These 9 New-School North Carolina Barbecue Joints Are Smoking Their Way Onto The South’s Best Lists
North Carolina barbecue has deep roots, but the new-school pitmasters are having a lot of fun breaking the rules.
Whole hog still has its place, yet now brisket, deeply smoked ribs, creative sides, and flavors inspired by far beyond the state line are joining the party.
And people are noticing.
Several of these newer joints have landed on major Southern food lists, earned MICHELIN recognition, or climbed national barbecue rankings.
Some began with little more than a smoker and a food trailer.
Others are barely a few years old and already draw serious crowds.
If smoky meat is your weakness, these are the stops worth knowing.
9. Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue, Waynesville
A firefighter who smokes meat for a living is exactly the kind of origin story barbecue fans love. Ben Hooper runs the pits alongside his wife Bayley, a nurse, and the pair turned a 2021 food trailer into a full brick-and-mortar spot hidden into the Jonathan Creek community west of Asheville.
Everything at Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue is cooked over oak and apple wood, giving the Texas-leaning menu a distinctly North Carolina accent.
Daily meats include pulled pork, pulled chicken, ribs, and brisket, while specials have included smoke-fried wings, smoked turkey, brisket burgers, and stuffed baked potatoes.
Sides include loaded potato salad, hand-cut fries, coleslaw, baked beans, and mac and cheese. Desserts lean comforting: banana pudding, chocolate pecan cobbler, and peanut butter pie.
Find it at 3028 Jonathan Creek Rd, Waynesville, NC 28785.
Southern Living named it No. 9 on the 2026 Best New BBQ list, which explains the weekend crowds. Plan carefully, because doors open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. or whenever the meat runs out, and it often runs out early.
8. The Honey Hog Restaurant, Morganton
Brand new and already on a national list is a rare combination. The Honey Hog opened in July 2026 and soon earned the No. 12 spot on Southern Living’s 2026 list of the South’s Best New Barbecue Joints.
Morganton sits in the Catawba River valley between Hickory and Asheville, making The Honey Hog Restaurant an easy stop for anyone driving Interstate 40 through the Blue Ridge foothills.
The menu brings Central Texas and North Carolina barbecue together, pairing brisket and jalapeño-cheddar sausage with locally sourced whole hog.
That kind of flexibility is part of the fun, since a special one weekend might become a permanent fixture the next month. You will find it at 300 Carbon City Rd, Morganton, NC 28655.
Newer spots like this one usually keep limited hours while they get their footing, so checking ahead before driving out saves disappointment. Go early if you can.
Southern Living highlighted the restaurant just months after its opening, placing it among the top new barbecue joints in the South for 2026.
7. Longleaf Swine, Raleigh
Food truck to downtown storefront is a well-worn path in Raleigh, and Longleaf Swine walked it well.
The team built a following serving smoked meat around the Triangle before settling into a permanent home just east of the State Capitol, and Southern Living rewarded them with the No. 12 spot on its 2024 Best New BBQ list.
What sets Longleaf Swine apart is the willingness to mix traditions. Eastern North Carolina chopped pork shares the menu with Texas-style brisket and ribs, and the vinegar sauce sits right next to thicker options.
Sides and specials rotate, so repeat visitors rarely get bored. The Edenton Street location puts it within walking distance of Oakwood and downtown offices, which means weekday lunch can get busy fast.
The address is 300 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601.
If you are new to barbecue debates in this state, ordering a combination plate here is a smart move. You get to taste the eastern pork tradition and the beef-forward newcomer style side by side, then decide for yourself which camp you belong to.
Arriving before the noon rush helps.
6. Huli Sue’s BBQ and Grill, Asheville
Pineapple and post oak might sound like an odd pairing, but this Asheville kitchen makes it work. The concept blends Texas smoking technique with Hawaiian flavors, and Southern Living took notice by ranking it No. 22 on the 2024 Best New BBQ list.
Based inside the historic Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville, Huli Sue’s BBQ and Grill brings something genuinely different to a mountain city already crowded with good restaurants.
Huli huli chicken, a Hawaiian grilled preparation involving a sweet and savory glaze, shares menu space with slow-smoked brisket and pork.
The island influence shows up in sides and sauces too, which gives the whole meal a sunnier feel than a typical smokehouse plate. The address is 1 Page Ave, Ste 150, Asheville, NC 28801.
Since it sits in a landmark building surrounded by shops and other eateries, this is a good pick if your group cannot agree on one cuisine. Parking downtown takes patience, so consider a nearby garage and walk over.
Fun detail: huli means turn in Hawaiian, a nod to flipping chicken over open flame.
5. Prime Barbecue, Knightdale
Prime Barbecue earned a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for its barbecue in Knightdale. Southern Living also placed it at No. 30 on the Top 50 BBQ Joints list for 2025, a double stamp of approval that keeps the parking lot full.
Prime Barbecue sits in the Knightdale Station area just east of Raleigh, close enough for a quick weekend drive from the capital.
Brisket is the headliner here, cooked low and slow until the bark turns dark and the fat renders soft, though pork, ribs, and turkey all get serious attention.
Sides and desserts rotate seasonally, and certain cuts sell out early in the day. You can find it at 403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale, NC 27545.
Anyone chasing the best brisket in the state should put this on the short list. Arrive close to opening, bring cash-friendly patience for the line, and order a little more than you think you need.
