Dampf Good BBQ — Restaurant in Cary

I’ve been dreaming about crossing this place off of my list for the last year and today was finally that day! My son and I drove to North Carolina for vacation just to come here and try their amazing barbecue. There wasn’t a thing on our trays that I didn’t love. We all have things about barbecue that we love, but it’s nice to step outside of our own taste buds sometimes and try things a little bit different than what you’re comfortable with.

PROTEIN

Pulled pork: My son’s favorite and the flavor was so good.

Brisket: just the right amount of smoke flavor, pepper bark, and even the lean was nice and juicy. Melts in your mouth.

Bacon brisket: delicious bark, and extremely flavorful and juicy.

Ribs: I’m not big on sauced ribs So these were right up my alley. Beautiful flavoring on the outside, Wasn’t falling apart off the bone, but came apart nice and smooth with every bite. Packed full of flavor.

Beef rib: Again that bark was on point and the meat just melted off the bone when you bit into it. Just the right amount of smoke flavor and the perfect amount of seasoning.

Sausage: I’m usually not a big sausage fan because it typically gives me heart burn, but these didn’t do that. Both were good, but the pepper munster was definitely my favorite. With each bite, you get a little explosion of flavor and cheese.

Turkey: again, the right amount of pepper bark, and despite the fact that it was really windy outside and by the time I tasted the turkey, the wind cooled the food down. But that still didn’t stop the turkey from being delicious and very juicy.

SIDES

Smoked Mac and cheese: A favorite of my son. Nice creamy texture and very tasty.

Elote: I haven’t eaten this much, but I really enjoyed it. Somewhat of a creamy vibe with nice little hints of lime throughout.

Coleslaw: never had it made this way before but enjoyed it. I’m usually good with either a mayonnaise base or a vinegar based slaw so this was good in my book.

Butcher block beans: Nice and flavorful and even better having little chunks of brisket throughout.

Loaded mashed potato salad: I mean, the name says it all, it felt like a mix between potato salad and mashed potatoes. More of a mashed potato texture, but like with everything else we tasted today, I really enjoyed it.

The Rueben: nothing like getting a late St. Patrick’s Day Reuben haha. Wasn’t over the top salty like some pastrami I’ve tasted and the Dressing on the sandwich was like nothing I’ve had before, but it was very good.

The sauce: probably one of my favorite sauces I’ve ever tasted. I’m a big vinegar fan and this was a nice marriage between sweet and vinegar. Wasn’t too thick, not super runny like a lot of vinegar sauces but just enough.

Banana pudding: growing up around southern women, I’m used to chunks of bananas and vanilla wafers in my banana pudding. They actually had crushed up Biscoff cookies at the bottom and a nice big Biscoff cookie on top. My taste buds loved it! Something about that little touch of Ginger worked well with the banana pudding.

My son and I drove four hours to come and eat here. We got there two hours before they opened and had great conversations with the owner and staff. Because this is not a place we can visit often, we went all out and ordered almost everything on the menu. $172 later, was it worth it? For the experience and the memories and the food, 100% worth it. This trip was bigger than just barbecue. The barbecue was just an added bonus. Thanks, Nick and Staff for being a part of a lifelong memory for my son and I. We’ll see you in the morning for...

Shorter Review: Make sure you stop by Thursday-Saturday and try all of their smoked meats. Brisket is probably my favorite meat they smoke. Smoked perfectly with great flavor. Sides are on point and make sure you leave room for banana pudding. Keep an eye out for the specials they run, especially the brisket burger. One of the best burgers you’ll have in the area. The other specials are just as great. Located at Phillips Farm, so bring the kids on a Saturday and enjoy some great BBQ. They make sure to accommodate you if the weather isn’t the greatest, so don’t worry about it being outside you’ll be comfortable in any weather. Plenty of parking and picnic tables to eat at.

Longer Review: I’ve been following Dampf Good BBQ around since they were doing pop ups a few years ago. I’ve loved watching them consistently grow and improve their food over the years. They’ve been fun to watch selling BBQ from their pop up tent to now their food truck and hopefully brick and mortar restaurant in the near future. The food is outstanding and you can really taste the love that they put into it day in and day out. It’s hard to find good brisket in the North Carolina area, but they have seemed to master the brisket and should be number one on your list to try from them. The beef ribs, sausage, turkey, spare ribs, and pork are just as great and you can’t go wrong with any of the meat they smoke. All the meats are smoked perfectly and you won’t be disappointed with what you order. Let’s talk about sides and make sure you don’t forget to grab some with your smoked meat. The fire roasted veggies are great and don’t usually see them on a BBQ menu, so make sure you order them. The Elote has great flavor and complements the BBQ perfectly. Smoked Mac and cheese, slaw, beans, and mashed potato salad are also great. Save some room for the banana pudding. It’s simply made, but packs great flavor to finish out your great BBQ meal. Keep a look out for what specials they are running Thursday-Saturday. The brisket burger they do on Friday and occasionally Saturday is killer. One of the best burgers you’ll get in the area. They have a Midwest influence, so the smoked Italian beef is great on the Chicago French roll. The Maxwell street polish sausage is made in house and pairs well with the Chicago Gonnella hot dog bun complemented with mustard and caramelized onions. They have other specials that aren’t always on certain days, so keep an eye on the Instagram to keep up to date with what special they will have. Don’t take my word for it get out and try...

We have driven by this place for 2 years, always meaning to stop but never did. We have tried to find good BBQ locally with no luck, so we showed up on a Saturday, and to our surprise there was a BIG line. While this could be seen as frustrating at first, we thought about all of the Texas tales of people waiting for 3++ hours for good BBQ and determined we have waited two years and can’t wait anymore.

We waited about an hour, but the shade they built over the line kept us out of the sun, and midway through they had someone come around with brisket samples to renew our willingness to wait. Let me tell you… that little slice of heaven gave us a glimpse into the culinary excellence we were about to taste.

After an hour, we order, we get our food in less than 90 seconds and off to a picnic table we go. When we opened the to-go box that our meal was in, the brisket glistened, the Smokey aroma of the sausage escaped its cardboard house, and the juices of the slaw were flowing over the single-sized boat it traveled in. The only word that we could utter the entire the meal was - WOW.

Truly the best BBQ we have had. The employees at Dampf were so friendly and apologized that we waited, but there was nothing to apologize for. The food truly was worth the wait.

Go now, don’t make the mistake and wait two years...