Smithfield Chicken and BBQ - North Carolina

Smithfield Chicken and BBQ
121 Wakelon St # 121
Zebulon, NC 27597
http://www.scnbnc.com/

Smithfield Chicken and BBQ is a North Carolina chain that's been around for over 30 years.  Let's call it what it is.  It's definitely a chain.  It feels like and chain and acts like a chain.  However the staff is very friendly (we are of course in North Carolina) and the menu is very comfort food oriented.  But what about the food...

I got the Chicken and BBQ Combo.  Which means fried chicken and pulled pork along with a side of baked beans and hush puppies.

Remember how I said that it acted like a chain...we'll it also tastes like a chain too.  However it is still southern comfort food and that means it's not all bad.  Just not much above average.

The fried chicken was typical for a local fried chicken chain which actually means it's a step above the national chains like KFC.  The beans were very typical for this type of restaurant.  Tastes like it came out of a can.  The hush puppies were just average.  However the pulled pork was good.  Nice and tender and fresh.  There was no sauce on the table...a real let down.

Overall it was an average chain lunch but it had the distinct advantage of being barbecue.

While I would recommend it over a chain hamburger for lunch, I would rather have a local lunch spot for barbecue any day.

Mac's BBQ - Dallas, TX

Mac's BBQ
3933 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 823-0731
11:30am - 2:30pm

Don't let this quaint storefront fool you. In fact, most true barbecue fans know that it's the small unassuming face that usually provides some of the best cue and Mac's is no exception.

This visit was like coming home.  Mac's is like a trip back to a simpler time. One of a slower pace to the daily grind.  One where you can just hop down to a great little "lunch spot" for a barbecue sandwich.  This is what I grew up on and this is what remains at Mac's.

Not just lunch...but a flavorful plateful of a small town Texas way of life.

This time I took off my reviewers hat and just had the same typical lunch that I had a Mac's dozens of times.  A sausage sandwich, beans and fries.

 
The sausage is always firm yet tender and flavorful.  Billy's (that Mac's son that runs the place) provides the sauce on the side and the bun is toasted.  The fries are cooked to perfection and the beans are smokey good.

I can't say enough about Mac's.  So drop on by...and remember that this is a TRUE lunch spot.  Only open mid day during the week and get a taste of Texas past...today. 

3 Legged Pig - Lakeville, NY

3 Legged Pig
3415 Rochester Rd.
Lakeville, NY 14480

http://www.3leggedpig.com

The 3 Legged Pig claims to serve the best real pit BBQ in town.  I happen to think that they likely server the best real pit BBQ in the county and maybe more.  I was very surprised to find a barbecue restaurant of this caliber in the finger lake area of upstate New York.

  
Most know that lunch is the best time to have BBQ and this was a real treat. I chose a combo of ribs and pulled pork with a side of baked beans and green beans.  I couldn't pass up an additional side of cornbread.

The green beans were not overdone, were fresh and sauteed with garlic.  Very refreshing.  The baked beans were not my favorite as baked beans like this taste to banal. Too much like canned barbecue beans. The cornbread was fresh and delicious.  Just a hint of sweetness. 

 While I'm not a fan of ribs with sauce already applied, these ribs were well smoked and tender.  The sauce was not much of a deterrent to these good eats.  The pulled pork was tender and fresh. 

There were multiple sauces to choose from.  Their bottled recipe, sweet, tangy and spicy.  All but the tangy were tomato based and had a good flavor.  The tangy didn't quite have what you would expect from a true Carolina BBQ shop but it was good.

I have to say that all in all, this was a unexpected surprise.  Very good barbecue and I would enjoy again given the chance.  I definitely recommend the 3 Legged Pig.