Prime Barbecue announced today that it will open in Knightdale in March 2020. 

Pitmaster and owner Christopher Prieto originally broke ground for the restaurant in May of 2018, but delays have kept the restaurant from opening its doors until this spring. 

This Knightdale location—which sits adjacent to Knightdale Station Park—is Prieto’s first brick-and-mortar, but he’s a seasoned member of the barbecue world. His Wendell-based cooking school and catering company, Prime Barbecue, has been featured on the Food Network’s Chopped: Grill Masters, the Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food, and Destination America’s BBQ Pitmasters. And Prieto, who is from Texas, is also the man behind the Ultimate Book of BBQ, an extensive, nearly Bible-sized guide to smoking and grilling that Southern Living put out in 2015. 

Prieto plans to offer a wide variety of smoked meats throughout the week and will feature a traditional Eastern Carolina style whole hog on Saturdays. The restaurant will have six barbecue pits featuring an array of wood blends, including a one-year aged pecan mix. 

Prieto plans to work with local farmers to include a rotating cast of sides, alongside a selection of staples that are already on the menu, including smoked gouda mac and cheese, big boss beans, mustard vinegar slaw, and a barbecue rice dish that serves as a sly “wink at Prieto’s Puerto Rican background.” There will also be a hearty rotation of desserts: three different flavors of chess pies, bourbon pudding, mini pies, and five different kinds of cobbler. 

Prieto has previously been involved with the Wounded Warrior Project and plans to carry on his support of veterans with the restaurant. The interior of Prime Barbecue features murals from the Raleigh-based artist Lisa Gaither, who has previously done work with the US Veteran Corps. Prieto also plans to focus on hiring veterans. 

Those who have patiently been awaiting Prime Barbecue’s opening will be rewarded: it’s going to be a big year for barbecue in the Triangle. Prime Barbecue joins highly-anticipated 2020 openings from Picnic’s Wyatt Dickson, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen’s Jake Wood, and a new joint from the legendary pitmasters Sam Jones and Ed Mitchell that will focus on North Carolina’s rich barbecue history. 

An exact opening date for Prime Barbecue has not yet been set. 

Contact deputy arts and culture editor Sarah Edwards at [email protected]

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Sarah Edwards is culture editor of the INDY, covering cultural institutions and the arts in the Triangle. She joined the staff in 2019 and assumed her current role in 2020.