Allen and Son Barbecue (7/10) - 6203 Millhouse Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Back when my original barbecue tour inspirations were in its infancy stage, Richie Y called me over to his place to watch a program on barbecue that he recorded that he knew I'd love.  The PBS documentary was entitled Smokestack Lightning, and it was a visual continuation from Lolis Eric Elie's highly entertaining book with the same name that highlights his travels across the country eating barbecue (besides its entertainment value, the book proved to be very motivational as well).  The show was a couple hours long, highlighting the importance and culture of barbecue across the nation.

One of the locations depicted in the show, was at a small North Carolina barbecue joint located outside Chapel Hill called Allen and Son Barbecue.  The barbecue looked incredible and the owner's commitment to his technique and process furthered my will to find my way to try his food.

The drive to Allen and Son in the middle of October took me through what I would arguably claim as one of the most beautiful parts of the country; the heavy foliage of trees draped against the rolling hills painted the entire spectrum from greens to reds across the landscape.  It was only suitable that Allen and Son was also tucked away in heavy shrubbery.  The restaurant was quaint and the worn sign on its facade echoed its history and tradition smoking barbecue.

I ordered a large pork sandwich while fighting the urge to try some of the pies and cobblers displayed in Allen and Son's dessert rack.  As I picked at the pork, the waitress warned me that the barbecue sauce was not for the faint at heart.  Basically, any place whose traditional barbecue sauce is spicy starts me off on the right foot.  The pork while very moist, was also noticeably quite salty.  I love sodium more than the next guy so I was excited to dive into the sandwich.

The sauce's consistency was unlike anything I had tried to date.  It had a little kick, not sure the advanced warning was warranted, but looked more like an oil-based salad dressing than a barbecue sauce.  It did however have a unique good flavor which added to the positive experience at the restaurant.