Smoke on the Water — There is a particular kind of hunger that sets in after a long morning on the water, it isn't the ordinary hunger of a skipped breakfast or a late lunch, it's the deep, salt-aired, sun-cooked hunger of a man who has been fighting fish since first light, and it demands to be answered properly, along the Carolina coast, from the Outer Banks all the way down to Hilton Head, the answer almost always involves smoke, the road south out of Kitty Hawk offers the first opportunity, and High Cotton Barbeque is worth every mile of it, it's the kind of place that smells like a decision well made before you even push through the door, hickory in the air, the low hum of a busy kitchen, a menu built around the idea that brisket deserves your full attention, the portions are generous, the prices are honest, and the brisket sliced thick and served with a side of slaw is exactly what a long morning on Pamlico Sound earns you, further south tucked into the heart of Carolina Beach Sunny Daze Smokehouse operates at the intersection of BBQ and coastal living with easy confidence, the pulled pork is tender and lightly smoked, the hush puppies are legendary among locals who know what a good hush puppy actually requires, and the shrimp fresh and snapping with quality remind you that you're on the coast and the kitchen knows it, in Wilmington Mission BBQ brings a bigger operation without losing the soul of it, the sliced brisket arrives with six sauces at the table, the staff walks first-timers through the options with genuine enthusiasm, it supports military and first responders with the kind of consistency that goes beyond the sign on the wall, the chopped brisket hits like a sloppy joe in the best possible way, and the mac and cheese is not an afterthought, down the road in Southport the Southport Smoke House is the kind of find that rewards people who wander off the main road and trust their instincts, real wood smoke, melt-in-your-mouth brisket and ribs, sauces made in house, and a warmth from the staff that makes the food taste even better, the hush puppies regulars will tell you without being asked are the best thing on the menu so order them and don't argue about it, crossing into South Carolina Myrtle Beach offers two very different answers to the same question, Swig and Swine keeps it focused with brisket, ribs, half chicken, Brunswick stew, and a Nutter Butter pie that ends meals with authority, Simply Southern Smokehouse takes the buffet approach and executes it with the kind of quality that buffets rarely manage, all the Southern sides done correctly and a price that makes you feel like you've gotten away with something, Charleston is where the conversation gets serious, Lewis Barbecue rated 4.8 with over eight thousand reviews serves Texas-style brisket that people drive hours to eat, with sides like green chile corn pudding, collard greens, and beef tallow fries that would carry the restaurant on their own, a mile away Rodney Scott's offers the other side of the Carolina tradition, whole hog cooked over open fire by a James Beard award-winning pitmaster who has been doing this his entire life, between the two of them Charleston makes a credible argument for the best BBQ mile in the South, at the southern end of the run One Hot Mama's on Hilton Head closes the loop with a big patio, cold drinks, smoked meats that don't need sauce, and the easy atmosphere of a place that knows exactly what it is and sees no reason to be anything else, five hundred miles of coastline, nine restaurants, and one very good reason to come off the water hungry.