The origins of American barbecue date back to colonial times, with the first recorded mention in 1672.  In 1769, George Washington mentioned attending a “barbicue” in Alexandria, Virginia. As the country expanded westwards along the Gulf of Mexico north along the Mississippi River, barbecue went with it.

Simply throwing meat on a grill is not barbecue, at least not in the traditional sense. While novices (and Yankees) may believe that anything covered in bbq sauce counts as barbecue, the real thing is cooked over indirect heat — usually a wood fire — for a really long time (sometimes for as many as 18 hours). The resulting flavor is a combination of smoke, meat juices, fat and whatever spices or rub have been added. Barbecue varies by region, with the four main styles named after their place of origin: Memphis, Tenn.; North Carolina; Kansas City; and Texas. 

Texas Barbecue Pit, Dickey’s, opened its doors in Lewisburg on July 31, 2015. This restaurant is a true American success story as Travis Dickey, a WWI veteran, founded the eatery in Dallas, 1941. “Dickey was a true Texas character blessed with the gift of gab and the love of authentic, slow-smoked barbecue.” In the beginning, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit was a family operation with Travis working the block and Miss Ollie Dickey serving sandwiches. Space on the restaurant sign were rented out to help pay the start-up costs for the restaurant and the menu was limited to beef brisket, pit hams, barbecue beans, potato chips, beer, bottled milk and sodas.

“Come in and see us at our Lewisburg or Beaver locations where you can get the meats of your choice on a plate, on a great toasted bun, or as a soft taco.  Combined with one or more of our daily prepared sides you will have an amazing meal.” – Perry, Josh, and Daniel, co-owners of Dickey’s.

Today, Dickey’s has over 530 locations in 43 states. West Virginia has 8 Dickey’s BBQ Pits and Perry McKinney, Josh Conaway, and Daniel Harding franchise two of them, in Beaver and Lewisburg and they employ 20 people. They brought Dickey’s to Lewisburg because they saw the area as having a fun small town atmosphere with big town ideas. They love that there is always something going on in Lewisburg. Co-owner, Daniel Harding, is the also manager of the Lewisburg location. He lives in Oak Hill with his wife and six children. His favorite menu item is the Smoked Turkey. Perry’s favorite is the Texas Brisket (pictured below).

The restaurant has come a long way since opening its doors in 1941 and the menu now features beef brisket, pulled pork, St. Louis style ribs, Polish kielbasa sausage, Jalapeno cheddar kielbasa, smoked turkey, and marinated chicken breast. All entrees are served with an extensive array of homestyle sides such as creamed spinach, mac & cheese, green beans, waffle fries, or Caesar salad, etc. Buttery rolls are served with every meal along with complimentary ice cream. Also, kids eat free on Sunday.

If you’re hosting an event, Dickey’s provides catering at any size. They provide delivery buffet or a full service catering where they carve the meats and serve on site.  Common events are holidays, birthdays, weddings, rehearsal dinners, Halloween parties, ballgames, school events, church events, funeral events, family reunions, graduation events, class reunions, retirement parties, and company events of all kinds. They say, “If you can think of it we can cater it.”

Whether you are out grabbing lunch, dinner, takeout, or need catering, Perry, Josh, and Daniel invite you to check out their Dickey’s BBQ Pit locations.  They are open 7 days a week from 11am to 9pm.

The Lewisburg address is 536 N. Jefferson Street (Rt 219 S), beside interstate I-64. Their number is 304-647-0883.

The Dickey’s in Beaver is located at 763 Ritter Drive. Their number is 681-238-5603. For more info or to order online, visit Dickeys.com

– HashtagWV #83, November 2016