The Pit Durham

The pit is a wonderful BBQ experience. Great joint located in downtown Durham. Only downside is you pay for it. The plates are a tad more expensive, although the price matches the quality, and it can be crowded sometimes. Love this little gem. Worth checking out if you're in the area and pry worth the trip if you're not. There are also some great bars in direct sight of the restaurant.

I had my first North Carolina barbecue here, and it was pretty good. Since it was my first time, I was surprised by how liquid and vinegary the sauces were, but hey, when in Rome, right? I did wish the eastern-style sauce were a little more spicy, though, because if you say that something is “spicy, so you don’t want to chug that down,” I’m expecting at least jalapeño spicy, not just black pepper spicy. Otherwise, the beef brisket was nice and soft. The baby back ribs were super smoky. And the chopped pork was, well, chopped pork. This barbecue was a nice departure from the sugary glazed meats of mass market products.