Smoke Daddy’s Review of Allen and Son

An excellent barbecue stop from start to finish.  Traditional methods & recipies; dedication to craft; and attention to detail produce great food and loyal customers.  Breadth of the menu did not dilute the quality of the barbecue.  This is a model of success that other restaurants should study.

MAIN FARE:

• Chopped – Hand Chopped. Even with the vinegar-based dip from the kitchen, the smoke comes shining through.  Many textures here: outside brown; shreds; chunks.  Excellent.

OTHER FARE:

An excellent barbecue stop from start to finish.  Traditional methods & recipies; dedication to craft; and attention to detail produce great food and loyal customers.  Breadth of the menu did not dilute the quality of the barbecue.  This is a model of success that other restaurants should study.

MAIN FARE:

• Chopped – Hand Chopped. Even with the vinegar-based dip from the kitchen, the smoke comes shining through.  Many textures here: outside brown; shreds; chunks.  Excellent.

OTHER FARE:

• Pups – Crispy outside.  Tender & sweet inside.
• Stew – Thick, light brown, and somewhat spicy.  This is a good stew!  Rather than a mixture of many different elements, it comes together as a whole.  
• Slaw – White. Vinegar & cream with lots of black pepper.  A few dark greens mixed in for color.  Also very good when paired with the meat.
• Dip – This is a spicy mix.  Eastern-style vinegar-based with spices and peppers.
• Peach Cobbler – Fresh peaches.  Not my favorite crust, but a strong cobbler overall.
• Cherry Cobbler – Good cherry taste and tartnesss.  Filling is not too sticky-sweet.  
• Pecan Pie – Soft, buttery, and rich.  Very good!
• Ice Cream – Yep, it is also homemade… and excellent.

ATMOSPHERE:

• Keith is the consummate craftsman when it comes to NC barbecue.  That is why we saved this joint for our last stop of our 3-day tour.  
• We get the serious evil-eye from the local regulars when we enter with notebooks in-hand.
• Huge tree trunk ’rounds’ out back waiting to be split.  
• Hand-chopped barbecue with about 15 homemade dessert items on the menu.  
• Very few places take the time to do all of this using traditional methods… but Allen & Son does.
• We don’t pursue a pit tour because it is the middle of the dinner hour.  Hopefully next time!
• Places like this are the reason we started the BBQ tour back in 1999… what a perfect ending to our North Carolina Tour!