ASHEVILLE – East North Carolina has long received praise for its barbecue. This summer, a Western North Carolina barbecue restaurant is proving there are smoky, delicious options in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
On Aug. 22, Southern Living magazine released its list of the best new barbecue joints across the South.
Contributing Barbecue Editor Robert F. Moss traveled the county searching for the best new barbecue joints. Roads led the food critic to Asheville where he discovered Huli Sue’s BBQ & Grill, a downtown restaurant that blends Texan and Hawaiian styles and flavors.
Huli Sue’s ranked No. 22, rounding out the list of the South’s Best Barbecue Joints of 2024 with two more North Carolina eateries making the cut.
Southern Living defines “new” as a restaurant that’s opened since the publication published its last version of the list in September 2021.
Moss dined at each selected location at least once and the list and qualitative rankings were “based upon the enjoyment of the meal and the overall experience of the visit.”
Huli Sue’s, which opened at 1 Page Ave, Suite 150 in Grove Arcade in November 2021, was noted for its slow-smoked brisket, baby back ribs, loco moco and huli-marinated chicken.
“Being where we are in prime barbecue country and not having traditional barbecue but having our tropical flavors and influences and twists, it’s nice to be included in the group of other recognized barbecue places in the South,” said co-owner Lisa Smith-Vann. “We’re happy and honored.”
For 20 years, Smith-Vann lived in Japan before living with her business and life partner, Ben Krueger, in Hawaii for 15 years, which inspired Huli Sue’s concept.
The pan-Asian and tropical-influenced dishes exclude barbecue sauce and include rubs with Chinese five-spice blends and curry powder and passionfruit-based glazes.
“We love the Asheville community,” Smith-Vann said. “At first we were nervous about bringing this eclectic menu to town but then we realized that Asheville’s weird and we feel like we fit perfectly into that eclectic vibe.”
Follow Huli Sue’s new food truck around town. In September, the mobile eatery will make rounds at RAD Brewing Company, Hi-Wire Brewing, New Belgium Brewing and Rock the RAD Block Party ― a free, family-friendly event on Paynes Way in the River Arts District on Sept. 15.
Other North Carolina barbecue joints to make the list are Lechón Latin BBQ & Bar (ranked No. 21) and Longleaf Swine (ranked No. 12) in Raleigh.
The No. 1 destination is Palmira Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina.
View Southern Living’s full list at southernliving.com.
In March, Moss compiled a list of the South’s Best Barbecue Joint in Every State 2024, naming Lexington Barbecue in Lexington as the best in North Carolina. View the list at southernliving.com.
View Huli Sue’s Barbecue menu at hulisuesbbq.com. For more, follow @hulisuesbbq on Instagram.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Southern Living ranks best new BBQ joints, Asheville restaurant named
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