Hursey's Bar-B-Q
Burlington, N.C.
{ at the intersection of Church Street (Highway 70) and
Alamance Road (NC 62) }
by
Bill Walker ©1999
I decided to finally try Hursey's Barbecue in Burlington
last night, since I didn't have time to go to Short Sugar's
in Reidsville and still make it on time to go with friends
from Elon College to the Eastern Music Festival.
I ate earlier than their peak dinner hour, and was pleased
at the quality overall. I ordered the combination plate, #1
Bar-B-Q & Chicken, which comes with coleslaw, french fries,
& hushpuppies. Price differs slightly for white meat or for
sliced barbecue. The extra charge is much less than at most
places.
The iced tea was mediocre compared to the high standard of
Bullock's in Durham. They were out of lemon which didn't
help. I am infamous from Charleston, S.C. to Richmond, Va.
for wanting extra lemon. The well-tipped provide it.
The barbecue sauce was unusually viscous. Acolyte Tom Arnel
pointed out to me that most sauces in the area of Mebane
through Burlington are very thick. The sauce was redish ,
moderately spicy and looked like it had red pepper and
pepper seeds in it but not a lot of catsup. The pork was
finely hand chopped with no sign of gristle or chucks of
fat. The Dennis Roger's pressed fork test did turn up a
fair amount of liquid but my overall impression was that it
wasn't too fatty. It was O.K. but I wouldn't drive 60 miles
for it.
Their chicken is called " broasted ". It looks like it was
very lightly floured or battered with a very crisp skin and
NO apparent grease at all. The meat was cooked to the exact
moment of perfection....not one bit too much or too little.
60 mile chicken for sure and all the more impressive when
you remember I was there before the dinner rush. I won't
order fried chicken at nonpeak times at Bullock's because
the odds are high that it will be dried from waiting under
a heat lamp.
The french fries are pretty good home fries. My only
reservation is that they are cut the same size a most fast
food places so they dry out too fast. I prefer a thick
style home fry. I asked the waitress what "fried pig's
tails" were, fearing the worst since downeast BBQ
philosophy entails using the "whole hog". Since we were in
the west, they turned out to be curly fried potatoes.
The slaw was alright, fairly coarse with not too much mayonaise. Being so near the western-style region, I had braced myself for the red glop that I dislike more each time that I try it.
The menu has pork ribs, flounder and calabash shrimp.
Barbecue chicken is available as the Tuesday special.
Desserts are homemade cobbler available with ice cream,
lemon pie and apple turnovers. Large, family-sized take-out
orders are available.
In the lobby , in addition to celebrity photos there was a
very interesting framed article " 10 barbecue joints
that I would drive miles for..." by Jack Betts from the
November 12, 1997 Charlotte Observer. Well worth pulling up
and saving.
William Thomas Walker
{Back To BBQ Page}
{To Personal Page}
{Feedback}