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    Knucklehead Barbecue

    4.5 (64 reviews)
    Closed • 10:30 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Beef Brisket W/ 2 Sides Baked Beans Mac and Cheese
    John C.

    Was visiting Mebane from Winston-Salem on a Saturday evening and stopped into Knucklehead Barbecue for an early dinner (5:30ish). You enter the building and then turn left to formally enter the Knucklehead space. It's a little tricky if the line forms as it either block the drink machine or has to weave into the entry area. The order process is easy and the menu simple enough with classic and a few more unusual items. Your meat is cut and plate is assembled right in front of you which is always a nice touch. I ordered the Brisket plate with baked beans and mac and cheese and a soda. The total was $27, a little over $30 with a tip. No cheap but there was a really healthy portion of meat and sides on the tray. I'm a sauce guy so I sampled all that they offered. House was good. I didn't think the spicy was especially hot. The white knuckle is interesting. With the brisket, I think I liked the vinegar based sauce the best. The brisket slices were thick with a little bit of the burnt end and some fat. All the best parts if you ask me. The mac and cheese looked great and had a bread crumbs sprinkled on top. I thought the flavor was just ok. Maybe more salt or a more flavorful cheese. I just didn't taste much. On the other hand, the baked beans were awesome. Sweet with what I think I identified as a yellow mustard-vinegary flavor. I love those. Knuckleheads is a cool spot and I hope they continue to thrive in Mebane.

    Bbq pulled pork
    Kong L.

    I would have to say that this place went down hill. Don't get me wrong, the folks here are so welcoming and kind -- but I'm also here for some good bbq. I ordered the BBQ pork sandwich and it was the saddest sandwich I've never seen with little meat. I thought it was a joke. The offer of tater tots as so small as well. The best part was just the cornbread and lemonade. For the price point, if this is what you give people, you have to do better. I'm disappointed.

    Pulled chicken sandwich, coleslaw, corn muffins, mustard sauce and house BBQ sauce
    Lori C.

    Knucklehead BBQ is a new restaurant that just opened in Mebane on E. Center St. The only sign they have is the name of the business on the black awnings out front so look out for it so you don't miss it. There is a digital sign too but it rotates between other business names too. You go up to the counter to order here. Choosing your main protein first then choosing your sides going down the line to finally pay attention the register. There are all the basics on the menu and even smoked turkey as an option. You can order a sandwich that comes with one side or a plate which comes with two sides. Everything is served with the corn muffins. Today I ordered a pulled chicken sandwich and coleslaw. I also ordered a fountain drink and ended up choosing their house made lemonade. My husband ordered the beef brisket plate with baked beans and potato salad. Our total was around $38 for our two meals. My chicken sandwich was stuffed with the juiciest pulled chicken I've ever had. The juices were dripping down my face and hand without even adding any sauces. You can grab a little cup of their sauce options at the condiment station near the beverage station. There's the Mustard based BBQ sauce, a House(more traditional) one and a vinegar sauce. I chose to pour a little sauce into each bite so I could switch flavors between bites. It was a delicious mess but so worth it. My coleslaw was shredded cabbage with a creamy slightly sweet dressing. I prefer this texture over the other finely chopped version. It was a great compliment to my sandwich. The corn muffins were phenomenal! They were moist, sweet with little bits of corn in them. The honey glaze on the top was just perfect. My husband's brisket was super tender and juicy. I felt it was a good portion. His baked beans were super good! Sweet with a hint of heat but not too much. The potato salad had great texture but needed salt. There are salt packets at the condiment counter so it was easily added. The Lemonade is house made and it was really good! Not too sweet or tart. After finishing our meal, we ended up ordering their fruit cobbler. I believe it changes flavors. Today it was cherry and you could tell it was homemade and not made with a canned filling. The cherries were tart and the cobbler topping was tender. I'm bummed I forgot to take a picture before we devoured the whole thing. Overall, Knucklehead was really good and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for great BBQ in the Mebane area. I'll definitely be back to try some of the other meats on the menu and eat those delicious corn muffins. Maybe I can convince them to sell them by the dozen.

    Receipt
    James A.

