Pitmaster IndexSonny Conrad
Longtime Owner, The Barbecue Center
Sonny Conrad
The Barbecue CenterLexington, North Carolina
Signature:Chopped pork shoulder tray with red slaw
Sonny Conrad bought The Barbecue Center in 1967 and turned the former dairy-and-ice-cream stand into one of Lexington's enduring wood-fired pits. A recognized barbecue icon, he was one of the restaurateurs who helped start the Lexington Barbecue Festival, now the state's largest one-day event. He continued cooking until his death in 2013 at age 75, and his sons Michael and Cecil took over the family business, keeping three generations at work in the restaurant.
Technique
Pork shoulders cooked over wood coals in the restaurant's brick pits.
Influences
The Swicegood-Weaver Lexington tent tradition