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Second Market Salamander's pulled pork-great slaw too. Lovely to eat out on the back terrace in this weather.

And I will second the slaw!

I think it's time for the family to make the run to Middleburg. That is one great sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches, I forgot to mention that if the OP is interested in Eastern NC cue, the closest thing around here is found at the Weenie Beenie in Shirlington. Their eastern NC cue sandwich is quite respectable, and is properly served with packets of Texas Pete hot sauce (which is made in Winston-Salem, NC, actually).

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Any nominations for great barbecue in Northern Virginia, or are we stuck with Famous Dave's and Red Hot & Blue?

Wayne Rash

It may not be a poular opinion, but I'll stand behind Famous Dave's. If you choose carefully - I'm particularly fond of the brisket with fries and beans - it's a darn good meal - smokey, sweet and toothsome. And miles apart from Red, Hot & Blue.

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Willard's in Chantilly. The burnt ends sandwich is very good.

I like those burnt ends too, and the brisket as well. Willard's tries to cover the barbecue waterfront, and I think they do best with beef. They also have some pretty good gumbo. Willard's is a good choice if you're really hungry. You'll get at least a pound of meat on the combo plates.

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I plan on trying the place on Gilbert's Corner this weekend. I live in Centreville and work in Chantilly so I have tried several of the BBQ places around here.

Willard's in Chantilly - Too inconsistent for my tastes. I have been 5 times. I have had 1 fantastic meal, 1 good meal, 1 average meal and 2 horrible meals there.

Jammin Joe's - Tried it once two years ago. Neither my wife or I were impressed. The ribs were dry and the pulled pork oversauced.

Dixie Bones - Still my favorite. I've never had a bad meal there.

The gas station in Aldie - Haven't been in in years but when he used to do the smoking there in front of the building the ribs were good.

Whole Foods in Fairfax - They smoke their meats in house. Its actually suprisingly decent. A solid 6 or 7. I would go there over Willard's. The kitchen sink combo is a great deal. 4 meats, three sides for 14 bucks. Works out to 3 or 4 pounds of food. They also smoke sausage, turkey and duck. I've gotten them before and made some excellent jambalaya.

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Having read a series of posts about the sad state of barbecue here in Northern Virginia, I have to ask whether there's any actual good barbecue. What I've found so far isn't promising. Ignoring the chain places, here's what I've found:

Virginia Barbecue in Manassas. The "Virginia" style tasts like nothing else in Virginia, but not in a good way. Worse, the staff is unhelpful, knows nothing about barbecue, and doesn't care. They once packed a pound for carry out in a cup with a hole in it, and wouldn't replace it when I pointed out the problem. All they said was "Oh." Then, "We'll call our manager."

BBQ World. It's convenient if you're in Burke. It used to be really good. Now the pulled pork tasts like it was made in a crock pot. The beef brisket has no taste at all.

Dixie Bones. The comments of a few days ago get the spirit, but they are far too kind. Too bad, because it used to be good.

The guy on Rt. 29. I can't remember his place's name, but he's in a trailer on Rt 29 near Warrenton. His smoker is on the back porch of the trailer. Looks promising, but the barbecue is over sauced, and the sauce is so sweet it'll run your blood glucose into quadruple digits.

I've traveled long distances to get great barbecue, but it would be nice to be able to get something edible close enough to home that I can do carry-out on a Tuesday night when I'm too tired to cook.

Here are some places that constitute good barbecue, just for comparison. They're all too far away for carry out if you live around here.

Black's Barbecue - Lockhart, Texas

Joe's Eat - Montgomery, Alabama (this place is probably closed)

Moore's - near Raleigh, NC

Any nominations for great barbecue in Northern Virginia, or are we stuck with Famous Dave's and Red Hot & Blue?

Wayne Rash

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Just for fun, I'll throw this in. On Thursday I'm going to hop in the roadster and drive a bit over an hour (I live in SC, so from DC it would be more like 8-9 hours) to Scott's Bar-b-que, widely considered to be the finest barbecue in South Carolina. Given what I've tasted since moving down here, that is high praise indeed....as much as I loved Urban BBQ, this Carolina stuff rocks! It's only open three days a week and serves nothing but the 'cue. No slaw, no sides....just pork!

