Wilbur King inducted onto barbecue wall of fame

The latest honor given to barbecue master Wilbur King is going up on a wall, but in Winston-Salem.

He’s been inducted onto North Carolina Barbecue Society’s Wall of Fame.

Of the inductees, the NCBS says they “must have made major contributions of time/talents and services that promoted North Carolina barbecue and contributed to our rich barbecue heritage.”

King said it felt good to be recognized by other barbecue professionals because they knew the business and they knew him. King, who took over ownership of the family business more than 30 years ago, and stepped down in place of Joe Hargitt in 2004, said his 45 years in the business taught him success comes from a combination of factors.

“I believe that 50 percent is luck,” King said. “In other words, they didn’t move the highway, I was never going to be here. That’s for sure. The other 50 percent, I think, is having the ability to anticipate people’s needs and stay ahead of the curve, and change as change has become necessary. A lot of people would say, ‘Well, I’ve been doing this like this for 25 years — there’s no need to change it.’

“If your customers expect something different, then there is a need for change. And we made a lot of changes over the years in how we did things, and what we did, and when we did them. I think that has contributed to our longevity, is by keeping up with the times, so to speak.”

Winston-Salem attorney and barbecue aficionado Jim Early established the barbecue society in 2006 to promote the state’s barbecue tradition, organize events and honor those best at their craft. The Wall of Fame is located at the NCBS corporate offices.

“North Carolina is not only First in Flight, but also the ‘Cradle of ‘Cue,’” Early says on the society’s website. “We have long claimed the former, but have been remiss in establishing the latter.”

Going forward, King believes the future is bright for the business he and his family built over the years.

“We do have numerous issues with regulatory bodies that are difficult for us to deal with, and in some cases holding us back, but we’ll overcome those things and we’ll work around them and figure them out,” King said.

He continued, “My family was here, my dad and my mom were here for a generation, I and my wife have been here for a generation, and now Joe Hargitt, who owns the company now, is here with his wife and his son for another generation, so we feel good about the future.”

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.