Bbq Barn

The other name for the BBQ Barn is the Pink Pig. Stopped for breakfast and while the biscuit was okay, I’ve had many better. The sausage had a pleasing bite to it. They were out of fat back, I know but I like it. The friendly staff and the numerous locals are worth the visit. I’ll be back for lunch next time.

We just moved to the Butner-​Creedmoor area and are on a mission to try all the local eating establishments. My friend is not a huge fan of barbecue, at least not the NC style, so it fell to me to check out the BBQ joints. This place (the Pink Pig to the locals) is not far from our house so I hit it up for lunch one Sat. It’s your typical Southern cooking country style establishment, complete with checkered tablecloths, ceramic piggies and farm implements for décor. And what is it with BBQ joints and gravel parking lots? Anyway, lots to choose from on their menu board, but I was there for chicken and BBQ. Got their combo platter with pork BBQ, white meat fried chicken, butter beans, Mac and cheese, and hush puppies. Generous portions of everything, but the chicken pieces seemed a little small. Which was a shame, since it was the best part of the entire meal. Good and hard fried with a nice light crunchy crust, just the way I like it. The hush puppies were pretty good too. However, the BBQ had no flavor other than the vinegar. The Mac and cheese was bland — I could taste the pasta but there was no hint of cheese, just some flavorless congealed goo at the bottom that could have been cheese or mushy pasta. The butter beans tasted like they had sat in the pot on the stove for several hours and someone forgot to stir them. Like, at all.
But as I was at the register, my eye happened to fall on a pile of bagged fried pork skins. Oh dear sweet Lord, those are my weakness! I had to get a bag, of course. These are the real thing, not that dried out styrofoam mess from the grocery store. These were some of the best I’ve ever had. I took them to work and shared and now half of the office is placing orders with me to get more! So it looks like I’ll be back for their fried chicken and pork skins but I think I’ll pass on the sides and BBQ. Maybe I’ll be brave and try some of their other offerings. I hear the chicken and dumplings are pretty good.

The BBQ Barn is located about a mile off I-​85, and it obviously is popular with the locals, as the lot was nearly full at 11:45. Lots of trucks, trade and pickups, family sedans, and a van or two. This is a small place with a cafeteria style setup, plastic trays and utensils, and lines can form during peak times.
They serve country cooking meat and 2 plates, sandwiches, and of course, pork barbecue., which is what brought me here. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but the chopped pork was not good at all, it tasted old, stale, almost as if it had been frozen previously. It is pulled pork, not chopped, much like Prissy Polly’s in Kernersville. There is a mild, vinegar based sauce on it, but there is also a Lexington stylre sauce available, but it did not help what I was served.
It was Thursday, and this means Chicken & Dumplings here, and this dish was excellent. Thet also serve sandwiches, including burgers and a decent hot dog. I’ll probably give the pork another shot if opportunity arises, but what I had yesterday was just not good.

This is my place of choice when eating in Butner, the service is great and they have great family style meal specials daily…

I sometimes head up to the BBQ Barn; it’s my occasional Saturday «hideaway» and a great reason to take a drive through the countryside. Any restaurant with the word «Barn» in its name (Angus Barn notwithstanding) suggests certain things, and the BBQ Barn won’t be any surprise here. It’s typical southern BBQ fare, and it’s served in a sort-​of lunch cafeteria style (slide the plastic tray down towards the register) … but it works, and the people there are extremely friendly and always willing to chat. They seem to have a devoted following of locals, which tells me that they’re doing something right, and the adjoining dining room is perfect for Ruritan club meetings, little local political shindigs, and all sorts of other social happenings in a little rural community. And that’s two-​thumbs-​up in this diner’s books.