I'm sure you have some very good BBQ places but there are many types of BBQ and Eastern North Carolina BBQ is perhaps the most unique because it is very different from most other types that are tomato based. It traditionally has to be smoked over hickory wood which imparts a unique flavor. Many people use a blend of 40% hickory, 40% oak, and 20% apple wood. The following explains it in more detail. I love all kinds of BBQ but this is my favorite. If you love BBQ and most people do, you'll love this style.
Eastern North Carolina style barbeque is, by most accounts, the oldest style of barbeque in the United States. Originating during Colonial times in the coastal regions of Virginia and the Carolinas, it endures and thrives today in the eastern third of the state of North Carolina. According to Vince Staten and Greg Johnson, this style of barbeque "originated in those days when people thought tomatoes were poisonous and refused to eat them. When the early settlers wanted a seasoning for their barbequed pig, they chose English ketchup, a vinegar seasoned with oysters and peppers and other spices, but containing no tomato."
Staten and Johnson observe that "[today] Down East they cook the whole hog, with no baste, over hickory coals, then 'pick' the meat off the bone, chop it into fine hunks, and coat it with a thin, hot vinegar-based sauce. Accompanying coleslaw is also vinegar based as opposed to mayo based like many coleslaws."
