The Heart of Carolina Barbecue: Mr. & Mrs. Grady Keep a Tradition Alive

They’re a Southern treasure — and a living legacy of Carolina barbecue!

Meet Steve and Gerri Grady, the husband-and-wife team behind Grady’s BBQ, North Carolina’s only Black-owned whole hog barbecue smokehouse (ABC 11 News). For nearly four decades, the Gradys have been preserving a vital piece of American food heritage, one slow-smoked hog at a time.

According to ABC 11 News, 86-year-old Steve Grady and his wife, 76-year-old Gerri, opened their humble barbecue restaurant in 1986 in the small town of Dudley, North Carolina, just outside Goldsboro. Their mission was simple: to share the traditional flavors and family recipes they both learned growing up in the rural South — recipes that reflect generations of skill, love, and endurance.

Rooted in Family and Faith

Mr. Grady learned the craft of whole hog barbecue from his father and grandfather. Every year, during the fall and winter holidays, the family would dig barbecue pits right into the earth, roast a couple of hogs overnight, and gather the community for a meal that celebrated both the harvest and togetherness. “It wasn’t just food,” Mr. Grady once said in a local interview. “It was how we showed love and took care of each other” (The News & Observer).

Mrs. Grady began her culinary education when she was just nine or ten years old, standing alongside her mother, grandmother, and later, her mother-in-law. She absorbed every bit of knowledge they passed down — from seasoning by instinct to balancing smoke and spice — traditions that would shape the flavor of Grady’s BBQ decades later.

“This is cooking the old-fashioned way. This is all we’ve ever known. This is country,” Mrs. Grady told reporters. “It’s a dash of this and a dash of that. There are no measurements” (ABC 11 News).

A Legacy of Southern Craftsmanship

Whole hog barbecue — a style that involves smoking the entire pig over wood coals for hours — is considered by many to be the soul of North Carolina barbecue. According to Southern Living, the practice dates back centuries and is rooted in both African and Indigenous cooking traditions, preserved through generations of Southern Black pitmasters. Today, only a handful of restaurants still keep that slow-cooked legacy alive, and the Gradys are among the few who continue to do it entirely by hand (Southern Living).

Their restaurant has become a cultural landmark, drawing loyal locals and curious travelers alike. On any given day, visitors can smell the smoke long before they see the sign. The Gradys greet customers with warmth and humility — the same spirit that’s defined their cooking for nearly 40 years.

Weathering the Storm

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the Gradys faced their greatest challenge yet. For the first time in decades, they were forced to close their doors indefinitely. To make matters worse, Mr. Grady contracted the virus and was hospitalized that June (ABC 11 News). “It wasn’t nothing but God intervening,” Mrs. Grady said. “You read about [COVID], you hear about it, you try to be cautious — then bam! When you experience it, it’s different.”

Miraculously, Mr. Grady recovered and returned home, regaining his strength just in time for the restaurant’s 34th anniversary. When Grady’s reopened in July, the community showed up in full force — lining up outside, offering prayers, and ordering plates piled high with pork, slaw, and hush puppies. It was a powerful reminder that the Gradys weren’t just feeding stomachs; they were nourishing a community.

Honoring History, Feeding the Future

Today, Grady’s BBQ continues to thrive, defying industry odds and generational change. According to Eater Carolinas, the Gradys’ smokehouse stands as a living museum of Black culinary tradition — one that connects the dots between past and present, between rural roots and Southern pride (Eater Carolinas).

The couple remains hands-on, tending the pits and greeting guests daily. “As long as we can move, we’ll be here,” Mrs. Grady shared. “We’ve seen people grow up eating our food, and now their kids are coming back. That’s what keeps us going.”

For those who stop by the modest brick building off Sleepy Creek Road, the smell of hickory smoke is more than an invitation — it’s a piece of history.

You can follow their journey and catch a glimpse of their world on Grady’s BBQ’s official Facebook page, where loyal fans share photos, memories, and gratitude for the Gradys’ decades of devotion.

So here’s to Mr. & Mrs. Grady — two icons of Southern cooking who remind us that heritage isn’t just remembered in history books. Sometimes, it’s smoked, seasoned, and served with a smile.

Congratulations to the Gradys on nearly 40 years of keeping Carolina barbecue alive!