While Memorial Day often conjures images of backyard grills and amateur barbecue attempts, there’s a humble spot in Johnston County, North Carolina serving smoked meat so extraordinary it might forever ruin your satisfaction with cookout fare.
The Redneck BBQ Lab in Benson isn’t flaunting its greatness with fancy marketing or celebrity endorsements – it’s simply creating barbecue so scientifically perfect that meat enthusiasts are making pilgrimages from across the state and beyond.
This converted gas station has quietly become a smoked meat mecca where competition-grade techniques meet everyday service, creating an experience that will recalibrate your entire understanding of what barbecue can be.
I’ve explored barbecue joints from coast to coast, and what’s happening in this unassuming building belongs in the pantheon of American barbecue greatness…