High Cotton BBQ

I agree with another review as I was not impressed at all. I had the pull pork, okra and Fries. The plate was a full plate but mostly of fries n okra. What there was of the pulled pork came out luke warm at best. I did mention it to our server and he was willing to get me a replacement but I declined. The other people in my party also stated their food was luke warm. One had the pulled pork sandwich and the other had the ribs. I guess being from Texas I’m spoiled to great BBQ.

Excellent bbq place on the outerbanks. The décor is great. Nice high ceilings, good natural light. The thing that blew us away was the service. Every single employee was so friendly and the bbq was awesome. The ribs were some of the best in the country. They have a great rub with some heat to them.

I got one of the meat combos with pulled pork and brisket. The pulled pork was good but the brisket was awesome. Really tender. My dad got the fried chicken and swears it was the best fried chicken he has ever had… Which is particularly impressive because he eats a lot of fried chicken. We also got a chocolate chess pie and it was just okay. Nothing special.
In addition to good food the portions were huge… We had a party of 6 and only one person in our group finished an entire plate. Most of us took about half of the meat home.
Service was good

Amazing BBQ. We always get the platters here: fried chicken, sliced brisket, pulled pork… High Cotton never disappoints. As good as the meat is, the sides are amazing as well… my family’s favorites are the mac and cheese, cole slaw and potato salad. They have two sauces available, vinegar based and tomato based but the meat is so flavorful I didn’t think it needed sauce at all. Huge portions at a great price.

got back from our visit last week, for the life of me I can not figure out how this place receives great reviews. husband ordered the half chicken with their «special sauce» fried okra, hush puppies (puppies mean more then one) and a salad and dressing I think it was called honey mustard for me.
the chicken was so covered in there sauce you could not see the chicken and it was terrible at least for our taste buds. there were about ten thousand fried okra and one hush puppie.
got a nice fresh salad with NO dressing so I had a nice dinner of lettuce.

The service was remarkably fast, the people were very nice and it was a very comfortable experience even with young kids.
The food was plentiful and it was priced right. The fried chicken was some of the best that I’ve had. The bbq (brisket, ribs and pulled pork) were great for the price. I’ve tried a lot of bbq so I can’t say it’s top notch, but it is good especially with the vinegar sauces. Worthy of 5-​stars as an overall experience.

This place was amazing! I had the brisket, macaroni and green beans. Everything was delicious and I have never seen my two year old eat that fast at a restaurant. All of the dishes were very affordable and the staff was very warm and accommodating. I will come back for sure on my next trip to the Outer Banks.

Got take out from here. Smoked chicken, chopped pork, slaw, and Brunswick Stew for under $ 10. The slaw was a little bland for me. The meats were very good but to me the true star is the Brunswick Stew I never though I could like a side dish so much will be ordering a double of it next time.

Dried out meat– bbq sauce straight vinegar– canned green beans. We were so excited to get real bbq down in Bc and this just disappointed. Also they wouldn’t honor the price in the 2016 visitors guide. Very disappointed

Excellent takeout.
Ribs are spicy and tender without being overcooked. Mac and cheese was awesome– rich and cheesy and flavorful. Baked beans were stellar– deep tomato and brown sugar flavor. Potato salad is heavy on the mustard…
Pulled pork was good, standard bbq fare. Two sauces– one vinegar based and one traditional bbq sauce.
Hush puppies were disappointing– hard and cold. The only thing about our entire meal that wasn’t great.
Next time I’m going for the fried chicken, which looked amazing.
Love that they offer family size portions to take out.
Definitely recommend.

Eastern BBQ and good fried chicken, would recommend
Very casual dine in atmosphere. Weird how the beer I got was in a can but whatever

