King's BBQ in Kinston

My favorite pastime is eating out of town. Yesterday (August 30th) we had to go to Kinston, so I searched the web and found King’s BBQ. Their pork barbeque got very good reviews so we gave it a try. Saturday night is seafood buffet night. Of course, they also served fried chicken and pulled pork. This was traditional Eastern North Carolina pork, so the only sauce available was the peppered vinegar. I have very specific guidelines concerning eating barbequed pork. First of all, I don’t like chopped pork. I want my pork sliced or pulled, and if at all possible I want to see the pig on the cooker. I want to pay my respects to the little oinker sacrificed for my dining pleasure. I also don’t want my pork drowned in sauce. The meat should be well seasoned and then mopped frequently with some liquid to keep it moist, but I want to add my own sauce at the table. Even though I grew up eating chopped Eastern North Carolina barbeque, I prefer a tomato based sauce. My personal favorite is the recipe Nick makes. We call it Big Daddy Nick’s Soppin’ Sauce, but unfortunately, unless you are a personal friend, you will probably never taste this pork nectar. Back to King’s, their pork was moist and flavorful. My only complaint would have to be the lack of a sweet sauce in which to dip it. This disappointment, however, was completely erased when I saw the slab of meat lying in crispy skin on the buffet. I was able to pull a portion from the slab and while this is not quite the same as adoring the pig on the cooker, it comes in a close second. I also ate popcorn shrimp, deviled crab, and fried chicken. All were very good, although the chicken was a little greasy. The butter beans tasted like they just came out of Granny’s kitchen and the hush puppies were homemade. Lemon, pecan, and chocolate pie as well as banana pudding were the dessert selections. Washed down with good, syrupy sweet tea, this was pleasant southern country cooking. The buffet was $10.99 per person and was a bargain considering the available bounty. Y’all southerners will be right at home in the ladder back chairs and wooden tables covered in vinyl tablecloths. The décor like the food was not fancy, but I would not hesitate to eat here again.