Let’s start easy with an old reliable. Leave campus, get to Church Street and go east for about five minutes. Before you pass the intersection with Highway 62, you’ll notice the finest smelling fumes that will make you drool without even being hungry. Follow your nose, and you’ll find a local gem and landmark: Hursey’s Bar-B-Q.
Now, before we go further, I want to address the Elon students from up North. No, I will not turn this into a “the-South-will-rise-again”-rant. But I urge you to be open and try to appreciate the traditions of barbecuing.
Barbecue is not just a southern tradition - it's also an American one.Socially, this nation’s greatness was constructed around meat cooking on an open flame. Why do you think we grill on the Fourth of July? Our country is of beef, pork, chicken and liberty, right?
Let us then look at an American story.
The Hursey family has had its barbecuing tradition for 67 years, spanning four generations. What humbly started as an open-pit in the backyard is now an award-winning establishment and one of the best barbecue joints in the state.
Once inside, take a look at the signed and framed photos of celebrities filling the front wall. This wall includes four presidents, all satisfied after celebrating this American tradition.
Elon and Burlington’s locations are fortunate enough to be between the Eastern and Western styles of North Carolina barbecue. Hursey’s is a blend of the tangy East and sweet-and-spicy West.
I ordered the house’s go-to, the chopped pork sandwich with hushpuppies. The sandwich comes with coleslaw on it. The sweet slaw is a great compliment to the spiced shoulder meat.
Starting at 8 a.m. daily, the restaurant cooks the shoulder meat in the smoke pit. The fire is composed of 75 percent hickory and 25 percent oak, and the smoky flavors penetrate the pork.
Chopped at medium coarse, the meat is tender and perfectly sauced. The “secret sauce” has been around since the beginning. The unique concoction flirts with the western North Carolina style, with the ketchup-vinegar base. And the blend of spices adds complexity.
Yes, the sauce is phenomenal, I know. But whatever you do — no matter how tempted you are — don’t douse your sandwich in sauce because it doesn’t need it. Sauce in North Carolina barbecue is supposed to be used as a moistening agent complimenting the meat, the sauce should not be the main event.
With the recent chilly nights, the hearty side of the Brunswick stew is a winner. Wash it down with some sweet tea, and you have a substantial meal with good atmosphere and a bite of culture for about half the price of a trip to a dining hall.
On the way out, I went ahead and used some of that extra cash — spared by avoiding ARAMARK — to buy some homemade pork rinds. These crunchy treats are strips of pork skin and fat fried to a crisp. Foodies say God is found between the skin and fat of a pig. Consequently, a pork rind must be the holy Communion. They make them in-house daily, and they’re the best I’ve ever had. Pork rinds are a little foreign to some, but give them a try. You might find that you'll like them too.