Editor’s Letter

I grew up on neighborhood pig pickins. My dad would smoke a whole hog for our street and make his own sauce, a concoction somewhere in between Lexington-style dip and sweeter Kentucky-style sauce. Dad (Keith) still does this several times a year, for occasions like our church picnic and Tar Heel football tailgate parties. Consequently, I never had a firm stance in the North Carolina barbecue battle, despite being an NC native. I prefer to sample as much and as many styles of barbecue as I can.

When Jonathan and I received an invitation to tour Lexington, NC, the heart of Western-style ’cue, I couldn’t reply fast enough.

We did our best to chronicle the overnight trip on pages 50–58, highlighting an amazing variety of drinking, dining, shopping, and recreation options therein. We did not, unfortunately, have room to accurately capture the small-town personality that pervades the community, making it feel, truly, like a Hallmark Channel movie set. Generational businesses, family connections, and friendly faces greeted us at every turn. Everyone was willing and eager to share their experiences, memories, and family stories to help us get to know the area.

Barbecue has certainly put Lexington on the map, with a dozen restaurants in a town of only 20,000 residents, but it really is just the beginning of what you’ll find when you plan a visit.

Enjoy this delicious food issue, y’all. We sure had fun making it.

This issue BY THE Numbers

4

5 recipes

EMILY UHLAND SENIOR EDITOR

2

Days spent exploring food and fun in Lexington, NC

12

Barbecue restaurants in Lexington, smoking pork shoulders over hickory coals

50 minutes

Delivery time for my first Flytrex order

120

Drink combinations available through the Fiiz Drinks mobile app

Local food trucks to follow PHOTO BY JONATHAN FREDIN