All Aboard the Barbecue Express

by Julia Jarema
October 2005

If there has ever been a food that is synonymous with North Carolina – it’s barbecue.  Unlike other parts of the country where barbecue is an activity of cooking just about anything on a grill, in the Tar Heel state, barbecue is a noun—and a food category all its own.

Any native can tell you that barbecue is pork, but not just any pork. It is pig that is slow-cooked for hours over hickory wood, basted with a special vinegar-based sauce and finely chopped for serving. Most North Carolinians will tell you they prefer either “Lexington-style” or “Eastern-style” barbecue.  And though most people’s allegiance to a particular barbecue style is nearly as strong as their loyalty to a specific ACC university, there really is not that much difference between the two. Lexington barbecue is almost all pork shoulder and the sauce includes a mixture of vinegar, tomato sauce, water, salt, pepper and other spices. For Eastern barbecue, the whole pig is slow cooked and there is no tomato in the sauce.

Preparing this Southern staple is an all-day event that has evolved over generations as a great excuse for a social gathering. So it’s no surprise that such an event based on such a delicacy warrants its own festival.

On October 22nd, more than 150,000 people will flock to Lexington, N.C. for the 22nd Annual Barbecue Festival. And there is no better way to go, than by train.

North Carolina’s Amtrak trains become the “Barbecue Express” making special stops in Lexington for this one-day event. Both trains arrive just as the festivities begin. The westbound Piedmont (# 73) brings passengers from Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro and High Point arriving at the festival at 9:16 a.m. The eastbound Carolinian (# 80) carries passengers from Charlotte, Kannapolis and Salisbury pulling in at 8:46 a.m. It’s a short two-block walk to the center of the festival.

As the official Barbecue Capital of the World, Lexington is the natural choice for the famous food festival.

An eight-block stretch of Main Street is closed off to accommodate five entertainment stages, 400 craft and food exhibitors, games, rides and, of course, barbecue. Exhibits open at 8:30 a.m. so there will be plenty of time to work up an appetite. Live music entertainment runs throughout the day with something for everyone’s taste: gospel, acoustic, blues, bluegrass, country, rock and more. Scattered throughout the downtown you’ll find an antique car show, pig races, lumberjack show, sand sculpture and a juried arts and crafts show that features the talents and works of 54 area artists.

When hunger strikes, look for one of the three red and white tents, where you’ll see folks chopping barbecue, slinging slaw and serving french fries. While you wander, be sure to check out the North Carolina Championship Pork Cook-Off where whole-hog cooking experts – from east and west – demonstrate their skills.

When you’ve seen all the sights and stuffed yourself silly, climb aboard the train for the trip back home. The westbound Piedmont (#74) departs at 6:25 p.m. while the eastbound Carolinian (#79) departs at 6:56 p.m. After a fun-filled day, you’ll appreciate the relaxing ride home where you can stretch out, sleep or visit with friends instead of battling traffic.

For more information about North Carolina’s Amtrak, visit bytrain.org. For train tickets visit amtrak.com or call 1-800 USA RAIL (872-7245). For information about the Lexington Barbecue Festival, visit barbecuefestival.com

The North Carolina Department of Transportation sponsors the daily Piedmont and Carolinian trains which serve 17 cities in the state; Amtrak operates the services. Julia Hegele Jarema is the Communications Manager for the NCDOT Rail Division.