The 411: this is a nice establishment with clean tables, friendly service, decent food and prices and arguably has the best Carolina barbecue in the outer banks that I know of.
This place has a nice open floor plan with plenty of light. No hiding any dirtiness here!
I tried the Carolina pulled pork, brisket, barbecue chicken and the ribs.
Brisket was cold when I got it, and didn’t have a smoke ring. Not my favorite in terms of flavor. Not the juiciest either. It was tender however.
The pulled pork was mostly decent. It was very tender and had a nice smoky aroma. Not sure if it was eastern style… it tasted mostly like pork shoulder and I didn’t get much of a whole hog flavor. It’s also served without vinegar and chilli flake. you gotta add that on your own. I’ve had better, but it was very respectable.
Barbecue chicken was very good! It was dark meat so it was still juicy and tender. I would opt for the dark meat, as the white meat tends to dry out when smoked.
The fries and hush puppies were very fresh and crispy when served. Nice!
I also had the Brunswick stew. Corn, potato, tomato, pork, and Lima beans. It was good, but was a bit lacking in the seasoning department. I’d like some more cumin or chilli powder to make it a bit more deeply flavored.
Ribs were also just decent. Nice smoke nuance and were tender and juicy, but mostly mild in their rub. They were served piping hot and the meat fell off the bone. Would have liked a bit more spice, but again they were decent!
The fried okra was really good! Heavily breaded, but tender and good with the meal.
The Carolina sauce was my favorite especially with the pulled pork. I like the bite of vinegar with the slight spice. I like more spice but I can’t complain.
The dark sauce didn’t impress me. It was rather mild and sweet for my taste. Meh
They also serve Texas Pete at every table.
Food was also served quickly and service was really friendly and attentive. It was empty when I went, so that’s probably what made them so attentive. I would probably give this place 3 stars if it weren’t for the cleanliness and friendliness.
Bottom line: this is probably one of the best and most renowned places to get Carolina style barbecue in the outer banks. Unless you’re willing to drive very far from the banks to get the best possible eastern Carolina barbecue, you gotta go here. Pulled pork is the way to go. Fried chicken is good, better than barbecue chicken. All their sides were good. Hospitable and clean place for a meal!

I don’t have a gauge for NC BBQ, but it’s definitely delicious BBQ.
We were going to have 1 BBQ night and saved it for High Cotton. We were not disappointed!
When you walk in, you can smell the smoked meat. Instant trigger for hunger. My hubby got the 3 meat combo… Brisket, pulled pork, and chicken, which comes with 2 sides and hush puppies. He loved it all. I did a tasting of it all, it was delicious.
Brisket is moist and flavorful. It held its shape and didn’t fall apart. The pulled pork with the vinegary sauce was awesome! Chicken… you can choose white or dark meat. We had the dark, and the smoked flavor really penetrated the meat. So good!
I was getting the ribs, and hubby convinced me to get the full rack, because he was going to have some. I know have a lunch for tomorrow. :-) The ribs were amazing, you can pull the meat off the bone with just a fork. Flavors were perfects, you didn’t need to add anything to it.
Baked beans were really good. Saucy and with the right amount of sweetness.
Oh, best hush puppies I’ve ever had. Neither of us like hush puppies, but these were great.
I couldn’t eat like this regularly, but what an amazing splurge!

I’m giving this 5 stars because I can get fried chicken and very good BBQ in the same spot. No, I’m not fried chicken obsessed like the rest of my family, but when it’s good, I like it, and High Cotton’s is very good.
The chopped pork is very, very good, with lots of smoke, good pork flavor, and not overly sauced. This is still my favorite BBQ thing ever, and I’m really happy to find a place like this so close to home. I do still add a little sauce (nothing is ever too sour for me, so on with the vinegar) but it’s nice to have the option, rather than having it pre-​drenched. Fried chicken is similarly excellent, very moist with nice crisp breading and plenty of seasoning in the batter. It’s good enough to make me want fried chicken, which I don’t usually. No doctoring needed (which is good, since it’s hard to doctor).
Slaw is pretty standard, but I needed to add Texas Pete. On the other hand, there’s no onion, so I’m willing to do whatever i need if I don’t have to pick around the onion. You’ll notice my review is nicely paralleling Jon Ts, since we have similar tastes, but in this regard we differ — I actually wish that the hush puppies had a little sweet onion on them, i like that flavor. Just make sure it’s cooked soft, and not raw. The baked beans are kind of boring — I might not get these again.
Beans notwithstanding, this is just great food. I’m looking forward to bringing friends out to the area, and this will absolutely be on the list so I can force them to worship at the altar of North Carolina BBQ.

