I live in memphis and I love barbeque but find the saue is often sweeter than I like, I have always heard that NC barbecue is different as it has a vinegar based sauce (or something like that). I will not be going to NC but I will be in Richmond VA in October also in Washington DC. would really like to try this style barbecue and would like suggestions the best place to try. I will have a car in Richmond but not a lot of free time. I will have lots of free time in Washington but will be riding the metro or on foot. Any suggestions?
If you’re riding the metro in DC, you won’t get any BBQ worth the name.
Virginia BBQ, in general, doesn’t have the NC taste. And, while NC has a vinegar based sauce, there’s a big difference between Eastern Caroline(no ketchup) and Western Carolina(ketchup).
While I don’t live there these days, I’ll try to find out about Richmond.
The place for BBQ in Richmond is Buz and Neds but theirs is not Carolina style. In DC the good NC bbq places are in the suburbs and are not metro accessible. There is a local chain called red hot and blue that has a metro accessible store in Rosslyn. They are not North Carolina style but they do have a NC style sandwhich on the menu.
There is a barbecue place in the Richmond airport if you are short on time. I am not an expert, but I liked it.
I don’t remember the name, but I once ate at a place in Georgetown that featured barbecue styles from six different regions of the country. It might have been the aforementioned Red Hot and Blue.
Buzz and Ned’s is the most famous Richmond BBQ joint but theirs is saucy and sweet. Definitely not the vinegary NC BBQ. Imo, you’re not missing much. You should look further south to SC’s mustard-based sauces.
Ralph’s Barbecue is about an hour south of Richmond in Weldon, NC. Just a mile east of 95.
I lived in Richmond many years ago and there was no good NC BBQ then. It just isn’t popular in Virginia. Dixie Pig came close but they have been long gone for many years.
In DC, Red Hot and Blue has solid BBQ but it isn’t NC style. They have a thin, vinegary sauce that wants to be NC style but misses the point somehow.
I would say the closest to NC style I’ve found is store bought minced BBQ, jazzed up with some vineger and hot sauce.
Just north of Richmond, in Ashland, is Virginia BBQ, and they do a fair version of the NC style
http://www.virginiabbq.com/vabbqlocations.htm
The ribs are OK, but there is something in the rub that makes my pee smell funny.
I agree that Red Hot and Blue is about the best I’ve found near a metro stop in DC.
Rockland’s is a local chain. You can find their locations with google, but they always have a truck set up outside the park at Nats’ home games.