Of The NC Q Wars

Western NC BBQ vs. Eastern NC BBQ, that is. My local favorite Lancaster's BBQ is mentioned.

In truth I like Lancaster's more for the hamburgers and fried foods than the bbq; their 1/2 pound burger is masterly, and their deep-fried offerings are cooked in clean oil, freshly battered/breaded, and only dropped into the oil after you order.

For BBQ I favor Q Shack, which produces both Western NC pork BBQ and Texas-style beef brisket BBQ. I also like Hillbilly's BBQ & Steaks, although I have only eaten at the McAdenville location; I didn't know that they had expanded into Charlotte.

Of course, as a native of Gainesville, Florida, I grew up on Sonny's BBQ, and ate at the original Sonny's on Waldo Road often; back then we called it Fat Boy's, because Sonny Tillman's original sign read Sonny's Fat Boy Real Pit BBQ. I still like it after all these years, though I recognize that the meat is usually dry and in need of sauce to make it edible. Fortunately Sonny's original mild sauce is one of the better ones out there.