Posted on 07/18/2008 9:39:29 AM PDT by Rebelbase
LEXINGTON — Drive down Main Street on a sunny summer day and brightly colored pig statues smile at you from every corner — fat pink pigs in wild costumes, standing tall and waving welcome. Roll down your window and you’ll know why Lexington is, for many, the barbecue capital of the world. You can smell the pulled pork, spice and vinegar for miles.
It’s the smell of Southern tradition — secret family recipes, waitresses who smile and call you “sugar.”
But these days, in many of the city’s most popular restaurants, customers say the air is sweeter for what you won’t smell: cigarettes.
“We went no smoking in April,” says Scott Cope, owner of Smokey Joe’s Barbecue. “And I’ve had people come up to me every day since to congratulate and thank me.”
Cope is one of four restaurant owners who ditched their smoking sections April 2, during the state’s “Kick Butts” event sponsored by The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
“For me, I think I just decided we’re a family restaurant,” Cope says. “And there’s no room for smoking in a family restaurant.”
For Cope, it wasn’t an easy decision. He was a smoker for years. His father, “Smokey” Joe Cope, earned the name — he smoked five packs a day when he founded the restaurant in 1973.
“It’s taken a real toll on his health,” Scott Cope says. “I don’t know if he ever thought the restaurant would be smoke-free, but I’m sure he wishes he’d never touched those cigarettes now.”
Some say the ban has helped them curb their habits.
“When the bars said you couldn’t smoke, I’d just go outside,” says Jim Fox, 40. “Then the bowling alley said no smoking, and I had to cut back to go out some place. Now, it’s my favorite restaurant and so I’ve just decided I’ve got to quit. I can’t do it anywhere anymore.”
Ellen Richards says she began coming to Smokey Joe’s only after it went smoke-free. The 70-year-old smoked for 30 years before quitting after lung surgery. She now takes oxygen for hours a day and can’t be around cigarettes.
“I think if it gets people to stop smoking before they have troubles like I’ve had, it’s a great thing,” Richards says. “If my generation had been smarter, we would have told these businesses to cut it out years ago.”
At John Wayne’s Lexington Barbecue, owner Tim Myers says he went smoke-free because customers demanded it.
“People requested it over and over again,” Myers says. “We had our smoking section at the front, and people would have to walk through it to get to nonsmoking. There were a lot of complaints.”
Myers knew some wouldn’t like the change — but he finally decided to do something. He took a vote.
“We worked with the Davidson County Health Department and we got some survey cards,” Myers says. “We made sure everyone old enough to smoke was given one. It came back with 82 percent saying they would come back if we went nonsmoking.”
It was still a scary proposition, Myers says. Many barbecue customers expected a laid-back atmosphere with few rules or formalities.
Wanting strength in numbers, he called up some restaurants — Smokey Joe’s among them. Would they go smoke-free if he did? Most said yes. Myers put some ashtrays outside, announced the change and crossed his fingers.
How’d it go?
“The first day we did it, business was up 15 percent,” Myers says. “We saw people we hadn’t seen in a long time — especially some older people who had trouble breathing. A lot of children and families. Groups coming in after church. It’s been great.”
Some people did stop coming — but you’d never know it from the lunch time rush at John Wayne’s these days. Those grabbing stools at the long front counter say they love the change.
“I love this place,” says Deborah McGirty, 34. “But I’ll tell you I did stop coming after I had kids cause I just didn’t want them around all that smoke. You’d leave here smelling like it, like it was a bar.”
That’s a common sentiment, according to H. Kent Craig, who runs a popular North Carolina barbecue Web site from his home in Cary. He reviews barbecue from across the state and delves into the culture of barbecue, which he says has always been family-oriented.
“Barbecue is not expensive, it’s served family-style and there’s usually no alcohol in a barbecue restaurant,” Craig says. “When more people smoked, smoking and barbecue went together. But now we’re all more health-conscious, and you don’t smoke in family places. So, I think it’s natural these places aren’t allowing smoking anymore.”
Susan Welborn says whatever the reason, she’s happy with the change. She’s been a regular at John Wayne’s for 12 years and doesn’t miss the days of walking through smoke clouds to be seated.
“The air is fresh now, you can breathe,” Welborn says. “You can smell the food, and that’s a better smell.”
NC ping please. We haven’t had a good BBQ fight in a long time.
blame it on business
it's almost the weekend...time to fire up the smoker and get you a sippin' drink
Eastern BBQ for me. Pulled pork!!! Vinegar sauce.
Does Obama know about this intentional insult to Muslims everywhere?? (see any thread can be hijacked!!!)
“When the bars said you couldn’t smoke, I’d just go outside,” says Jim Fox, 40. “Then the bowling alley said no smoking, and I had to cut back to go out some place. Now, it’s my favorite restaurant and so I’ve just decided I’ve got to quit. I can’t do it anywhere anymore.”
