A Delicious Heart Attack at Allen and Son Pit BBQ

Food Reviews, North Carolina

Chest pains. Slowed, labored breathing. A giant smile on your face and a bit of BBQ sauce stuck to some part of your face. Not that much lighter a wallet…

These are the results of a trip to Allen and Son, one of my favorite NC BBQ joints. Living in NC for 2.5 years has led me to a few places now, and A&S is still my favorite. My friends Dave (you have seen a couple of his posts) and Amy swun through NC and I decided to take them to taste some delicious NC BBQ – Eastern Style!  Perhaps I should explain:

In North Carolina, Barbeque is first and foremost a noun. BBQ is pulled pork.  There is no brisket or steak or chicken or anything else.  You can, of course, GET those things – but they ain’t BBQ.  There are two primary types, East and West.  This civil war of sauces pits (BBQ pun intended) vinegar-based sauce, the eastern style, against tomato based sauce, the western (or Lexington) style.  Although I live in central NC, I live in an area surrounded by eastern stye BBQ houses, and A&S is one of the best.  The BBQ is sumptuous, with an incredibly soft texture. The sauce balances the fatty pork with a beautiful tangy acidity that only eastern vinegar sauce can bring to the scene. Plus…the ambience is…hilarious.

When I eat BBQ, I want checkered table clothes, porcelain pigs everywhere, and waitresses that bring you literally, a HALF A GALLON of ice tea when you order it. Oh yeah – no such thing as unsweetened ice tea here. Did I mention the diabetes along with all those heart attack symptoms above?

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The BBQ Plate with slaw and hushpuppies. The classic never loses its character.

Dave got the BBQ plate, Amy had the burger…and I…well, I had the Ribs.  With a capital R.

The heart starts beating faster…

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Pork Ribs - with slaw and the best potato salad ever.

To be honest..I rarely get the BBQ at A&S anymore.  Someone said that I’ve ‘learned my lesson’ about eating A&S BBQ, which isn’t really true.  That’s a little like saying a whiskey drinker ‘learned his lesson’ from all that beer he used to drink.  I haven’t learned anything..I’ve just moved on to what I consider to be bigger and better things.  Like ribs.  Why?  Question answered:

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These things are delicious. Absolutely delicious. And they fall apart. Amy tried to eat the bone. I warned her that I didn't know what would happen to her digestive system on the remaining 5 hour car ride ahead of her...

In summary – if you’re in the area…go here.  Trust me.  I’ve been here enough that I’ve moved on to the ribs.

Allen and Son Pit Cooked BBQ
919.942.7576
6203 Millhouse Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516