The NYT did a piece on Scott's last year, resulting in a new wave of afficionados....

Scott's BBQ, Hemingway, SC....

The plan is to eat some on premises, then carry out two pounds of the 'cue and a quart or so of sauce. I'll report back in the "Intrepid Traveler Thread". :)

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As long as you're driving an hour, go another 45 minutes and hit the best BBQ place in VA, the Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville. EVERYTHING is good here, especially all the sides. The place started as a side project for the chef at one of the local inns (Craig Hartman at Keswick Hall) and has gotten so popular he actually quit the chef job to do the BBQ full time. BBQ Exchange

Really? What style do they do? I am down that way a good will have to stop.

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Really? What style do they do? I am down that way a good will have to stop.

Not sure quite what the style is but I can say it's not Carolina style with the pork minced with the vinegar sauce. I'm not sure the ribs or the pulled pork have much of a rub but each have an excellent, full smoky flavor. Ribs have a little bite and chew, not the mushy fall of the bone method.

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I've said this before, but:

KBQ to the east

Pit Stop to the west

Chubby's to the north

Johnny Boy's to the south

There are others (People like Dixie Bones, for example), but these will get you started (there are threads and websites for each in the Dining Guides).

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As long as you're driving an hour, go another 45 minutes and hit the best BBQ place in VA, the Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville. EVERYTHING is good here, especially all the sides. The place started as a side project for the chef at one of the local inns (Craig Hartman at Keswick Hall) and has gotten so popular he actually quit the chef job to do the BBQ full time. BBQ Exchange

Good to know. I will definitely check this out on my next trip down 29.

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I've said this before, but:

KBQ to the east

Pit Stop to the west

Chubby's to the north

Johnny Boy's to the south

There are others (People like Dixie Bones, for example), but these will get you started (there are threads and websites for each in the Dining Guides).

My last couple of visits to Chubby's, about a year ago, were very disappointing.

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Has anybody tired Mr. P's in NE? I'm curious. Also, I didn't know about the place in Gilberts Corner, will def have to check that out.

My common stop on the way south down 95 is Buz and Ned's. Solid legit stuff. SInce it clocks in at just under 2 hours to get there, I'll include it in this conversation :)

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There just is not alot places that i can find good bbq. Some place only do the weekend things. I have bbq at urban bbg,rocklands(poor),cap city, and nothing is open late. Please help?

North of Baltimore is Andy Nelson's, which I happily recommend.

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My last couple of visits to Chubby's, about a year ago, were very disappointing.

We hit Chubby's last week on the way up to PA. The sandwiches were very big, but I have to say that, given that we were the first customers of the day, the meat was pretty dry. I'd give it an "ok."

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It may not be a poular opinion, but I'll stand behind Famous Dave's. If you choose carefully - I'm particularly fond of the brisket with fries and beans - it's a darn good meal - smokey, sweet and toothsome. And miles apart from Red, Hot & Blue.

You know, I agree...I think Famous Dave's make some great stuff. It seems that the idea on this forum string is to find the most out-of-the-way, backwoods barbecue place and rave about how special it is....but I would put Dave's ribs, pulled pork , beans and cole slaw up against anyone's. Very consistent....and totally addictive. So - may not be very cool to praise a chain BBQ place...but, so be it!

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It seems that the idea on this forum string is to find the most out-of-the-way, backwoods barbecue place and rave about how special it is....but I would put Dave's ribs, pulled pork , beans and cole slaw up against anyone's. Very consistent....and totally addictive. So - may not be very cool to praise a chain BBQ place...but, so be it!

Nope. Not the idea or trend to do such. People just post what they think. Sometimes it will be challenged, sometimes people jump on the same bandwagon after sampling for themselves. Free forum, freedom of ideas.

Many people like chains on this forum -- there are Rockland fans (I consider this a mini BBQ-chain now), taco bell fans, chick-fil-a fans, etc...to each their own palate!

