My Visit To The Pit

A friend and I visited Ed Mitchells Pit last night to sample the barbecue.

We sat at the bar which is unusual because most BBQ joints in North Carolina don't serve alcohol. Once we got the attention of the bartender we ordered a couple of my favorite Carolina Pale Ales. What can I say? I love this beer and pairing it with BBQ cannot possibly be a bad thing.

I had not eaten anything that day except for a bucket of day-old popcorn at Horton Hears a Who so I immediately went for the smoked wings as an appetizer. The bartender didn't ask about "the three sauce choices" so I got my wings plain. They weren't bad, decent size and pretty good smoky flavor.

We both ordered combination plates so we could sample both the chopped whole hog as well as the baby back ribs. I also ordered both the candied yams and mash potatoes wit gravy as my 2 sides. I know it seems like an odd pairing but they looked like the two most important side dishes and I wanted to get the full experience.

The plates arrived quickly and looked pretty good. My major complaint is that the side dishes were in separate dishes yet the cole slaw was thrown right into the middle of the plate between the ribs and chopped pork. Those of you that know me already know my distaste for cole slaw; I really don't like most of them. But this cole slaw was extra extra runny and quickly started to take over my plate. I immediately grabbed my orange slice garnish as well as my friends and had to create two damn-like barriers to stop this overly hydrated slaw from ruining the rest of the plate. I may be mistaken but doesn't this mean that the cabbage in the slaw was not properly rung out and dried? Anyway, if there was ever a side dish that cried out for its own cup/dish this would be it.

The pork was excellent; it was chopped but was still a touch coarse. It came to the table already sauced with Ed's eastern sauce. It had a little zing to it which is something I really enjoy in pork BBQ. The ribs looked a little different to me. They lacked any of the "bark" that you would see in a Corky’s (Memphis) type rib. I ordered them dry so I could really get a taste for them. They did have a smoke ring to them but they fell right off the bone kind of like a Friday's or Chili's prepared rib. I suspect that they may have been baked or steamed as well as smoked. I really like a smoked rib with a little chew to it so these were a little different to me.

That being said, the ribs did have an excellent flavor and I would not hesitate to tell you that they were much better than what you would get at the two chain restaurants mentioned above.

The bartender let us know that the side orders are homemade. I have to tell you that I was not disappointed in the least with either of my choices. Both were excellent. The sweet potatoes were syrupy sweet and the mashed potatoes seemed to be mashed by hand as opposed to the "whipped" potatoes you so often get nowadays.

All in all I would say that another visit to The Pit is definitely in order. True, it's pricey for BBQ but it's a restaurant not a shack. They offer quite a few wines as well as beers. There are also other items on the menu for people that you may bring who just don't appreciate North Carolina Barbecue. This alone makes it a great place to take clients from other areas that are looking to try "indigenous cuisine".

The service could have been a little better and the slaw will be avoided from now on but I will go back.