Leftover brisket reheats beautifully in a low oven wrapped in foil, which is a trick worth knowing for any barbecue road trip.
4. Sam Jones BBQ, Winterville
Few barbecue names carry more weight in eastern North Carolina than Jones. Sam Jones comes from the family behind Skylight Inn in Ayden, and his own restaurant in Winterville keeps the whole hog tradition alive while bringing a modern restaurant feel to it.
Southern Living ranked Sam Jones BBQ No. 29 on its 2025 Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South list, while the Raleigh location holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.
Whole hog cooked over wood coals remains the centerpiece, chopped and seasoned with vinegar and pepper the way eastern Carolina has done it for well over a century.
Cornbread cooked in pork drippings and classic sides round out the plate. The Winterville location sits at 715 W Fire Tower Rd, Winterville, NC 28590, a short hop from Greenville and East Carolina University.
Calling this place new-school is a bit of a wink, since the technique is ancient. What is new is the polished dining room, the merchandise, and the national attention that has followed.
Bring an appetite and order the pork sandwich first, because that single item explains the entire eastern North Carolina style in a few bites.
3. Dampf Good BBQ, Cary
The pun in the name gets a laugh, but the brisket is what brings people back. Dampf Good BBQ has become one of the strongest newer barbecue names in the Triangle, earning a Michelin Recommended designation for its Texas-style cooking.
Found on Good Hope Church Road in Cary, Dampf Good BBQ runs on the central Texas playbook: simple salt and pepper seasoning, plenty of oak smoke, and long cooks that let the meat speak for itself.
Brisket is the calling card, sliced thick with a rendered fat cap and a dark peppery bark, and house-made sausage and ribs fill out the tray.
Sides stay classic rather than fussy. The address is 6800 Good Hope Church Rd, Cary, NC 27519.
Smaller operations like this one often keep limited service days and stop when the meat is gone, so checking current hours before you head out is wise. Bring friends and order by the pound rather than by the plate.
Sharing lets everyone taste brisket, sausage, and ribs together, which is the best way to judge any Texas-style pit.
2. Jon G’s Barbecue, Peachland
Jon G’s Barbecue has turned the small Anson County town of Peachland into a destination for Texas-inspired barbecue.
That is the reality in Peachland, where Jon G’s Barbecue has built a reputation big enough to land at No. 50 nationally on Yelp’s 2026 Top 100 barbecue list.
Run by Garren and Kelly Kirkman, Jon G’s Barbecue leans hard into Texas-inspired cooking, with brisket, beef ribs, and house sausage handled with obsessive care.
Limited service days mean the team can focus entirely on quality rather than volume, which is exactly why people line up long before the doors open.
Anson County is about an hour east of Charlotte, so the drive doubles as a pleasant backroads outing. Look for it at 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133.
Getting in takes strategy. Regulars show up early with folding chairs, and popular items disappear quickly once serving begins.
Check current hours before going, because the Peachland restaurant currently opens on Saturdays only at 11 a.m. and serves until sold out.
The payoff is a tray of some of the most talked-about smoked beef in the Carolinas, served in a town most people have never heard of.
1. THE SMOKE PIT, Concord
Topping every other North Carolina restaurant on a national ranking is a bragging right worth having. THE SMOKE PIT landed at No. 16 nationally in Yelp’s 2026 barbecue rankings, the highest placement of any barbecue spot in the state that year.
Sitting along Concord Parkway north of Charlotte, THE SMOKE PIT serves a crowd-pleasing mix of Carolina and Texas influences, with pulled pork, ribs, brisket, and smoked chicken anchoring the menu alongside familiar Southern sides.
The setting is casual and family-friendly, which makes it an easy stop for groups who want good smoked meat without a long pilgrimage to a rural pit shack.
Concord is also home to Charlotte Motor Speedway, so race weekends bring serious crowds. The address is 796 Concord Pkwy N, Concord, NC 28027.
Anyone visiting the Charlotte area with limited time should aim here. Midweek lunches move faster than weekend dinners, and portions run generous enough that a sampler platter can feed two hungry people.
Ask about daily specials at the counter, since the kitchen often smokes items that never make it onto the printed menu.
Disclaimer: This article is intended as an editorial guide to newer and notable barbecue restaurants in North Carolina. Rankings, awards, and recognitions mentioned here come from the publications or organizations named in the article.
Inclusion does not mean every restaurant has been ranked by the same source or judged under the same criteria.
Restaurant details can change after publication. Hours may shift, especially at barbecue spots that serve until sold out.
Menus can also change based on availability or seasonal decisions. Before making a special trip, check the restaurant’s official website or social media page for current hours and service updates.
Addresses were included to help readers identify the correct location. Some businesses may operate additional locations with different menus or schedules.
Awards attached to one location should not automatically be assumed to apply to every branch.
Descriptions of barbecue styles are meant to explain the general approach of each restaurant. They should not be read as strict culinary classifications.
Pitmasters often combine regional traditions and personal techniques, so individual dishes may not fit neatly into one barbecue category.
This article is not sponsored by the restaurants listed. Placement does not represent a paid endorsement.
References to popularity or crowds are editorial observations based on publicly available information and should not be interpreted as guarantees about wait times.
Readers with food allergies or dietary restrictions should contact the restaurant directly before ordering. Ingredients and preparation methods can change without advance notice to customers, and cross-contact may be possible in shared kitchens.
