Received this Facebook message the other day:
Hi, great website… I’m planning a road trip from a yankee state to florida… it’s pretty much an annual pilgrimage seeing that i’m from the south (if you count south florida). For the past several we’ve made pit stops along the way at random barbecue joints (3 kids in tow) with mixed results. Last was due south… a tripadvisor and yelp thing… not terrible but meh.. Any chance for a choice recommendation for a good stop? looking for atmosphere that would make a long drive break nicely along with decent bbq…we travel away from 95.. so 81 and 77 etc thanks..
Hi – thanks for the kind words. I don’t personally know a ton about joints on I-81 but in NC, Carolina Bar-B-Q in Statesville is only about a mile off I-77 and cooks barbecue over wood (aka the real way). It’s been a few years since I’ve been (and we haven’t officially reviewed it for the blog yet), but I remember liking it a bunch. It’s a no-frills old school joint that will take your order and get you your food quickly but let you stick around for a while if you want. For what it’s worth – it is also listed on the NC Historic BBQ Trail. Hopefully this helps some.
Any other reader suggestions for barbecue joints worth a damn on I-81 or I-77? Feel free to leave them in the comments. Also, another plug to follow us on Facebook!
-Monk