In Johnston County, barbecue is a noun — not a verb

By Jamie Strickland

Barbecue has different meanings in different parts of the world. In some places it’s a noun, in some a verb and in others it's both.

For Johnston County natives, it’s a thing that you eat, not a thing that you do. Barbecue is the result of cooking, not the act of cooking it or the thing that you cook it on.

To put it simply, barbecue is the finished meat. It is not a grill, or cooking platform of any type. It is not the gathering where the food is being cooked, as in “Come over for a barbecue.”

“Barbecuing” hamburgers and hotdogs or putting those things on “the barbecue” makes no sense here. We would call that having a cookout and using a grill.

Yes, that word means those things in other places, but that’s not what it means here.

Although there is some debate across the state on how barbecue should be cooked or what should go on top of it, JoCo typically subscribes to the Eastern NC method — a whole hog cooked over wood or coals, with a thin vinegar and pepper based sauce.

In North Carolina, our traditional barbecue can be traced at least back to the 1700s when farm families would hold gatherings to slaughter hogs in preparation for winter. A blog post from the Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly titled “Going Whole Hog: History of North Carolina BBQ” written by Beth Nevarez explains.

“North Carolina BBQ has held true to its definition for generations. References to “a whole Hog barbecu’d” date back to the 1700s. Other meats were common in early North Carolina and many were also cooked whole over a barbecue; however, the term barbecue to mean the dish that resulted from pork cooked on a grill has a long precedent.

You can have barbecued beef or chicken but it isn’t barbecue and other meats were not referred to as barbecue historically. Pork was a favorite due to its plentiful availability and relatively inexpensive cost and when grilled, chopped, and sauced it came to be called simply barbecue,” she said.

If you’re lucky enough to be invited to a pig-picking, you’ll see firsthand. If not, there are plenty of local restaurants that serve this classic version along with some traditional sides like slaw, boiled potatoes, hush puppies or corn bread, sometimes even Brunswick stew. 

While Johnston County has some of the absolute best Eastern NC style barbecue you can find, that’s not all it has to offer. Western NC style typically used pork shoulders and a thicker tomato based sauce. You’ll find some places offering that type here in JoCo, too. 

In addition to the aforementioned pulled or chopped pork varieties, you’ll also find some amazing chicken, ribs, brisket, sausage, smoked turkey and plenty of sides like collards, baked beans, green beans and hopefully some banana pudding will be on the menu for dessert.

Influences from all across the south, the nation and the world can be found in JoCo.

Cooking meat slowly over open flames has been happening since humans discovered fire and if Johnston County has any say so, the tradition will continue for generations to come.

The Johnston County Visitors Bureau has put together a trail of amazing barbecue spots to visit — check it out at www.johnstoncountync.org/joco-bbq-trail-map.