Lexington, North Carolina Built a Barbecue Style Around Pork Shoulder and Red Slaw. 6 Places to Eat It

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North Carolina has two main barbecue traditions. In the eastern part of the state, cooks smoke the whole hog and season it with a thin vinegar-and-pepper sauce. In the Piedmont, centered on the small city of Lexington, cooks focus on pork shoulder, slow-smoked over hardwood coals. Lexington North Carolina barbecue is served with a tangy sauce called dip and a distinctive red slaw, made with ketchup and vinegar instead of mayonnaise.

That combination of pork shoulder and red slaw defines the Lexington style, sometimes called Piedmont or Western style. Lexington, a city of about 20,000 people in Davidson County, has long promoted itself as a barbecue capital, with many barbecue restaurants for a city its size, and it celebrates the tradition each fall with the Barbecue Festival. The six restaurants below are some of the best places to try it.

What Makes Lexington North Carolina Barbecue Different

Lexington barbecue rests on three elements.

• Pork shoulder. Unlike the whole-hog tradition of eastern North Carolina, Lexington pitmasters cook pork shoulders, which have a good mix of lean and fatty meat.
• Dip. The sauce is thin and tangy, made from vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and pepper. It is lighter than the thick, sweet sauces of Kansas City or Memphis.
• Red slaw. Chopped cabbage is mixed with a version of the dip, giving it a red color and tangy flavor. It is served on the side or on sandwiches.

Barbecue is usually served chopped, coarse chopped, or sliced. Many restaurants also offer “outside brown,” the crispy, smoky outer bark of the shoulder, which regulars prize.

6 Places to Eat Lexington Barbecue

1. Lexington Barbecue

Lexington Barbecue, at 100 Smokehouse Lane, is the most famous barbecue restaurant in town. Wayne Monk opened it in 1962, and it is still run by his family. The restaurant cooks pork shoulders over hickory and oak coals, and its chopped barbecue, red slaw, and hushpuppies are classic examples of the style.

Lines can form at lunchtime, but service is usually quick, and the dining room has the feel of a classic Southern barbecue house.

2. Barbecue Center

Barbecue Center, at 900 North Main Street, has served barbecue since 1955. It is known for its barbecue as well as its banana splits, which are a local favorite. The restaurant is a good stop for a classic meal with dessert.

3. Speedy’s Barbecue

Speedy’s Barbecue is a longtime local spot with a drive-in feel. It serves chopped and sliced barbecue with red slaw and hushpuppies. Its casual atmosphere makes it a favorite for quick meals.

4. Smokey Joe’s Barbecue

Smokey Joe’s Barbecue is a small restaurant known for its wood-cooked barbecue and friendly service. It is a good place to try coarse chopped barbecue.

5. Jimmy’s Barbecue

Jimmy’s Barbecue is a family-owned restaurant that has served Lexington-style barbecue for decades. Its menu includes barbecue plates, sandwiches, and Southern sides.

6. Cook’s Barbecue

Cook’s Barbecue, outside the center of town, is known for cooking over wood and for a rustic setting. Many barbecue fans make the drive for its smoky, flavorful pork.

How to Order Like a Regular

• Ask for a tray. A barbecue tray includes chopped pork, red slaw, and hushpuppies or rolls.
• Try outside brown. Ask for it if you want the crispy, smoky bark.
• Choose your chop. Chopped is finely minced; coarse chopped has larger pieces; sliced is in strips.
• Add dip. Most restaurants serve extra dip on the side.
• Try a sandwich. A barbecue sandwich topped with red slaw is a classic.

The Barbecue Festival

Lexington hosts the Barbecue Festival each October, drawing large crowds to the city’s downtown. The festival features barbecue, music, crafts, and other attractions. Organizers describe it as one of the largest one-day street festivals in the state, so expect crowds and plan parking ahead.

Getting to Lexington

Lexington is in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, about 20 miles south of Winston-Salem and about 25 miles southwest of Greensboro. Interstate 85 and US 52 pass near the city. Charlotte is about an hour southwest.

How the Pork Is Cooked

The heart of Lexington barbecue is the pit. Traditional pitmasters cook pork shoulders over hardwood coals, usually hickory, oak, or a mix. Wood is burned down in a separate firebox or burn barrel, and the glowing coals are shoveled under the meat in a brick pit. The shoulders cook slowly for many hours, often overnight, while pitmasters tend the coals and baste or turn the meat.

