CASHIERS, N.C. – The Carolina Smokehouse was quiet as I entered – it was barely a quarter past 11 in the morning. A handful of folks sat around the bar, carrying on a casual conversation. It’s a very pleasant way to pass the time on a Saturday morning.
Sit anywhere, the waitress said. The smell was thick and inviting, so I ordered a pork BBQ plate, an early lunch that promised to please.
“I’ve spent most of my money on beer and BAR-B-Q. The rest I’ve just wasted,” read one of the signs on the Smokehouse’s walls. That’s not a bad way to go through life.
At least two Florida state legislator “tags” and a couple of amateur radio “tags” are among the dozens of license plates that make up the décor of the restaurant, located along U.S. Highway 64. Most, if not all, of the republic’s 50 states are represented, my casual observation reveals.
It takes only a few minutes for the food to arrive. The onion rings were hearty, and the hot BBQ sauce atop my pork plate packed the perfect punch. In the sauce, there was heat for the sake of flavor, not heat for the sake of heat. And, as contradictory as it sounds, the sweet tea wasn’t overly sweet – it wasn’t two parts sugar per one part liquid, that is.
A mix of regulars and visitors trickle into the restaurant. Before long, I hit the road once again, but it’s easy to see why this place is so popular and attracted Alton Brown during his cross-country motorcycle trip, Feasting on Asphalt.
