This weekend while on a visit back to my hometown in NC I realized that since I've been away for over 10 years, I no longer remember the phone number for the house I grew up in.  That's probably not that big of a deal because I also couldn't tell you other numbers I probably called a million times like my best friends or my dad's office; but strangely there is really only one I still remember - Speedy Lohr's (336-764-5509 if you're curious).

In a town known for little more than barbecue (check out the world famous Barbecue Festival for more), this is saying something and that's why Speedy Lohr's has become my own personal Mecca.  Whenever I'm home, I'll go way out of my way to eat there.  If anyone is coming to DC to visit, I request that they bring me a few pounds. And when my wife is looking to find the way to my heart through my stomach, she convinces them to FedEx a freezer-full to me.

I don't have any particular memories of Speey Lohr's growing up and in a town with dozens of BBQ joints I certainly wasn't exclusive to it, but from the hickory smoke billowing out the back to the unpretentous service and surroundings, it is everything a BBQ joint should be and it is now my own personal gold standard. You'll get good food for practically nothing served by the friendliest bunch of folks you'll ever meet.  I'd give one of my Un-Zagat reviews, but I guarantee it would get 4-stars.

These days, barbecue is a big part of my foodie personality.  I love to argue with Texas friends about whether or not real barbecue comes from a pig or cow (keep your beef, jerky); with NC friends about whether eastern or western NC is superior (Tupac forever); and with northern friends about whether or not the word barbecue is a noun or a verb (actually, I can't rationally discuss this).  I talk about barbecue with the same snobbishness a sommelier will use to dismiss entire varietals without so much as lowering his nose and as much as I try to fight it, a little piece of me probably looks down on you if you don't favor classic western NC Q. 

I'll share more about BBQ later including why we eat that weird red slaw, what the difference is between a chopped tray and a chopped plate, and how you can recreate the perfect western NC BBQ on your home grill.  But now my latest pilgrimage is complete and I've got 2 pounds of heaven calling my name.

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