This method takes skill and labor. Over the years, many barbecue restaurants across the South switched to gas or electric cookers, which are easier to manage. Some Lexington restaurants still cook over wood, and that is a point of pride. If cooking method matters to you, ask the staff how they cook, or look for a woodpile and smokestack out back.

The long cooking time renders fat and breaks down tough connective tissue, leaving meat that is tender and smoky. After cooking, the shoulders are pulled, chopped, or sliced, and seasoned with dip.

Lexington Style vs. Eastern Style

North Carolina’s two barbecue styles are a frequent subject of friendly argument.

• Meat. Eastern style uses the whole hog, mixing meat from all parts of the animal. Lexington style uses only the shoulder.
• Sauce. Eastern sauce is vinegar and pepper, with no tomato. Lexington dip adds ketchup or tomato and a little sugar, giving it a reddish color and a touch of sweetness.
• Slaw. Eastern slaw is often white or yellow, made with mayonnaise or mustard. Lexington slaw is red, made with dip.
• Geography. Eastern style dominates the coastal plain. Lexington style is common in the Piedmont and the foothills.

Both styles focus on pork and vinegar, and both reflect long traditions. Trying each is the best way to pick a side.

Hushpuppies, Sides, and Dessert

A Lexington barbecue meal usually comes with hushpuppies, deep-fried cornmeal dumplings with a slightly sweet flavor. Some restaurants serve rolls instead, or let you choose. Other common sides include french fries, baked beans, and boiled potatoes. Sweet tea is the usual drink. For dessert, many restaurants offer banana pudding or cobbler, and Barbecue Center is known for its banana splits.

Planning a Barbecue Day

Lexington’s barbecue restaurants are spread across the city and nearby roads, so a car is helpful. Many locals eat barbecue at lunch, and some restaurants close in the afternoon or early evening and stay closed on Sundays. Check hours before you go, especially for smaller places. To try several restaurants in one trip, order small sandwiches or trays and share among your group. Two or three stops in a day is a realistic goal.

Lexington is also an easy stop on a longer drive through the Piedmont. Winston-Salem, High Point, and Greensboro are all within about half an hour, and the Yadkin Valley wine region is to the northwest. In the fall, the Barbecue Festival draws large crowds downtown, so book lodging early if you plan to visit then.

A Note on Red Slaw

Red slaw, sometimes called barbecue slaw, is one of the signatures of the Lexington style. Cooks mix finely chopped cabbage with a version of the dip, so the slaw is tangy, slightly sweet, and a little spicy. It contains no mayonnaise. Locals often put it right on a barbecue sandwich, where its crunch balances the soft pork. Each restaurant has its own recipe, so the slaw is a good way to compare places.

How Much a Barbecue Meal Costs

Barbecue in Lexington is generally an affordable meal. Sandwiches and small trays tend to cost less than a sit-down dinner at most restaurants, and plates with sides cost a bit more. Prices change, so check menus or call ahead, but most visitors can eat well at several places in a day without spending much. Some smaller restaurants may prefer cash, so carry some just in case.

Where to Stay

Lexington has several chain hotels near Interstate 85 and US 52. For more options, including boutique hotels and a wider range of restaurants, many visitors stay in Winston-Salem or High Point and drive in for lunch. During the Barbecue Festival, rooms in and near Lexington fill quickly, so book early.

Takeout and Bulk Orders

Many Lexington restaurants sell barbecue by the pound, along with containers of slaw, dip, and hushpuppies, which makes it easy to feed a group or take some home. Barbecue reheats well if you add a splash of dip and warm it gently, covered, so it does not dry out. For holidays and large events, call a few days ahead, since restaurants can get busy with catering orders. If you are traveling a long way, pack the meat in a cooler with ice and keep the slaw separate.

Visiting in Late Fall

Late fall is a comfortable time for a barbecue trip to Lexington. The weather is cool enough to enjoy a hot plate of pork and hushpuppies, and the leaves in the surrounding Piedmont hills turn color through November. After the fall festival, restaurants are less crowded, though weekday lunch rushes are still common.

Why Lexington Barbecue Is Worth the Trip

Lexington barbecue is a living tradition, carried on by families who have smoked pork shoulders over wood for generations. Eating a tray of chopped barbecue with red slaw in a Lexington restaurant is one of the most authentic food experiences in the South.