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    Knucklehead Barbecue

    4.5 (51 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

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    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.

    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

    4 Four Meat Plate
    Edward Y.

    First time at Knucklehead BBQ and it was outstanding. Staff are super friendly. Their beef brisket was super moist and tender. Turkey breast was excellent and their burnt end sausage was phenomenal. Pulled pork was a bit on the dry side but when mixed with their house sauce made it memorably tasty. If you're in the area shopping at the outlet mall then this is an excellent place to eat. Bathrooms are unusually nice, clean and large. Special and very thoughtful attention was paid to the restroom design and is much appreciated. Will be rolling through here for a good bite to eat from now on.

    The signage and address
    Jay C.

    Yes, indeed, this is one of my new favorite barbecue spots and has officially received a very rare five star review! First thing first, I will admit I was apprehensive because the signage is a little lacking, and walking in, it was quiet, and we were the only ones in there at first.. I mention all that because I now look at the limited signage like it helps keeps this place a secret little gem for some of the best barbecue in the area (also we were not the only two there for very long-the line grew fast after we sat down). Most importantly and upfront, I'll tell you, the food and staff was incredible. Everybody was friendly, very welcoming and the food was impeccable! I really enjoyed my experience at knuckleheads, chatting with many of the staff upon arrival and getting to chat a bit with Allison (a manager here) who encouraged us to try multiple items and she was clearly confident that they knew what they were doing and I dig it! We tried the obvious go to items, things like brisket, which I've had at plenty of places and they've been done really well often times, knuckleheads was certainly one of the best but I wasn't surprised. BUT Allison encouraged me to try their grilled turkey (which I was sure there's no way it's going to be as good as she said says it is) but at that point, I trusted her more than my self lol.. So thankfully I went for it and it was THE BEST and most moist turkey I've ever had at a barbecue restaurant (turkey is something often times I'm disappointed with at restaurants, but not here, and that's seriously the overall anthem here). There was nothing that wasn't done to perfection (In my opinion). I admit I am not a chef or anything close, but I do know what I like, and this place stood out amongst the best. Oh the dessert??! Yes, I tried the banana pudding and you know it, YUP, that was also incredible. I swear, if you're someone that could be searching for that 'nana pudding that's close to your grandmother's, you found it here! This was it but at gourmet level lol (which just means high-quality ingredients and wonderful down home taste). I don't know how they did that and everything else they made, but they did. Be it the brisket, the sausage, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw it was all done to perfection and served fresh! I love that they have a simplified menu, nothing crushing to the eyes (you don't have to look through it for 20 minutes to figure out what you want) these folks really knew how to deliver. They're definitely gonna continue to be a hit and from what I've seen (online) so far, they've proven this to be the case!

    Beef Brisket Sandwich w/Side

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    4 months ago

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    19 days ago

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    Jaime C.

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    5 days ago

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

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    20 days 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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    8 months ago

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you Jim!

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    9 months ago

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    Tom M.

    Thanks, Evan!

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    11 months ago

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    7 months 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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    1 month ago

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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

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    5 months ago

    Food was delicious...sides were incredible...hoppin' John, succotash, baked beans....clean, nice place ......

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    Jaime C.

    Thanks so much David! We will be so glad to have you back soon!

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    6 months ago

    Amazing food quality service is great and staff is very helpful inside has a nice feel

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    9 months ago

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    Jaime C.

    Thank you Lucy! We are looking forward to seeing you next time!

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    Ask the Community - Knucklehead Barbecue

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    Smokehouse at Steve’s - 2 meat plate

    Smokehouse at Steve’s

    4.5(412 reviews)
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    Nice and hot food Collards are a little too salty. Right…read moreflavor. Beautifully cut and prepared. Good portion. Mac and cheese amazing flavor. The combination of flavors is just right. Right texture and good portion. Ribs are beautifully cooked to perfection. Season very well. Good smoke ring on meat. I paired it with the bbq sauce which was sweet and tangy. Very good ribs. The portion was perfect. Next time I will go with one meat Va two meats since the portions are generous. Hush puppies were pretty good. I like the fact they made a center indentation to make sure they are throughly cooked. The flavor was just right not overly cooked or salty. More of a sweet batter taste. The customer service was pretty good. Really fast service and they move that line pretty quickly. Over all it's a good choice for Carolina BBQ. I will definitely come again and try something new next time around.

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    Hillsborough BBQ Company - Hushpuppies Fried Catfish Sandwich BBQ and French Fry Sandwich White Slaw White Slaw Hushpuppies Cheerwine Fizz Cucumber Crush

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    Outstanding BBQ joint. We went on a Saturday (drove 45 minutes for this restaurant!) and it was…read morereally busy. Lots of families , couples and tables of friends. Wife had the pork bbq and I had bbq chicken. She thought the pork was the best she's had in NC and liked the white slaw. The chicken was good. Tender . I got the red slaw and baked beans. Will get white slaw next time. Note the baked beans are not gluten free and have pork in them (important for allergies). We will go back and I recommend for all ages , dates and even the right type business meeting (one that would be ok at BBQ joint).

    Everyone's got an opinion so here's mine…read more Went to Hillsboro BBQ with a bunch of friends after a volunteer shift at the diaper bank. We were sat within 15 to 20 minutes, with a party of 10 which is pretty freaking awesome. We started with some beers, waters, Diet Coke, and a few cocktails. We also tried the fried pickles which were pickled spears crispy, tasty, and light unfortunately though the coating kept fell off a lot, and that was a little annoying. The dipping sauce I believe a homemade ranch was good. Everyone basically ordered a plate which consisted of a meat of your choice two sides, and hush puppies. Overall, the food was tasty. The brisket was juicy. The pork was eaten up by all, and the hush puppies were crispy. The only issue would be the sides were OK. The french fries were good. The collards were raved about the corn pudding was OK and the green beans were tasty. I'd say this is a place to try. It's definitely a little bit of down home feel with comfort bites.

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    Asian Harbor - Mango Avocado Roll (bottom plate: top left) Alaska Roll (bottom plate: bottom left)  Spicy Yellowtail Roll (bottom plate: top right)

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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!

    I ordered the vegetable Lo Mein (without mushrooms & onions). I've had other dishes here, like the…read moreveggie curries, that were great. But this Lo Mein is the worst I've ever tasted unfortunately. The noodles were mushy and overcooked. The "sauce" basically tasted like oily vegetable broth. As you can see from the veggies in the picture, they are just oily without a char and without any flavors. The dish honestly just looks bland as you can see. I can't tell if this was cooked in a microwave or an actual wok because there's no caramelization of any flavors. Nearly $20 for this dish on top of that. A lot of locals prioritize this place over other smaller Asian options here in Mebane but I'm not certain if I'd return for anything based on this waste of money.

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    love this plase so much fun Justin and Megan are the best owner in the whole world happy happy happyread more

    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 May 2026

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