FAQ

We do things the old-fashioned way, which is the hard way. Low and slow, over real hickory, cooked fresh every day. No precooking and rewarming, and nothing brought in already smoked from somewhere else. Every meat we serve comes out of our own smokers.

All of our meats are probe cooked. Our meats are not cooked by time, they are cooked by temperature. A smoker has hot spots and cool spots, so every single piece is probed on its own and pulled when it is right, not when a timer says so.

Because the two are not the same thing. Smoking is low and slow, around 250 to 275 degrees or below, over long hours. Barbecue runs hotter and faster. We are a smokehouse, and the name leaves room for everything a smokehouse can do.

Real hickory, at all three locations. It is the wood this part of the country was built on and it is the only one we use.

If meat is cooked right, it does not need sauce to hide anything. Everything we serve is dry rubbed and comes to the table unsauced, and you decide what goes on it. The only exception is our baby back ribs, which are sauced after smoking, never before.

The best of all of it. Western North Carolina sits at the crossroads of every great barbecue region in the country, so we brought the best of each one home. Texas brisket, deep southern and Carolina pork, St. Louis and Memphis dry rubbed ribs, and sauces that run from Eastern Carolina vinegar to Kansas City sweet. Wherever we thought it was best is where we learned it.

We have. Yelp ranked us No. 1 on its Top Brisket Spots in the U.S. and Canada in 2023, and TripAdvisor named us to the Top 25 Hidden Gem Restaurants in the U.S. the same year. In 2024 Yelp put us at No. 11 on the Top 100 U.S. Restaurants and in the top 10 of the Top 100 BBQ Spots, where we were the highest ranked barbecue restaurant in North Carolina. You can see them all on our awards page.

A rotating daily creation from our kitchen, straight from the pit, and something you will not find on the regular menu. It changes every day. Ask what today's is when you visit, and know that when the day's batch sells out, that is it until the next one.

Eight, all made in house. Five regional styles: Sweet Red, Hot Red, East Carolina, Sweet Carolina, and Georgia Fire. Then S.O.B., a habanero and jalapeno blend that is genuinely hot, our Strawberry Chipotle, which is ours alone, and Chipotle Ranch. Every plate comes with your choice, and they are available by the bottle, pint, or quart to take home.

Tallow fried french fries, Burnt-End Baked Beans, Mac and Cheese, Collard Greens, Green Beans, Nana's Creamy Coleslaw, Potato Salad, and a Side of the Day. Brunswick Stew swaps in as the side on any sandwich for a dollar.

They are, in house, and they are not an afterthought. There is pork in the green beans and the collard greens, and brisket burnt ends in the baked beans. Nana's Creamy Coleslaw is Joe's great grandmother's recipe, four generations old and still made the way she made it.

Pure beef tallow, the old school way. We proudly use only tallow in our fryers, and you can taste it in the crisp golden edges.

Most of our slow-smoked meats and many of our sides are gluten friendly, and they are marked GF on the menu. Our kitchens are not gluten-free environments and cross-contact can happen, so we cannot guarantee any item is free of gluten or other allergens. Tell us about any allergy when you order and we will point you in the right direction.

Our brisket rub has no sugar in it and works as a standalone on any meat. Our pork rub contains brown sugar, so it is not keto friendly. We would rather tell you that up front than have you find out later.

St. Louis is a cut, not a style. It comes from a spare rib, trimmed and squared so it cooks evenly, with the brisket bone and some side meat taken off. Baby backs come from the back of the hog and are meatier and less fatty. We cook both dry rubbed, Memphis style.

Honestly, not many. Our sides are cooked the traditional way, which means pork in the green beans and the collards and burnt ends in the beans. We do have a veggie quesadilla, french fries, mac and cheese, and potato salad. Ask when you order and we will tell you straight what works.

Three locations in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Waynesville at 79 Elysinia Ave, Dillsboro at 403 Haywood Rd, and Franklin at 33 Macon Center Dr.

Waynesville and Dillsboro are open Wednesday and Thursday from 11am to 8pm, and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm, closed Sunday through Tuesday. Franklin is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 8pm, closed Sunday and Monday.

Waynesville and Dillsboro are family run by the Beasleys. Mike and Justin Hunt own and operate the Franklin location. Same recipes, same smokehouse, same standards.

We are a walk-in smokehouse and we do not take reservations. When there is a wait, join the waitlist at the host stand and we will let you know when your table is ready. For a large party or a special event, reach out to the location directly and we will work with you.

Waynesville and Dillsboro pour a rotating selection of beer and wine. Franklin runs a full bar. Ask your server what is cold today.

There is. Alongside everything you would expect, Franklin has the Cuban, the Cowboy Cuban, the French Dip, the Smokehouse Potato, and slow-smoked wings on Wednesdays and Saturdays, plus a full salad section. Andouille sausage takes the place of hickory smoked sausage there. See the Franklin menu for the whole list.

Yes, 24 hours a day, up to 30 days in advance. Order from the Waynesville, Dillsboro, or Franklin page. You pay when you order and your food is ready when you arrive.

To-go orders up to 30 days in advance. Catering up to six months in advance, which is plenty of runway for a wedding or a company event.

Franklin offers delivery through DoorDash. Waynesville and Dillsboro are pickup only, straight from our smokehouse to your hands, which is how we make sure it arrives the way we made it.

Absolutely. Our bulk takeout covers meat by the pound, whole smoked meats including whole brisket, whole Boston butt, and whole turkey breast, racks of ribs, sides by the pint, quart, and pan, gallons of tea and lemonade, and all our sauces. Feeding a crowd is what we do. Whole smoked meats need 24 hours notice.

We do, from backyard parties to weddings to company events. Catering pricing follows our bulk takeout, so you know what you are getting. Start on our catering page or order online up to six months out.

Yes, online or in house, as long as they leave sealed and unopened.

You can, online or at the register, and they are good at all three locations. Buy online for Waynesville, Dillsboro, or Franklin.

Look it up online for Waynesville, Dillsboro, or Franklin. You can also ask at the register on your next visit.

Our free members club. Join and you get a one time 10% off for you and a guest on your next visit at any of our three locations, weekly promotions and discounts by text, and our weekly newsletter. Sign up on our VIP Club page, or text VIP to 828-522-9077.

We like birthdays around here. Join the Birthday Club and a real card arrives in your mailbox the week of your birthday, good for any dessert you want, on us, with your meal. Joining the Birthday Club makes you a VIP automatically. Sign up on our Birthday Club page.

Starting November 1, 2026, we will ship our slow-smoked barbecue nationwide, vacuum sealed and frozen at the peak of freshness. The same food we serve in our dining rooms, on your table, wherever you live.

Vacuum sealed and frozen in an insulated box, ready for your freezer. Reheating instructions come in every box.

All 48 states in the mainland U.S., plus Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and the United Kingdom by overnight shipping.