Here's the Book for a 'Cue Trip

As I cited in the three barbecue posts, Jim Early's "The Best Tar Heel Barbecue From Manteo to Murphy" is probably the best guide book you can have when pursuing that ultimate Carolina-style stuff.

This guy visited 140 places and lived to write about it. Each entry has a short history and an in depth review of all the foods served. Now, that is a lot of eating.

The book is divided into topographic sections from the western part of the state to the eastern.

Section and sites visited:

Mountains-- 20
Piedmont-- 41
Flatlands-- 60
Coast-- 19

I especially liked the section in the back that is an ideal guide for a road trip. He lists bbq joints located along major routes throughout the state. And, they are I-40, I-77, I-85, I-95, US-421, US-158, US-220, US-64, US-52, US-264, US-70, US-1, US-17, and US-74.

I have personally been the whole distance on US-421 and US-70, but, alas, didn't stop at any. Too bust thinking about Wilber's I guess. Next 421 trip, there will definitely be a stop at Howard's in Lillington, which is owned by the family who also own the town home next to Mom's at Topsail Beach. He once cooked up some great 'cue for an owners meeting. Almost made the meeting worth it.

Next time you get the "hunger," get your hands on a copy of this book.

And Enjoy. --RoadDog