    I'll preface this by saying, BBQ in NC is a way of life... Something as simple as smoking meat for hours and hours over hot coals of varying tree species is an art in and of itself. Mastering that art takes years and anyone that has accomplished that skill should be congratulated and thanked for using that skill to feed the community. Now, all that said, Knucklehead has the smoking skill down in spades... but that skill doesn't necessarily jive with the money I just spent for a lunch plate. The menu and ordering is about as simple and straightforward as it gets. Walk in, right up to the counter and order your meat paired with two sides. No combos shown nor offered, and drinks are in the cooler next to the cashier. In any other 'Q joint, that combo might set you back 12-15 dollars which is an expected and justifiable expenditure of my money. $26.95 for two meats and two sides is just... nope. I chose brisket and pulled pork with hoppin' john and mac-n-cheese to get a good sampling. They threw in two sauces, one (overtly sweet) vinegar based, and another that tasted smoky and slightly pungent, but more traditional KC bbq-ish. The pulled pork was smoky, well portioned, moist for the most part, and included a good smattering of the outside bark with the tender meat. The house vinegar sauce didn't particularly do anything for the flavor and, in my opinion, was far too sweet to accentuate the smoked pork. I pulled out my quart jar of "homemade" from our church's annual BBQ and that peppery vinegar really opened up the meat as I was hoping the house sauce would. The brisket... decent flavor, though a bit dry if I'm being brutally honest. It had a couple burnt ends to pair with the meat, but the sauce was definitely necessary as I didn't get much tenderness except a few bits piled underneath the slices. The sauce had a smoky undertone and what seemed like a peppery finish, but complemented the brisket pretty well... honestly, it could stand to be just a touch sweeter to better balance the brisket's heaviness as a meat. The hoppin john was good, although just tasted more of lightly seasoned black-eyed peas than anything else and I didn't see any rice to speak of, the Mac was solid, well balanced, and cooked perfectly. Can't say much for the mini corn muffins... tacky to the touch, too sweet, and the texture was... chewy. I guess I expected more cornbread texture, rather than muffin/cupcake texture.

    Menu
    Melody B.

    New BBQ place that just opened recently in Mebane! It's very no frills and you get right to it ordering at the counter. I ordered the brisket sandwich and it came with one side. I chose mac & cheese. My husband got the knuckle sandwich and chose the Hoppin' John side. My sandwich was served on a potato roll. My brisket was thick and tender. I personally prefer sauce on my BBQ and was able to add that after I got my food. The knuckle sandwich was pork, brisket, onions, slaw, and cheese sauce on some type of lobster roll bun. My husband really enjoyed it. We were greeted by who I assume was an owner or manager and she was very nice and bubbly. Parking lot was small but reasonable for the size of the restaurant.

    Melissa E.

    Super friendly service. They greet you like old friends when you walk in. We stopped here to eat on a road trip. I ordered the pulled chicken, macaroni and cheese and a side of sweet potatoes with a half-and-half tea. My husband ordered the brisket, the pulled chicken, collard greens, mac & cheese, and a lemonade. The pulled chicken was our favorite protein. It was moist, tender, and juicy. I love the three sauces that you can put on your meat. One is vinegar one is their house made barbecue and the other is a spicy honey mustard all three are delicious. I ended up mixing them. You also get two corn muffins with your plate. The sweet potatoes were mediocre. The mac & cheese was good and the coleslaw was refreshing. Overall, this place was clean, friendly and delicious. I would definitely eat here again

    Pulled Pork Sand!
    T W.

    2 ate for $39.00 - first thing first - cleanest bathroom ever - great place to wash your nada after trying to manage handling a meat stuffed sandwich. Solid, solid flavor- they put a myriad of pickled lettuce, pickles, beets and sauce that actually blended beautifully with the meat making an incredible flavorful meal. I wasn't crazy about the Mac n Cheese - dry to me. Their little corn muffin was to die for. Good stuff and unique.

    4 Four Meat Plate

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    9 days ago

    What a gem. The food was incredible, really doesn't get much better than this. Employees are extremely friendly. What a great experience.

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    1 month ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you Jim!

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    1 year ago

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    3 months ago

    Delicious bbq and great service. You can tell they take pride in their food. Would definitely recommend it.

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you Randy! Can’t wait to see you again soon.

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you so much, Jennifer! We can’t wait to see you again soon!

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Great BBQ brisket. The burnt end sausage was underwhelming. The sides were excellent. Service was friendly and super efficient.

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you Jerry! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

    Super friendly, delicious BBQ! I will return when traveling again. Highly recommend this wonderful restaurant!

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you Louise!!

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Best pulled pork out there! Great potato salad, brisket and sauces! Absolutely delicious!

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    6 months ago

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    Thanks, Evan!

