Shepard Barbecue — Restaurant in Emerald Isle

My wife and I live in Emerald Isle and this incredible restaurant is located at the corner of our street. How we both don’t weigh 400 pounds each is a testament to our combined willpower. Believe me it would be very easy to run through Shepard’s menu every week. Shepard’s is North Carolina barbecue at its finest. Every single item on Shepard’s menu is outstanding. Trust me, I know, because I’ve eaten it all. The brisket is a perfectly seasoned, juicy, succulent slice of heaven. The pulled pork is an Eastern Carolina version with that hint of sweet vinegar. What I particularly enjoy is that you always get the right ratio of nicely seasoned savory bark to go along with sweet juicy meat. Don’t overlook the ribs. Again, a perfectly seasoned combination of sweet and smoky flavor with just the right amount of toothsome resistance. Gnaw away. Thank me later. But the sleeper on the menu, and my personal favorite, is the smoked turkey. Hand carved white meat that goes perfectly with Shepard’s own mustard barbeque sauce. Do not skip the turkey. The sides are all made from scratch in house. My favorites are the collard greens and the pit beans. But you cannot go wrong with the potato salad, macaroni & cheese, street corn or cole slaw. Lastly, my friends and neighbors, Elizabeth and Brandon Shepard, who own this wonderful restaurant, are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Brandon is a gifted chef and pitmaster while Eliazbeth is the consummate host. Emerald Isle’s town motto is “Nice Matters.” Well, Elizabeth and Brandon are the personification of that motto. Stop by Shepard Barbeque and enjoy the best North Carolina barbeque you’ll ever eat. And say hello. I’ll be the guy sitting in the corner with a smoked turkey sandwich in one hand and a rib...

Heading home from Cedar Point, I decided to vere off to Emerald Isle and drive towards Atlantic Beach to figure out lunch for my daughter, wife, and myself. Seeing the sign for Shepard Bbq, and remembering seeing it showcased on Diners, Drive in, and Dives, I decided it was time to stop in.

I wish I had taken pictures, but the taste is well balanced and on point. My wife and daughter each had chopped brisket sandwiches, which were puled high full of meat and full of flavor. They both loved it. I had the 3 meat plate of brisket, pork bbq, rib, which was phenomenal in taste department and tenderness department. The rib meat fell off the bone as I was biting in to it, the brisket was cut with my plastic fork effortless, and the pork bbq was juicy goodness.

My Plate had 2 sides, so I chose collards and pimento mac & chz. The collards were so yummy and tender. Granted, I like collards with plenty of vinegar and cooked with ham hocks, but this were still very good with a subtle taste of vinegar. I did add some of their NC vinegar sauce to kick it up a notch, but they hit the spot. My second side of the Mac & Chz, was rotini noodles in cheese sauce, with a mild taste of pimento that is not overwhelming, but makes for a great southern comfort food with a delicious twist.

Will definitely return often, and highly recommended to anyone in the local area (I live 30 mins away) or tourists that come in town during summer.

Thanks to Guy Fieri, and Triple D for showing us this awesome establishment! Watch Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives 'Beef and Bird' Season 42, Episode 34, to see all the...

UPDATE: Discoverer Beach Burgers in Atlantic Beach. Excellent brisket and pulled pork--better than Shepards. Get there early for brisket--they often run out. Very limited variety of smoked BBQ meats as compared to Shepards.

ORIGINAL POST: Bought ribs, pork, sausage, and brisket by the pound to feed the family. The pork was our favorite--moist and nicely seasoned, but not much smoke flavor. The long skinny St. Louis style ribs were good with a mild smoke flavor. The brisket was tender, moist, perfectly cooked with a nice bark but with no smoke flavor--very strange. They sliced the brisket through both the point and flat. The sausage seems to be a jalapeño cheese sausage--smokey and somewhat spicy. Very good, but quite greasy. As for the BBQ sauces, there were three. The vinegar and mustard based sauces were good, but no one liked their tomato-based sauce--way too much cinnamon. As for price--high! Maybe summer beach prices. $90 for four of us including one large side (coleslaw--pretty tasty). Yes, we had some leftovers. For BBQ in NC, not bad and the best we have found on the Crystal Coast and surrounding area we have tried so far (we have more to try!). I sample BBQ all over the country as I travel and smoke my own meats, so I'm...