2nd Stop :: Stephenson's BBQ :: Aug 19

Stephenson's BBQ, only 30 minutes from Rex, acosts you as a very bright church-hall-potluck type joint but its warmth comes in the good country folk surrounding you and serving you very straightforward and flavorful Carolina Q. We missed out on the ribs as they're only served on Thur, Fri and Sat, but we were able to partake in everything from Brunswick Stew, Hushpuppies, Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, BBQ Sandwich, Spiced Apples and Banana Pudding.
The tables welcome you with already-waiting pitchers of sweet tea and the quintessential vinegar-based BBQ sauce. The food was served super fast and our waitress was incredibly sweet - even after I (Blair) knocked over Julie's sweet tea :(
It was a stark contrast to our last stop - THE PIG - in that they are not attempting to market themselves in any way... they simply are what they are; good 'ol fashion Carolina BBQ.

1st Stop :: The Pig :: July 17

The Enema By Pork journey down the NC BBQ Trail has officially kicked off!  We were supposed to go to Allen & Sons in Chapel Hill... but lo and behold, apparently being closed Sundays and Mondays isn't enough for A&S, sooo we find out last minute that they also close on Wednesdays at 5pm!!  WTF.  I suppose there is a backroad, country, hicktown, moonshine prayer meeting wasn't going to host itself.  So screw 'em, we went to one of their competitors 'The Pig'.

The overwhelming consensus was that The Pig was as Brian stated "...exactly what I would do if I could open a BBQ joint.  Blair, you wanna quit our jobs and do this?"  Brian's foodboner never dissipated... and with good reason!

The Pig really seemed to take pride in having creative options that many other BBQ joints simply don't think to do.  The even make their own bacon and bologna.  Pretty impressive.

I didn't hear any compaints on the food, except maybe the surprise that the deepfried oreo was surprisingly spicy.
All in all, we considered a very furtuitous surpruse that Allen and Sons are lazy enough to never be able to keep their doors open at times when people actually enjoy to eat!

Even the children had a lot of fun!  Who knows where we'll go next??