A requiem for BBQ

If the news holds up and is to be believed, Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro is no more as of today. A sign on the door hints at a Department of Revenue issue; however, some folks could see this demise coming from a bypass away. After all, the new highway around Goldsboro -- that does significantly cut time off for people heading to the Crystal Coast -- seems to have diverted people who may have normally stopped for Wilber's 'cue and hushpuppies. Lord knows that's what we did from time to time.

But, if we are honest, that's just part of the issue. Wilber's is not the only long-standing BBQ joint to shutter its doors recently. Just this January, Bill Ellis Barbecue in Wilson came to a halt after more than a half-century of business.

"Against all obstacles, we fought the good fight, but realized it’s time,” was what the family said in a statement.


And it does appear to be a fight. Cooking pigs is hard, long work. Do people have the patience for it anymore?

So what's left? Skylight Inn in Ayden?  King's in Kinston? Lexington? Ole Time in Raleigh? Parker's and B's in Greenville? I'm sure there are many more, and some -- such as Sam Jones of Skylight fame -- have been able to reinvent themselves and the cuisine itself, actually. And places like The Pit in Raleigh have brought eastern N.C. style BBQ to an audience that may have never tried it -- or couldn't get it once they left Wilson, Goldsboro, Kinston or elsewhere.

But as great as those places are -- and I am grateful for them -- they just don't have the same feel as a place with checkered, sticky tablecloths. Or places that bring you hushpuppies whether you want them or not. Or where you have to walk up to the counter to pay. Yes, I am admittedly nostalgic when it comes to N.C. BBQ. But it's one of those key bellweathers of this state -- it's a differentiator, if you will, between us and others -- even if we don't always agree on which kind is better.

But we can all agree that some is better than none.

Wilber's image from the Goldsboro News-Argus; shirt from House of Swank.