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Rich in flavor and tradition, Morris Barbecue has proudly served the Hookerton community and beyond since its inception in 1931 though its location lies within the beaten path.

It all began when Willie “Pop” Morris needed a new pair of shoes. After he was gifted some pigs, Pop cooked them over a pit, and then peddled them to the Hookerton community.

“He made him some money to buy some shoes and then some,” said Pop’s great-granddaughter Ashley Morris Godley.

From there, a barbecue legend was born with many coming from far and near to savor the flavor of Morris Barbecue’s eastern style barbecue, which can only be enjoyed on Saturdays – when the restaurant is open.

Finding success with his barbecue peddling, Pop began selling barbecue on a regular basis from the coal pit he had at his home. In 1956, the restaurant opened directly across the street from his house, with Pop offering barbecue as well as convenience items such as drinks, sugar and cookies.

Pop’s shop quickly became a local hangout spot for people in the community. Here they would purchase drinks and food, gather and play music and if they were lucky, they would meet Pop’s pet monkey.

“He had two or three over his lifetime.

He lived across the street and people remember riding the school bus and seeing the monkey sitting on the mailbox,” Ashley said.

While Morris Barbecue no longer offers the delight of playing with a pet monkey, the Morris family keeps everything as authentic as they can to when Pop was running the place.

Following Pop’s death in 1991, his grandson - William Morris Jr. - took over ownership.

“When my grandfather was living, my dad (William Morris Sr.) was more in the background as a repairman for granddad. I helped my grandaddy before he passed away and when he was raising pigs. Regulations made it tough on small farms, so he ended up having to sell the pigs,” William said.

“I chopped barbecue when I was a teenager. I made $3.50 a day to chop and clean the pig. Then I started cooking for him three to five years before he passed away. He had it fixed up so when he passed away, I would take over.”

The restaurant itself has been expanded upon, allowing for better function, and it no longer offers convenience items such as candy and sugar, but it does maintain the original dining tables and most importantly the family’s secret of barbecue perfection.

“We would never do anything in here – while I’m alive – that I didn’t think my granddaddy would approve of. That would be the line in the sand,” William said. “He didn’t do sandwiches and he didn’t do tea. Times have changed and we are able to offer that.”

Compared to other barbecue joints, Morris Barbecue keeps it simple with the menu offering barbecue plates, barbecue sandwiches, hand-dipped hushpuppies and slaw.

“We tell people it’s a simple menu, but we perfected it,” Godley said.

Desserts are also offered and handmade by Godley, who carries the tradition started by Pop’s wife, Frankie “Nanny” Morris.

“She used to do all the desserts for the restaurant. When I was in college, Dad let me do the desserts like she did. That helped me a lot with my college. We offer something different every week,” Ashley said.

Desserts consist mostly of three-layer cakes with chocolate pecan, pineapple, carrot and more being offered. Homemade banana pudding and chocolate eclairs are also offered.

Morris also offers a specialty menu with items often selling out before the restaurant can open its doors. These items include skins, bone trays and ribs.

“Our skins – people almost fight over them. They are not something you can go to every barbecue place and get,” Godley said, explaining they do not mix the skins in their barbecue.

“With the bone tray, we keep a little bit of meat on the backbone, and we put what we call the bark of the barbecue – that crunchy outer brown edge. I tell people it’s like a pig pickin’ in a tray. You get a little bit of this and that. It’s probably one of the best values on the menu.”

Specialty items are a hot commodity, with customers often reserving their items throughout the week and then picking them up on Saturday.

As Pop used to say Morris Barbecue offers ‘all but the squeal’ when it comes to their barbecue. The whole hog barbecue is seasoned with years of experience passing through the pit master’s hands. These years of experience equals one thing in the Morris’ eyes – consistency.

“Some of the biggest things we are known for is consistency. Everybody has different tastes and that’s okay. If you come here one day and then come back another, it’s going to taste pretty close to how it did that first time. We use the same recipe – the recipes were what they were back when Pop did it. We keep a lot of the authenticity,” Ashley said.

Morris Barbecue also offers a true authentic eastern North Carolina vinegar barbecue sauce, which has wowed barbecue competition judges, according to William.

There is no secret why folks return to Morris on Saturdays. Coupled with the delicious food offerings, the Morris family strives to make each customer feel like family.

“I think our food is good, but I think we try and take an interest. We love this place, and we love when people discover it. We try to take an interest in people just as much as they take an interest in our food. The couple from Clayton, we’ve gotten to know them, and we enjoy that. I think the customers enjoy that,” Ashley said.

“Most of the people that work here are family. Those that are not – we kind of adopted,” she added.

While most of the resultant’s business is take-out, Morris Barbecue offers indoor seating as well as seating under a picnic shelter outside. People are even welcome to tailgate in the parking lot, Ashley said.

“I think we have built up a reputation. Because we are only open one day a week, and people know we are only open that one day a week and the food is good, they are coming,” Ashley said.

Morris Barbecue holds a special place in William’s, Ashley’s and Ryan’s heart. When William retires, Ashley and Ryan will be ready to take up the cleavers.

Both Ashley and Ryan are involved in the restaurant currently and have been learning the family ways of preparing barbecue excellence.

“My dad puts his heart and soul into this place, and he does the same to me – he puts his heart and soul into me. He goes above and beyond when he wants to teach us all the little tricks he learned throughout the years,” Ashley said. “We talk all the time about how Pop would be of this little store. I hope one day I’m able to say the same thing- my daddy would be proud.”

The Morris family would also like to be able to expand their business in the future by possibly opening another day of the week, growing their food trailers business at festivals – since COVID-19 slowed it down – or by offering more catering or shipping options.

“This is a one day of the week business. Hookerton is small. We do have a lot of people come here as a destination place, but its harder to support being open every day because we are in a small town. A lot of times people don’t work in the town. They are working in bigger towns farther away and it’s difficult for them to get here for lunch and get back,” Ashley said.

“We want to figure out other ways we can grow and expand.”

Morris Barbecue is located at 891 Morris BBQ Rd. in Hookerton and is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The dining room opens at 9 a.m. For more information call 252-747-2254 or visit them on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

Donna Marie Williams is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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