Sam Jones' BBQ / Raleigh, NC

After having compared Skylight Inn and Bum's last week, it was a no-brainer that I'd taste test Sam Jones BBQ so soon after having enjoyed Sam's family legacy. And while it's a decent sandwich, it's no where near as good what's smoking over in Ayden.

I've had Sam's Raleigh* sandwich four times before. Sadly, the first one was pitiful. Sandwiches two, three, and four were rock solid, catapulting the Raleigh restaurant into my Top Ten. Today's was disappointing on several fronts. *(I've had sandwiches twice from the Winterville joint and those alone were Top 3 quality sandwiches)

No smoke. There was no aroma at all. Nothing wafting from the bag, after opening the aluminum foil, and nada with my nose inches from the meat.

No heat. The lack of red pepper was surprising. And while I'm far from a spice-seeker, I expect a little bit of tanginess on my tongue and this had none at all.

No acid. I'm sure that there was some vinegar in there somewhere, but it was far from the front and nowhere as nice as Skylight's. They gave me some sauce in a cup, but I really should not have to sauce a proper barbecue sandwich, especially one with the pedigree this one was born with.

The meat by itself was nice. Tender. Moist. Tasty. But "tasty" in that "mom cooked a Boston butt in the Crockpot" kinda way and not that whole hog lovingly cooked all night expectation. Still needed smoke, heat, and acid. Disappointed that such a good cook lacked the flavor it deserved.

Sam Jones BBQ was my No. 8 and today's sandwich really took a toll on their rating, dropping Sam down to 17. It's still Top 20, but a lot of that score comes from three really great sandwiches I had prior and if I was ranking solely on this sandwich alone, well, I'd be hard pressed to keep it Top 30. Today's experience: 8.5/10