Good...now maybe you’ll live longer. I don’t really have a problem with people smoking, but it’s funny that the guy goes through having his smoking places taken away as a reason to quit as opposed to, you know, dying of lung cancer.
I smoked a pork loin last week. Soaked it in apple vinegar with crushed red pepper, then coated it in garlic, onion powder and black pepper before tossing it in the smoker.
Thin sliced on hamburger buns it was excellent!
I agree folks should spend thier money where they wish, but I think she is hinting at goverment control.
Speaking of pork, I am enjoying a good old BBQ pork sandwich right now, Texas style!
Rebelbase: “There’s only three or four left where one can smoke inside.”
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It should be (and appears to be in this case) up to the owners to decide. Government should stay out of it. If the three or four owners who still allow smoking think it’s good for business, let them keep smoking. On the other hand, if owners think they can improve business by going smoke free, let them. That’s what “land of the free” is all about.
I like to put throw some corn shucks on the smoker, too....hmmm....hmmmmm
I might not support them with my wallet but it's a business decision for them.
This is the way it's SUPPOSED to work.
There are some nonsmoking and some smoking. You serve the public no matter whether they smoke or not.
For my part in the BBQ fight, I usually use sweet, thick, tomato-based sauce like KC Masterpiece or Sweet Baby Ray's because that is what my family demands.
For myself, I kinda like thinner, more vinegary sauces. One that I frequently use for myself is Georgia South (hot) out of Barnesville GA. It is tomato-based but yet it has that twaaang and it's not too thick.
Bottom line: Pork boston butt with a genuine pink smoke ring rules. Don't need no sauce to be good.
Exactly the way it should be. A problem arises when government interferes with the process and tells private business owners what their smoking policy should be.
The little mom and pop places started folding about the time my town went no-smoking. Only the big chains remain. The food they serve is tasteless, bland, inoffenisve and expensive. Besides, BBQ smoke contains known carcinogens.
Try taking that boston but and cover it with brown mustard and a touch of Dale’s seasoning before puting it in the smoker.
If a business wants to allow or disallow smoking, that’s cool with me.
There’s a Little Richard’s in Winston, Don’t remember if there’s still one in Lexington.
My favorite is Speedy’s. I also like Monk’s, but it’s so touristy and crowded I quit going there.
Do you mix the brown mustard and Dale’s seasoning first? Then paint it on the meat just before smoking, or marinate it overnight? I might cut a hunk off and try that.
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Anti-smoking people are hands-down the most condescending a$$holes in the world.
Yup, I mix the brown mustard, Dales, fiesta rib rub, pepper and MSG all together in a bowl, rubit in and yes for best results let sit overnight. I do the same with ribs and brisket. For those not familiar with Dale’s seasoning it is by far one of the best. Make sure you put the meat fat side up, cook at 300 for about 3 hours, smoke at 200 for 3, wrap with tinfoil and simmer for 2.
Adding to the insult some of the pigs are singing Christmas Carols!
By Allah, I swear that this must be the most cursed infidel village in the Great Satan! /S
how in gods name does someone smoke 5 packs a day? 2 at a time? while sleeping? good lord he must have smoked in the shower! impressive.
I will try your mix on my next smoke. Probably Sunday.
If you use a grill/smoker with a side firebox, try using some pecan wood for great flavor, better than mesquite or hickory. I use oak for the heat.
However, it's harder to get to the fire to tend it because the water pan is in the way. I can throw some pecan chips on there.
I've had good results with apple and alder wood too.
I usually use hickory or mesquite for flavor (sometimes apple). Just tried some pecan on brisket and it was fantastic.
Beautiful. Don’t forget the sweet tea. Some smokes, a grill, and something to sip on makes for one great afternoon.
LOL. I wanted to see who would have the first reply about muSLIMES. Only 7 and there it was.
Wife asked me yesterday what I was doing outside yesterday, I told her I was working. She said doing what? I said cooking. She said that wasn’t work, not for me anyway, I enjoy it too much.
Exactly! I can hear the whiny voices of the Prohibitionists all over this article. Ah, well, Dennys and IHOP sometimes run "barbeque" specials; that's what's in their futures and, I guess, it's good enough for them.
Samson county has the BEST BBQ Bar none!
I`ve always used plain old Frenches yellow mustard before my rub.
The brown mustard better?
Got a 8lb butt in the fridge to throw on my WSM tomorrow morn
I have a charcoal water smoker also. Works great but is time consuming with keeping the fire going etc.
Someone gave my son a similar smoker but it’s electric. I was impressed. built almost exactly the same but w/ an element and a lava rock bed.
Put some wood chips on the bed occasionally and let ‘r rip.
The results are about identical.
I’ve now got a side firebox smoker that works really well.
Anyone done a rib roast on one? Drying out problem?
Dying to try it but kind of expensive to experiment with.
Oh, complimented my July 4 cookout with homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream. WOW
BBQ PING!!!
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