Barbecue Joints Adapt Smoking Traditions Nationwide

Barbecue businesses across the country are drawing diners through distinct approaches, from New Hampshire’s 603 BBQ, known for inventive sausages and brisket, and the reopened Muddy River Smokehouse, which has become a community gathering spot, to Bay Area pitmaster Quinn Stone’s scratch-made sides, custom smoker and signature rub. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wilber’s Barbecue has served whole-hog pork cooked over hardwood coals since 1962, preserving a traditional style and a long-standing road-trip stop. A Texas restaurant is adapting brisket, ribs and sausage to meet halal standards while retaining traditional smoking methods. At a periodic pop-up inside Goldee’s Barbecue, pitmaster Jonny Butch explores direct-heat cooking over wood coals, serving an unconventional menu that highlights a less common Texas barbecue technique.