Four North Carolina barbecue joints rank among the top 100 in the United States. Though this state has longstanding barbecue traditions, all the restaurants that earned spots on the list have ties to Texas.
FULL STORY: These 4 barbecue joints across NC rank among the nation’s best
Here are key takeaways:
- To determine the nation’s most-loved barbecue joints, the review website Yelp studied ratings and comments from people who are active on the platform. Though North Carolina is known for the pork-focused Eastern and Piedmont styles of barbecue, the state’s winning restaurants have Texas-inspired dishes on their menus.
- The Smoke Pit in Concord ranked highest among North Carolina restaurants at No. 16, with Yelp highlighting its “tender brisket, pulled pork, and fall-off-the-bone ribs, each smoked low and slow for that signature flavor.”
- Jon G’s Barbecue — which landed at No. 50 — serves Texas-style favorites like sausages and beef ribs alongside “creative sides like jalapeño cheese grits, street corn salad, and brisket fried rice,” according to Yelp. The restaurant in Peachland is only open Saturdays and always sells out.
- Prime Barbecue in Knightdale and Haywood Smokehouse in Dillsboro also made the list of fan favorites. Pulled pork and burnt ends are among the most popular dishes on their Yelp pages.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.️
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 12:42 PM with the headline “These NC barbecue joints rank among nation’s best. They all have this in common.”