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Have been searching for a place in the DC area with consistently good ribs & pulled pork; a place that understands what low and slow means. Good sides are a bonus but not a deal breaker. Don't care about ambience. Have tried the following places which have either not impressed at all or have been too inconsistent to make me want to return a 3rd or 4th time-

Red Hot & Blue, Rocklands, Urban Cowboy, Old Glory, Capital Q, Backyard Barbecue, KBQ, Chuck's Wagon. The former Mighty Midget Kitchen in Leesburg, now as

Paeonian Springs Gourmet, is great but I don't really want to drive an hour and a half each way. Is Johny Boy's in La Plata worth the trip?

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New member so getting my feet wet in few areas.

I grew up in Upstate NY but have come to love NC style BBQ. Eastern NC style to be more specific. I am only referring to pulled pork here. Just a touch of spicy vinegar sauce for me. My all time favorite is Clyde Coopers in Raleigh but I also like Lexington BBQ in Lexington, NC (not really sure this qualifies for pure Eastern), Backyard BBQ near Durham, NC and Allen and Sons a few miles north of Chapel Hill NC.

Locally, I haven't scoured the area or anything, but I have enjoyed Willard's in Chantilly, VA, near the Dulles Expo Ctr, to tide me over when I need a fix. It's not near as good as the NC places and I think it has become a little more inconsistent in the past few years, but it does the trick.

I have also come to love Hushpuppies is they are done right. They don't have them at Willard's but the other places above do and I especially like the ones at Lexington and Backyard.

If anyone has a recommendation for a place that I should try based on the above, either in the DC area, or on the road, I'm all pig ears. -Tony

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Just realized I only read the first page of this thread (which ended in 2006 which seemed odd) before I posted mine. I now see all of the more current recommendations and I am now happily reading through them and anxious to try several. Rookie mistake. Loving the site though. -Tony

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...If anyone has a recommendation for a place that I should try based on the above, either in the DC area, or on the road, I'm all pig ears. -Tony

Scott's Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, SC, is said to have the best pulled pork in the state. It's made in the Eastern Carolina style--pulled pork, cooked over a pit for 24 hours--with a fiery vinegar-based sauce. It's been featured in the NY Times and on Nightline and in a short documentary. Tomorrow morning, a friend is joining me on my montlhy pilgrimage to pick up a few pounds.

Scott's, from The Intrepid Traveler

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I grew up in Upstate NY but have come to love NC style BBQ. Eastern NC style to be more specific. I am only referring to pulled pork here. Just a touch of spicy vinegar sauce for me. My all time favorite is Clyde Coopers in Raleigh but I also like Lexington BBQ in Lexington, NC (not really sure this qualifies for pure Eastern)

...

If anyone has a recommendation for a place that I should try based on the above, either in the DC area, or on the road, I'm all pig ears. -Tony

Western, I think; Lex is chopped shoulders only, while eastern is characterized by whole hog, pulled.

I've heard great things about Blue's BBQ, two Maryland brothers who operate out of a blue panel van in Frederick, parked next to Fredericktown Yamaha. They've since opened a second permanent location in Roanoke, which claims to have Virginia's longest list of Bourbons, with 60+ on offer. Their website is a mess though, with no apparent indication of hours.

Will try to recon once they call me back.

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Western, I think; Lex is chopped shoulders only, while eastern is characterized by whole hog, pulled.

Having spent an unwilling two and a half years in eastern North Carolina, I can tell you that the barbecue of at least the area I was exiled to, Wilson, was whole hog, chopped. Not pulled.

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Beyond the mostly mediocre at best local BBQ places - Rocklands, Red, Hot and Blue, Famous Daves, I ran into a better than that place out in the Shenandoah Valley. We spend a fair amount of time out there as I'm a pretty serious fisherman. Next to Murrays Fly Shop in Edinburg, VA ( http://www.murraysflyshop.com/ ) is a place that only does take out, and currently only does so on Saturday mornings. It's called Beans BBQ and has a facebook website:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/BEANS-BARBECUE/168499416571

price is right, pretty decent vinegar based BBQ sauce, but most importantly the meat, specifically the ribs, are nicely smoked with a very visible pinkish smoke ring on the outer area of the meat. Anyway, its probably 2hrs one way which is a long way to drive for any meal, but if you are out there, worth a stop if you like BBQ. Lots of photos on the above website.