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    Ask the Community - Knucklehead Barbecue

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    After finishing a hike nearby at Occoneechee Mountain, my friends and I stopped by Hillsborough BBQ…read moreCompany craving something hearty. Despite the busy lunch crowd, we were seated immediately, and service was fast, friendly, and very much in line with that classic Southern hospitality vibe. Unfortunately, the food didn't really deliver. Portions felt small for the price, and the flavors were pretty underwhelming. I ordered the quarter-pound brisket with fried okra and mac and cheese, but nothing stood out. Sauce options were also limited--just a vinegar-based and a tomato-based option. We also noticed some quality control issues: one friend received burnt toast, while mine was barely toasted. Overall, the service was great, but the food fell flat. I'd probably try a different spot in the area next time, though BBQ options in Hillsborough are fairly limited.

    The staff here were amazing--super kind and accommodating. We got there around 6pm and ended up…read moresitting outside since there weren't any tables inside. We had my fiancé's grandparents with us, one of whom uses a wheeled walker, and the staff went out of their way to make sure they were comfortable. They even offered us a table inside once one became available after being cleaned, though by then we were already settled. For my meal, I had the 2 meat combo: half ribs and bbq chicken leg. The ribs were excellent--sauced, flavorful, and tender--though I would have liked a bit more bark. The BBQ chicken leg, however, was less impressive; the skin wasn't crispy and the texture of the meat felt a bit off. The mac and cheese was tasty but leaned toward the drier side. The white slaw was refreshing and balanced, not too tangy, and I really enjoyed the hushpuppies, which were golden and crispy. Portion size was just right for one person. Cocktails could've use some improvement, my rosemary refresher tasted watered down and lacked flavor.

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    Asian Harbor

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    BEWARE OF THE RED PEPPER SYMBOL on the menu!!!! If you love spicy, indulge! If you are sensitive or…read morecan't handle spice, run faaaaar away from these items. Most places put a pepper symbol and it's not spicy at all, but this single red pepper symbol means business!!!!!! I'm sensitive to spice at the moment so eating my food was a bit of a marathon....but in a good way! Think runny nose & sweating hot with tons of delicious flavor. To start, we served wonton strips with a white yum yum type sauce which was a nice surprise. For our app we had the crab puffs (crab ragoons) which of course were not spicy, perfectly crispy and had the right amount of filling. I also ordered a dragon roll which came out after my main entree since the sushi bar was backed up. This actually worked out perfect because the cream cheese in the roll was a great way to calm the spice in my main entree. The mango and crab on the roll were very fresh, and the size was also pretty hefty for being an 8 piece roll. I could have easily made this into a lighter full meal. For my main entree I got the spicy basil with chicken (red pepper sign alert!!!), brown rice and miso soup. The miso soup was good as expected, the brown rice was cooked to perfection and served in a side bowl, and the main entree was plentiful with perfectly cooked veggies & chicken! This dish brought the heat but in a very good way!!! I couldn't get enough of that spicy basil flavor!!!! I only ate half the dish so looking forward to a delicious lunch today! Can't wait to come back and try more of their dishes but while I'm sensitive to spice at the moment I may avoid the pepper symbol for a bit!

    Ended up here needing an easy casual spot to have lunch at a midpoint for a friend meeting me from…read moreRaleigh. They had a pretty decent lunch special menu, following the fairly standard "pick two or pick three" basic sushi rolls with a soup and/or salad format. It was maybe a bit more basic than most sushi places, but I did find a trio that I enjoyed. The salad had a really nice ginger dressing, but was that basic mostly iceberg salad that most Japanese places do. I got the lunch pick three combo, with the salmon avocado, spicy tuna, and the spicy yellowtail (which is really also spicy tuna). Everything came out pretty quick, and the restaurant had a nice comfy environment to chat. The tea was pretty weak. The sushi rolls themselves were just good, nothing surprising but also nothing disappointing. Fish tasted clean and fresh, which it's hard to ask for more from a place like this. Would come back for a future lunch rendezvous in Mebane.

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    I always had a good experience at this location but a few weeks ago that changed. I went in and…read morethey had about 12 packs of wings marked for around two dollars. I was excited but not surprised because they normally have really good deals and random sales. Well on this occasion I go to pay for them and the lady at the register say this is a really good deal. The lady behind her (older lady) say what and the lady who is assisting me said well I am not sure this is right. The older lady walk over and say not this isn't. She said the should be the price of the legs not wings. She then took all the wings out of my cart and said he can't have them. Called someone from the back gave them the wings and said "he trying to get them for the price of legs. This isn't right take them back." She never told me the price they should of been and never gave me an opportunity to pay the correct price. I asked for the right price and she yelled "2.99 but he should have known that wasn't the right price. ". Referring to me as if I put the price on the meat. I am now debating if I would return to this location. I felt embarrassed and if they felt I was trying to still t from them. I rushed out after paying for the rest of my items yet to return.

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    Knucklehead Barbecue - bbq - Updated October 2026

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