has more than 200 responses. Excerpts of
several responses are below. Read the rest at
alumni.unc.edu/barbecue.
“My late wife was from Wilmington and,
while I had already been introduced to
Eastern N.C. barbecue before I was introduced to her, she informed me that Flip’s
BBQ in Wilmington made the best BBQ
around. That was over 40 years ago, and I have
yet to be convinced otherwise. I don’t have
the details on their shipping policy, but I do
know they will ship their product, as I did it
once years ago for an office party. … Ralph’s
BBQ in Weldon serves excellent BBQ with
all the fixins; I personally prefer Flip’s in
Wilmington, but Ralph’s is a great stop when
headed South.”
Perry F. Gawen Jr. ’ 63
Falls Church,Va.
“Raleigh is tough. The last wood-burning
pit was Murray’s on Old Poole Road, but it
closed a year ago. Now the closest fine barbecue with perfect barbecue atmosphere (part of
the joy, for me) is Doug Saul’s in Nashville,
N.C. — about an hour away. Otherwise, I go
to Allen & Son in Chapel Hill and The
Barbecue Joint on Weaver Dairy Road in
Chapel Hill. Hersey’s in Burlington is good,
also.”
Bob McConnell ’ 66
Raleigh
“I am writing from Newport Beach, Calif.,
where it’s beautiful 24/7; today it was 80
degrees. Recently, I have discovered a terrific
N.C. Bar-b-que place called Kill Devils! It is
the real deal! The folks that own it are from
North Carolina, and it’s obviously named after
the sand dunes where the Wright Brothers
first flew. Their barbecue is seasoned with a
peppered vinaigrette, just like Bob Melton’s.
My friend from high school days in Rocky
Mount, Tommy Smith, has sold Melton’s, and
unfortunately it has closed down. Kill Devils
barbecue here in Orange County, Calif., is
class quotes
JOEL BRILLIAN T ’ 66
dients. Sauce can be applied as desired and
will keep for a good while in the fridge.
Reserve some for post-cooking application.
“I have been crocking a Boston butt this
evening, and it is just about ready. Smells
great, and the sauce looks great. Almost
reminds me of Simp’s BBQ in Mackey’s Ferry
between Edenton and Plymouth. If you are
out that way, try it. It is very good, and I give
it a 9. 5 on the ENC-Q scale of 0.0 to 10.0.”
Frank H. Habit II ’ 77
Atlanta
In June, alumni who missed barbecue and UNC were among
200 guests at the San Diego Carolina Club’s ninth Annual
All-ACC Pig Pickin’, which went the whole hog and served
chicken, too.
very similar to that of Melton’s in Rocky
Mount.”
Marian Penny Hicks ’ 72
Laguna Niguel, Calif.
“Believe it or not, the greater Metro D.C.
area has good Carolina BBQ. Urban BBQ in
Rockville, Md., (on the Red Line of the D.C.
Metro) has great BBQ. They’re Texicans and
have that beef stuff, too, but for good sweet
tea and Carolina pulled pork, it’s hard to beat
up here. Oh, and if you’re in Lillington, you
have to try Howard’s down on the river.”
Ivo “Buddy” Wortman ’ 82
Silver Spring, Md.
“If you can’t find it, you want it that much
more! Eastern N.C. BBQ, that is. Living in
Atlanta, I have to fight my way through
tomato Q, and then through South Carolina
with its mustard Q to finally get to E.N.C.
with its vinegar Q. There is nothing like it.
For me, Parker’s is the best. There are many
others close behind, but Parker’s does it best
for me.
“For those of you across the country who
cannot get to E.N.C. for BBQ, you can do it
at home. Grill, bake, boil or crock (yes, this is
a verb now) a Boston butt pork roast. (If you
are real fired up, you CAN do a dressed pig
over hickory coals all night with your best
friends.) Baste or cook in this sauce:
2 cups white vinegar
2 sticks butter
2 tbs. salt
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. crushed red pepper
1 tbs. black pepper
1 tbs. Tabasco (or Texas Pete or other)
2 tbs. sugar
“Heat mix on medium low to blend ingre-
“I’m not too surprised that I went from an
N.C. sports board to a BBQ board to a UNC
alumni BBQ board. What a great way to waste
a rainy Sunday afternoon! I miss N.C. BBQ
so much that I bought a smoker this weekend
and will try my hand at BBQ while on vacation. The ‘BBQ’ in South Texas doesn’t appeal
to me (although the sides and sausages are very
good), so I’m just going to make it myself.”
Victoria Quinn ’ 87
San Antonio, Texas
“I was always a fan of Allen & Son just
outside of Chapel Hill. Growing up, it was
Stateline BBQ straddling the N.C./S.C. line
on Hwy. 176. We live in New York now and
pickin’s is slim. We make our own a couple of
times a year, but when desperate: Dinosaur
BBQ on 125th Street (just behind Fairway) in
Manhattan does a pretty good job.”
Gregory Porter Miller ’ 92
Cold Spring, N. Y.
Let us hear from you. Visit the alumni discussion groups at alumni.unc.edu/discussion and
chime in on everything from the Duke rivalry to
your memories of the Campus Y.
