- At Old Colony Smokehouse, you'll find more than just delicious cuisine.

I mean, the owners have Southern cooking down to an art, and their hard work has paid off because this is one of Edenton's most popular restaurants.

And since it's all about barbecue, we sent Bob Garner to check it out.

[bright upbeat music] - [Bob] Edenton's Old Colony Smokehouse is the brainchild of Adam Hughes, who grew up in neighboring Bertie County, learning hog raising and the butcher business from his parents.

Eventually went on to become a competition barbecue expert and was crowned a champion on the Food Network's hit show "Chopped."

- These are prime-grade briskets.

We had to go through a lot of trouble to source those here in Eastern North Carolina because obviously beef is not easy to get our hands on, especially high-quality beef like this.

But we believe that the prime-grade brisket gives us a much better quality finished product.

- [Bob] Sometimes it's ochre pecan, occasionally hickory, but whatever it is, Old Colony goes through an entire dump truck of hardwood every three weeks.

Ribs, pork shoulders, chicken, sausage links, even the occasional pork belly.

So if you're barbecuing competitively and then you have a hit TV appearance, you have to find a way for people to try your food, right?

- After the "Chopped" episode aired, our little team social media page just started blowing up with people asking, "Hey, where can we come try your food?"

We didn't have a restaurant at the time, and they weren't allowed to eat our competition barbecue, so the obvious answer was, "Hey, let's give them a restaurant."

And at the same time, Edenton, which is where we live, was a tourist destination for a Southern small town, but there's no barbecue restaurant in Edenton at the time.

So we decided, "Hey, everything's aligning."

- [Bob] The push-pin map showing Old Colony's visitors from up and down the East Coast, as well as the heartland, West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean certainly shows that things have lined up along with lots of customers.

So what lies ahead for Adam, his wife, and two kids?

- The future for Old Colony Smokehouse to me is exactly what we're doing now.

You know, we've just moved into this new building that we were able to purchase, and we're growing every day.

We're trying to reach as many people as we can.

People ask, "Can you franchise?

Can you open a new location?"

We're really not looking into doing that.

We're not in this to make money.

We're not in it to be rich and famous.

- Lunch and very early dinner is what it's all about here.

And remember, they close at six.

You have to be excited when you come face to face with an Old Colony Smokehouse tray of what they call their everyday meats, things that are available every day, plus a lot of their terrific sides.

I can't wait to dig into that.

Jalapeno cheddar sausage, smoked turkey, smoked chicken, pulled pork, ribs, brisket, brisket ends.

A popper that I can't wait to get into, and then we're down here with some collard greens with their smokehouse beans that has everything but the kitchen sink in it, and green beans that they actually cook pork belly as the seasoning meat for the green beans.

Adam grew up with his family making this jalapeno cheddar sausage, so of course, I have to try that.

Mm, you can see why people bring coolers and take this stuff all across the country.

Now, brisket has thoroughly invaded North Carolina.

This is brisket and these are the burnt brisket ends.

This is the Carolina Twinkie, which has pimento cheese, jalapenos encased in sausage, and then wrapped in bacon and smoked.

Mm, very, very unusual.

You've got to try one of those when you come into the Old Colony Smokehouse, really.

Now, I sampled some of the collards earlier and they are absolutely terrific.

Now, the Smokehouse beans has everything but the kitchen sink, almost literally.

It has all of the meat, all of the meats that go through the grinder and are in there.

It has roasted peppers and onions.

It has peaches, and apples, and other things, and then a good dose of nice smoke.

I've never had anything remotely like that.

You will love the smokehouse beans.

Don't forget, pork shoulders turned into Eastern North Carolina's signature vinegar spice-chopped barbecue, awesome deeply smoked and glazed chicken, and superb pork ribs.

Banana pudding belongs in any North Carolina restaurant and certainly in any North Carolina barbecue restaurant.

Mm, just kind of brings the whole circle to a close.

I've been hearing so many great things about Old Colony Smokehouse, about the vibe in Edenton, and I am so happy I got to come and be a part of this.

You need to get yourself here quickly.

[bright upbeat music] - [Presenter] Old Colony Smokehouse is at 809 North Broad Street in Edenton, and they're open Wednesday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

For more information, give them a call at [252] 482-2400 or go online to oldcolonysmokehouse.com.