- You know, for some, the perfect beach trip has to include fresh local seafood, but this Emerald Isle dining destination drew so much attention that a famous food network star had to make the drive down to check it out for himself.

[upbeat music] - [Brandon] My family's grown up in the Swansboro area.

My grandfather, he was outside and he was building a sign that said, "Shepard," on it, which is our last name.

My grandmother, she goes outside and she said, [laughing] "Why are you doing that?

Why are you putting this up?"

And he told her, he said, "I don't know how, I don't know when, but," he was like, "I promise you that last name will be in lights."

[tape whirring] - Are you hungry?

- I'm always hungry.

- This is Shepard Barbecue.

How long's this gonna smoke?

- [Brandon] About 10 hours or so.

- Okay.

- Add salt and pepper and the Carolina vinegar to get it ready for service.

[upbeat music] - That's on point, love that vinegar, I love the heat, I love the simplicity.

You call it gold, you're right.

- We are located in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, literally probably five-minute walk from the beach.

[laughing] We have Texas-style brisket.

We have Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue.

We do carved smoked turkey, which is actually a kinda hidden gem [laughing] in barbecue.

A lot of people are starting to realize how good it is.

It's not just something for Thanksgiving.

We also do a house-made smoked sausage, we do smoked ribs.

And then, of course, our side to where we get a little more untraditional with a minnow mac and cheese, and my grandmother's collards, Helen's collards.

[laughing] And it's kind of our homage to whether it's either the past or just things we like to do to kinda splice things up.

- They've kind of put themselves on the map as far as North Carolina barbecue goes.

And it's definitely a place that's worth driving outta your way.

- The staff is super friendly, they make you feel like part of their family.

- I've spoken to tourists that have been here, and they've said, "This is my third day going back to Shepard's.

We're getting some to take home with us because it's amazing."

- You will enjoy the food and bring somebody back with you.

- If you want the full experience and a full menu available, definitely come out early.

People start lining up typically around 10:15, 10:30, we open at 11.

Once something runs out, it is out for the day.

So if you've got your heart set on something, come early.

My husband Brandon and I do all of the cooking.

Brandon does all of the trimming, handles all of the proteins, right down from putting on the smoker, to cutting it to put on your plate.

I focus on sides.

They're all his recipes.

And he's taught me to prepare all of those items.

And then for service day, while he's cutting and preparing orders, I handle the register.

Order for Mary Ellen.

So as mom and papa as it gets.

We are hands on every step of the way.

[dynamic music] - Whether it was family barbecues or whether it was friends, it was always barbecue that kind of brought us together.

In Eastern North Carolina, it's said that there's only nine barbecue spots left that are doing whole hog.

It's actually a dying culture.

If we let that die out, I think we're doing a huge disservice to the people that actually came before us.

This wasn't something they did because it was cool to do barbecue and the rock stars for barbecue.

They did it because it was a way to feed their families and it was something that they loved to do.

People ask, "What do you normally use on your smoker?"

I always tell 'em, "We use hard oak, we use pecan, and it also runs on sleep deprivation."

[laughing] It's something that it takes day-in, day-out, constant attention.

Our smoker now, every 30 to 45 minutes, you have to load it up with hardwoods.

It can take upwards from 12 to 16 hours to give you a plate that you might finish in 10 minutes.

- Yeah, you wanna come for the food, but get to know them, too.

The people that run the place are more important than the food itself.

- Brandon looks out from behind the kitchen and he'll wave or he'll give you that quick smile because he's always super busy.

They both are always super busy.

But they never take that busyness for granted.

And that's what you want for people that are as genuine and as sincere as Brandon and Elizabeth, you want that type of success for them.

And that's what keeps so many of us coming back.

- Shepard Barbecue is at 7801 Emerald Drive in Emerald Isle.

And they're open for lunch only, Wednesday through Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To place your order, give them a call at 252-764-2387, or visit their website at shepherdbbq.com.