A ’cue icon is going hog wild, y’all. Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand winner Sam Jones BBQ is cooking up its second Downtown location. Slated to open by the end of the year, Sam Jones BBQ Pit Stop will bring the pitmaster’s traditional East Carolina whole-hog ’cue to a food stall at Morgan Street Food Hall.
Photo by Baxter Miller
The collab has been years in the making. Jones and Hibernian Hospitality Group owner—and food hall visionary—Niall Hanley go way back, making Hanley’s recent tap of Jones for the new MSFH outpost a natural fit—and less than a mile from Sam Jones BBQ’s OG DTR stomping grounds.
“Sam Jones is the real deal,” boasts Hanley. “Having him in Morgan Street Food Hall is a big deal for us and for anyone who cares about North Carolina food. We’re delighted.”
Gobble up delish turkey and all the fixins’ via these spots around town.
Gearing up for Thanksgiving takes tons of prep work—from hosting out-of-town family members to planning out the mealtime spread—NTM all the time it takes to cook up a turkey and all the fixins’. Prefer to swap hours in the kitchen in favor of QT with the fam or simply watching football on the couch? We got you. Here, we rounded up a ream of restaurants offering takeout Turkey Day meals for preorder around town. And if a dine-out resto experience is more your jam, there’s also a slew of spots open for a sit-down meal that’ll appease even the toughest of turkey critics. Ready, set, gobble!
Fare for the Road
Mandolin Gobble for good on a festive feast feat. all the fixins’, such as sweet potato punch, aligot potatoes, green bean casserole, bread pudding stuffing, yeast rolls and pie. The best part? A portion of proceeds benefit Give Raleigh. Just place those orders by Nov. 10!
Boulted Bread Now open for Thanksgiving preordering, Boulted Bread is offering all the carbs your heart desires—from pies and quiches to your classic breads and pastries. Pick up your glutenous goodies ahead of the holiday and watch as they slowly (or quickly) disappear. Let’s roll.
Lawrence Barbecue Lawrence Barbecue has the meats! … And the sides, desserts and oysters too. Go hog wild on pork butt, brisket or turkey breast, and don’t miss the three-cheese mac and smoked bacon green beans. Yum!
Midwood Smokehouse Grab your holiday grub from this Smoky Hollow BBQ restaurant touting smoked meats, oodles of scrumptious sides—think mashed potatoes, coleslaw and broccoli casserole—and dessert. We love to see (and taste) it!
PoshNosh Partnering with Hummingbird and Union Special (talk about sweetening the deal!), PoshNosh Catering Company is offering two dinner spreads serving parties of two to four or eight to 10. Gotta love options! Find brined + herb butter-rubbed turkey, cornbread sausage stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and more on the menu—along with rolls and pie selects from Union Special.
Sam Jones Feed eight to 10 hungry family members with a whole smoked turkey breast, a bottle of Sam Jones Sweet BBQ sauce, mac and cheese, baked beans, sweet potato muffins, and more. And be sure to save room for dessert, as that pecan pie is def gonna be irresistible.
Union Special Sate those sweet teeth via this beloved bakeshop and cafe’s pies and cookies (looking at you, pumpkin molasses cookies!), then throw in an order of savory goodies like cabbage casserole, mashed potatoes and creamed collards. Plus, stock up on bread for days—you know, just in case.
Cafe Root Cellar Take those hunger pangs to Pittsboro for a scratchmade Thanksgiving meal, made with a few fun twists. Think cranberry red wine-braised brisket, butternut squash lasagna, and lemon- and thyme-roasted Brussels sprouts, to name a few.
A feast fit for the table (natch), Table & Twine’s Thanksgiving feast includes the likes of brioche stuffing, bacon-bourbon collards, buttermilk mashed potatoes and more. An appetizer and brunch package are also on offer to make holiday hosting a breeze.
Take or Stay? Your Pick
Irregardless Cafe Irregardlessly good, grab a seat at this Morgan Street cafe for roast turkey with cornbread stuffing, vegan mushroom Wellington, marinated grilled salmon with tomato and bean stew, and linguine Arrabbiata and more menu items to boot. And takeout diners can enjoy many of the same menu ops at home.
Perry’s Steakhouse Let them eat steak! Select your eats from the restaurant’s full menu or opt for a special Thanksgiving meal. And if you’d rather take your fare on the road, a four-person takeout menu is also available.
The Pit Offering both takeout and sit-down dining options, this DTR BBQ spot is cooking up all the classics for your feast—from appetizers to kick off the meal to desserts to finish on a sweet note.
Seasons 52 “Thanksgiving traditions never tasted so good.” Fill that belly with all your fave dishes (turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans) or take ’em home.
Sit and Stay Awhile
Il Faló Prefer your Thanksgiving buffet-style? Chow down on Italian-inspired eats—from gnocchi al forno to pumpkin bisque to a selection of carved meats. And did we mention there’s a mac and cheese station…? Um, yes, please!
Peck & Plume Peck or gobble (dealer’s choice!) on a three-course meal feat. butternut squash soup, seared duck breast, hush puppies, boneless braised beef short ribs and more at Downtown Cary’s stylish Southern oasis.
Sullivan’s Steakhouse Grab a seat at this Glenwood South steakhouse for a three-course prix fixe menu feat. soup, salad, handcarved turkey, sides and dessert. And mentally prepare for that post-grub food coma.
Break out your grills, smokers and aprons because Sam Jones’ long-awaited, barbecue-themed cookbook hits shelves May 7. “Whole Hog BBQ: The Gospel of Carolina Barbecue with Recipes from Skylight Inn and Sam Jones BBQ” features recipes from the legendary pitmaster Sam Jones, who first got into the hog business with his dad at the renowned Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, NC. The cookbook shares the history of the Skylight Inn and provides step-by-step instructions on how to cook the Jones’ famous whole hog barbecue at home, as well as tips on how to throw your very own whole hog party. Classic North Carolina recipes fill the book’s pages—pork spare ribs, barbecue baked beans, home-style potato salad, country-style steak and gravy and biscuit pudding. And while the photos of delicious dishes in “Whole Hog BBQ” are mouthwatering to look at, nothing beats the real thing. Let Sam Jones do all the cooking for you at his soon-to-open barbecue restaurant in downtown Raleigh.