One other mention is that many organizations raise money by selling BBQ chicken on Saturday mornings along the road in the small towns. Consistently is a non-tomato based vinegar BBQ sauce and usually also pretty decent - mostly $3.50 a half chix. Here's a link to the local newspaper which lists "doin's" if you click on the calendar weekend days....

http://www.nvdaily.com/calendar/

and this Saturday's events:

http://www.nvdaily.com/calendar/2011/06/25/

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This coming weekend, June 25 &26 is the 19th annual Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle in downtown DC.

I've never been to one, despite living in DC for 16 years, because I generally avoid activities that require me to spend long hours outdoors in the local summer heat and humidity. It was for that reason (and that I am still recuperating from surgery) that I declined their offer that I be an "honorary judge" of the Saturday competition. I will, however be entering my WashPost contest-winning bbq sauce in their sauce competition. And I will be present at the Sunday evening awards ceremony, where, I am told, I will receive an award for winning first place in the Post bbq sauce competition.

I was asked if, given my current mobility problems, I would be able to get on and off the award stage. I told them that being the old actor that I am, I would never turn down an opportunity to get up on a stage in front of an audience that potentially will applaud me. I'll get up there. Count on it. B)

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I'm simmering Zora's winning bbq sauce now B) It's delicious, and I hope I didn't stray too far from staying true to the recipe by using Chili 3000 (Penzey's), which is what I have on hand as far as chili goes. I also have dried whole Anchos. Perhaps I should grind one up?

Either way, this is going to be delicious on pork ribs later.

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Chubby's in Thurmont and B'z BBQ in Paeonia Springs. Good local BBQ.

Thx. Have to say that perhaps we have different definitions of "local" as mapquest shows the trip from my home in Arlington to Thurmont to be 63 miles/1hr & 20 minutes; to Paeonia Springs is 35 miles/50 minutes. Rocklands and RH&B are both 5 minutes and we occasionally breakdown and get takeout from time to time. I mentioned Famous Daves only because someone else did earlier and I've eaten at the one near Potomac Mills a few times when down that way. If the stars align and I'm by either of your suggestions, I'll give it a try.

Part of the charm of of someplace like Beans BBQ & the Shenandoah Valley is how different it is from the DC area. We like both, but it's a great change of pace and people. YMMV of course.....

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I'm simmering Zora's winning bbq sauce now B) It's delicious, and I hope I didn't stray too far from staying true to the recipe by using Chili 3000 (Penzey's), which is what I have on hand as far as chili goes. I also have dried whole Anchos. Perhaps I should grind one up?

Either way, this is going to be delicious on pork ribs later.

I chose powdered ancho chile because it has lots of chile flavor but isn't super spicy. I realize that it's kind of late for you, but my advice depends on the heat of the Penzey's product you are using: if it is super hot, you can eliminate the cayenne. My concern with chili powder substitutions, is that a product that has garlic powder, cumin and oregano in it will substantially change the flavor of my sauce. So will powdered chipotle, which is very spicy and also smoky. I'd prefer that any extra heat added comes from Sriracha.

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Thx. Have to say that perhaps we have different definitions of "local" as mapquest shows the trip from my home in Arlington to Thurmont to be 63 miles/1hr & 20 minutes; to Paeonia Springs is 35 miles/50 minutes. Rocklands and RH&B are both 5 minutes and we occasionally breakdown and get takeout from time to time. I mentioned Famous Daves only because someone else did earlier and I've eaten at the one near Potomac Mills a few times when down that way. If the stars align and I'm by either of your suggestions, I'll give it a try.

Part of the charm of of someplace like Beans BBQ & the Shenandoah Valley is how different it is from the DC area. We like both, but it's a great change of pace and people. YMMV of course.....

Has anyone been to The Pit Stop in Gilbert's Corner? It'd be a little closer than Paeonia Springs.

I drove by it once, but couldn't stop. Looked like it had potential and FWIW has good reviews on Yelp. B)

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Has anyone been to The Pit Stop in Gilbert's Corner? It'd be a little closer than Paeonia Springs.

I drove by it once, but couldn't stop. Looked like it had potential and FWIW has good reviews on Yelp. B)

Yes. Happyguy wrote about it awhile back. Not sure where to find the thread, though. Maybe a moderator can help?

(Pit Stop's ribs are good, but it's worth driving to Paeonian Springs.)

eta: here ya go

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