We have been back again for three more visits to High Cotton this spring. This is consistently good Eastern Carolina pork and that is what I return for. It is nicely smoky and the sauce is a good one. They don’t sauce it heavily when they serve it. I usually add a little more, but it is delicious either way. I agree with Fred, my barbecue muse. I really think they have gotten steadily better over the last few years and that was from a decent starting point. I applaud the consistency.
To summarize:
Eastern NC Style Barbecue — excellent, smoky, clean somewhere between fine and medium chop. Great on a sandwich or just eaten off the plate.
Fried Chicken — I really like it. The coating is light, perfect for me, it has the right amount of salt and generally good seasoning.
Pulled Smoked Chicken — A favorite of Ms T, using the sweeter sauce. Smoky and moist for those of you who don’t appreciate ENC Pork.
Brisket — I ordered once and will save my brisket consumption for the State of Texas. This is OK, but just not the style I am looking for. It is more like roast beef. Not bad, but when in NC eat the pork.
Ribs — I have not yet tried. I have not had good experiences with ribs in NC. Someday I will try them, we are here enough. I can get pretty good ribs in St Louis and great ribs in Memphis. I also smoke my own and am partial to them, but I have no clue how to smoke the pork like they do in this part of the world and I don’t even try.
Coleslaw –Decent straight ahead version, sweet and creamy. I always add Texas Pete. Great with the pork. No onion!!!
Collards — Usually announced as a special, but they have had them the last five times we have visited. I like the seasoning because they are a little tangy and perhaps just the slightest bit sweetened for balance, but you won’t eat them and say they are sweet. I just wish they would chop them. You have to cut them up yourself. I order them regularly and lately they have been nice and tender.
Smoked Cabbage — I ordered once and that was enough. It is sweet, too sweet for me. Just a matter of taste. I prefer the style at Backyard Barbecue Pit in Durham.
Chicken and Dumplings — For those of you who don’t live in NC, the term «dumplings» does not translate as it does in the north or Midwest. It is a thin homemade noodle, not a ball of soggy dough. These are well flavored with celery and enough salt. I just don’t order them because I don’t need the starch.
Fried Okra — Appears to be house breaded, not out of a Sysco bag. Ms T is the expert here and declares it to be standard, not exceptional but certainly good enough to order every time.
Hush Puppies — Blessed day! No onion. These are irregular shaped, not sweet like some. Good corn flavor. A little more downhome than the donut hole style that some places serve.
High Cotton is pretty much a weekly visit for us when we are here.

There are not enough accolades to shower this establishment with. I’ll start with they have immaculate bathrooms. The pork is perfect. They somehow have delicious fried chicken. The sides are what you need. The staff is happy you are there & they didn’t even mind when I took my clothes after after eating the 3 meat combo. Tell them Chad Dukes sent you. They don’t know who I am, but I’m consumed by narcissism, so do it anyway.

Bottom Line: Delicious BBQ and southern hospitality.
There are plenty of places to get barbecue in the Outer Banks but I can’t imagine that you will find one better than High Cotton. For a reasonable price you get mounds of food including meats that have been prepared with patience and care. In addition to the meaty goodness, High Cotton also has delicious sides. I particularly appreciate that their green beans aren’t full of fat like some barbecue places tend to do. Something else that is really great about High Cotton is the service. They are all very attentive and I like that the owner walks around to chat with the customers. Whereas he could be hiding out in the back doing paperwork, he instead chooses to interact with his customers which I think comes from a genuine desire to be hospitable and his interest in people.

We both had the fried chicken, big pieces with a light crispy breading, maybe a little greasy but hey its fried. The chicken was seasoned all through the meat, like maybe they might brine it, and was great. Okra was good, looked like freshly breaded, a few pieces were overcooked but overall good. Slaw was crispy and not too sweet, also really great.
The dining room was busy, we had disposable plates and glasses, but real silverware. Looks like they do a lot of carry-​out. The servers were moving fast and working hard, attentive and friendly.
Recommended, for great casual food, and a big serving size!

Always the first stop when we get to the OBX, mostly because it is on the way into Nags Head. Even if it wasn’t, I’d still make a point to stop by. Always great food and at an exceptional value. I definitely recommend it to others when discussing the OBX. If you’re new to the OBX BBQ scene, you shouldn’t definitely start here and work your way around the area. You won’t be disappointed!
I’d definitely put this place among my top three BBQ spots in the OBX.
This is definitely an unofficial dog friendly location. I always get my food to go and eat outside at the shaded picnic tables with our dog. There are additional unshaded picnic tables past the covered area. Keep this in mind if you want great BBQ and have your dog with you. Don’t forget to share!
They also sell their sauces and nuts so you can take it back wherever you came from. I’ve yet to buy the sauce on previous visits but I might have to make a pit stop on the way back this time! It’s always tasted great on the food and could only bolster my home grilling!

I am so glad this place has made a name for itself in Kitty Hawk, once again the brisket is tender, the ribs are meaty, and the smoked chicken is very tasty and «fall off the bone» tender.
My wife and I think it’s the best bbq on this beach.
Would have been 5 stars, but they neglected to remove that nasty membrane from the back side of the ribs before smoking… even backyard smokers know better.