Eastern North Carolina barbecue is one of the oldest regional food traditions in the country: whole hogs and whole shoulders cooked low and slow over oak coals, chopped fine, and dressed with a thin vinegar-and-pepper sauce that lets the pork speak for itself. Johnston County sits in the heart of that tradition, and from Clayton's own drive-thru windows to Smithfield's 1930-era pit and the Historic Barbecue Trail in Goldsboro, some of the best examples are within an easy drive of the Portofino gate. This is the barbecue trail guide for Clayton NC, with the real stops worth building a weekend around from 297 Bonaventure Dr.
Know Your Style: Eastern NC Means Vinegar, Not Tomato
Before you order, it helps to know which North Carolina you are in. Eastern NC barbecue is whole-hog or whole-shoulder, pit-cooked over hardwood coals, chopped rather than sliced, and sauced with a thin mop of cider vinegar, black and red pepper, and salt. There is no ketchup and no tomato in the classic Eastern sauce; that sweeter, tomato-based style belongs to Lexington in the western part of the state. The vinegar cuts the richness of the pork, and chopped meat soaks it up, which is exactly why Eastern NC regulars order theirs piled on white bread with a scoop of slaw and a side of hushpuppies, sweet tea in one hand and a banana pudding that costs about three dollars in the other.
Stop One, in Clayton: Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q
The Smithfield-based chain has served Eastern NC-style chopped barbecue and fried chicken for more than four decades, and it keeps two locations on Clayton's doorstep: Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q at 10414 Clayton Blvd on US 70 Business and a second at 15 Publix Dr in the Flowers Plantation area. The Publix Dr location is about three minutes from the Portofino gate, which makes it the after-trail default: a drive-thru tray of chopped pork, a box of hushpuppies, sweet tea, and you are back on the half-acre before the radio gets through a song. It is also the easy answer for out-of-town guests who want to taste the region's signature without leaving Clayton.
The 1930 Landmark: White Swan Bar-B-Q in Smithfield
About 20 minutes southwest of Clayton, White Swan Bar-B-Q in Smithfield is the closest thing Johnston County has to a shrine. Family-owned since 1930, when Percy Flowers and his brother built it to feed travelers on the old Highway 301 route between New York and Florida, White Swan still cooks whole pork shoulders over its wood pits and chops them fresh every day, served with the vinegar-and-spice sauce regional barbecue fans drive for. The building has fed generations of regulars, and the unchanged menu is the point: chopped pork, fried chicken, slaw, and tea, exactly as the pit masters intend it. For the purest look at Eastern NC cooking within reach of Clayton, this is the stop.
The Competition Pit: Redneck BBQ Lab at McGee's Crossroads
Head west on I-40 to exit 319, and The Redneck BBQ Lab in Benson brings the backyard competition circuit to the plate. Opened in 2017 by the Redneck Scientific team, whose trophy case holds dozens of Kansas City Barbecue Society Grand Championships, the Lab serves brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and sausage out of a barn-style building about 15 minutes from the Portofino gate. It is a different register than the whole-hog pit houses, more layered and contemporary, and it is the place to take visitors who want a full barbecue flight in one visit. If you prefer your cue old school on that side of the interstate, Stephenson's Barbecue in Willow Springs has cooked Eastern NC pork and fried chicken for generations and stays a local favorite for exactly that reason.
A Historic Trail Day Trip: Wilber's and Grady's in Goldsboro
About 40 minutes east of Clayton on US 70, the Goldsboro area holds two of the restaurants on the North Carolina Barbecue Society's Historic Barbecue Trail, a roughly 500-mile driving loop of around two dozen eateries that still cook the old-timey way over wood or charcoal pits they have kept burning for 15 years or more. Wilber's Barbecue has cooked whole hogs over oak embers since 1962 and has fed presidents and pit pilgrims alike, while Grady's Barbecue in nearby Dudley pit-cooks whole-hog pork and fried chicken in the same tradition. Together they make the classic Saturday trail run: a long drive, a full tray, a long nap on the way home, and no regrets about either.
Modern Craft Variety: Low and Slow Smokehouse in Smithfield
For brisket, sausage, and barbecue with a contemporary craft edge, Low and Slow Smokehouse in Smithfield rounds out the county's trail. It brings a Texas-influenced pit to the same town as White Swan, which makes Smithfield the rare destination where you can compare the old guard and the new school within a single afternoon, roughly 20 minutes from Clayton.
How the Smoke Trail Looks From 297 Bonaventure Dr
A barbecue day from Portofino is one of the easiest routines in Johnston County. The Flowers Plantation Smithfield's is minutes from the gate for a quick tray, downtown Clayton and the Saturday farm market at Horne Square sit about 10 minutes north on US 70, and the I-40 on-ramp for a Redneck BBQ Lab run is right off the same corridor. Every route starts and ends at the same half-acre lot, and that is exactly how the house is designed to work.
Chopped pork travels well, so the ritual is simple: pick up the tray and bring it home to the screened-in back porch at 297 Bonaventure Dr, which overlooks the wooded yard where the noise of the day drops away. The oversized stone-island kitchen handles the rest. The island turns into the buffet line, the butler's nook stages the platters and the slaw, and the walk-in pantry holds the sweet tea, the banana pudding, and the extra hushpuppies. The formal dining room with its chair rail seats the full table of guests, and the upstairs loft gives the kids their own space while the grown-ups take the porch. On a cool October evening, that is a complete Johnston County Saturday.
Why the Trail Matters for Homebuyers in Johnston County
Food culture is a low-key quality-of-life metric that shows up in how a town feels every single week. Clayton and Johnston County are not just close to the barbecue; they are part of the region that invented the style, and that regional identity is a large part of why the county keeps drawing buyers from Raleigh, Wake Forest, and beyond. A home in Portofino puts you at the center of it: gated, wooded, resort-style living on one side of the gate, and a genuine Eastern NC food tradition minutes on the other. If you are weighing Clayton against other suburbs, taste the difference for yourself before you decide. Our restaurant guide covers the wider Clayton dining scene, and the farm and market guide rounds out the local food picture.
Want to see the home that puts you minutes from the smoke? Browse the Portofino neighborhood guide and the photo gallery, then schedule a private tour of 297 Bonaventure Dr with Phil Slezak, or book a consultation to talk through what living in Clayton looks like from the inside. Bring your barbecue questions; Phil has opinions on the right orders too.
Schedule your tour today: Book a meeting with Phil Slezak
Call: 919-899-2320
Email: info@philslezak.com
Phil leads one of the top-producing real estate teams in the Greater Triangle and Brunswick County areas, with over $200 million in sales and a growing footprint across North Carolina.