This is the story of "The Three Little Pigs" and if dining on three different BBQ sandwiches on the same day had a fairy tale ending or not.
Early lunch was Speedy Lohr's Barbecue in Lexington. Old school Western Style that was decent enough and was enjoyable. The sandwich was a tad squished and looked messy. There were fair portions that had a nice, moist cook with a wisp of smoke. The red slaw tasted bitter and was piled all up on one side (hence the messiness and almost soggy bun). Would I make a special trip back? No.
Late lunch was Historic BBQ Trail stalwart BBQ King in Lincolnton. They get high marks for the super sweet young ladies behind the counter who made me feel like a regular. Then there's the high marks for the toasted hamburger
bun. Yep. Toasted. Nice touch. The 'cue was piled super high and delicious. Smokey and the perfect mouth feel. The red slaw was chopped nicely and really paired well with the meat. The 'cue stood out for sure and the slaw add that little extra crunch. It's now my Number 2 for Western Style NC BBQ, just behind Lexington BBQ. It cracks the Top 30 overall and definitely worth a trip to Lincolnton for this one.
Dinner was a sandwich from Big Nick's BBQ in Sylva. Hardly a legacy barbecue like the first two, but fair. The aroma inside the restaurant is heavenly and I had high hopes for a glorious finale to my road trip day. Sadly, the 'cue was tough and salty. Yes. Salty. Never
had overly salty barbecue before, so a little off-putting. There was no slaw, so no commentary on that. The meat was a tad dry and their sauce add-on was no help. That said, I had their brisket Mac and cheese as a side and I would definitely stop by there just for that. The brisket was cooked perfectly and the cheddar on the Mac was awesome. Next time in Sylva I will try their brisket by itself.
All in all, a fairly decent day for Western NC barbecue. As an Eastern NC BBQ boy, y'all know I LOVE my Down East 'cue and my expectations for Western are not too high for the most part. Tomorrow's another day in the mountains, so more NC Left Side 'cue to come. Stay tuned.
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