A TRIAD RESTAURANT IS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR ITS DECADES OF SERVING UP CLASSIC BARBECUE. ONE OF THE OWNERS OF STAMEY’S WAS JUST INDUCTED INTO THE NORTH CAROLINA BARBECUE HALL OF FAME EARLIER THIS MONTH. WXII 12 KELLY KENDALL SHARES THIS DELICIOUS STORY STARTING EACH MORNING AT 3 A.M. STAMEY’S BARBECUE FIRES UP ITS BRICK PITS AND BEGINS SLOW COOKING ITS BARBECUE PORK OVER HARDWOOD HICKORY COALS. IT’S A TRADITION THAT’S BEEN MAINTAINED FOR DECADES, THANKS IN PART TO ONE OF ITS FORMER OWNERS, CHARLES STAMEY, WHO HAS RECENTLY BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE NORTH CAROLINA BARBECUE HALL OF FAME. A SPECIAL SHOVEL STAMEY’S BARBECUE IN GREENSBORO IS ALL ABOUT TRADITION. IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1930 BY WARNER STAMEY, WHO BEGAN SERVING THE COMMUNITY CLASSIC LEXINGTON STYLE BARBECUE, THEN IN 1957, HE PASSED IT ON TO HIS SON, CHARLES STAMEY. BUT HE WAS JUST A BIG, BIG PART OF THE HISTORY OF OUR OF OUR RESTAURANT. CHIP STAMEY IS CHARLES’S SON. HE IS THE THIRD GENERATION OWNER OF STAMEY’S. AFTER HIS FATHER RETIRED IN 1997, HE SAYS THE BARBECUE BUSINESS IS IN HIS FATHER’S BLOOD. HE HAD WORKED IN IT SINCE HE WAS A LITTLE BOY. I MEAN, HE HE LEFT MIDDLE SCHOOL AT LUNCH TO GO WORK IN THE RESTAURANT. UNDER WARNER’S GUIDANCE, CHARLES LEARNED EVERYTHING ABOUT COOKING LEXINGTON STYLE BARBECUE DURING HIS 40 YEARS AS OWNER, CHARLES MADE IT A PRIORITY TO COOK USING TRADITIONAL HARDWOOD COALS RATHER THAN SWITCHING TO MODERN GAS OR ELECTRIC COOKING METHODS. HE WAS A STICKLER FOR KEEPING THINGS TO TO THE OLD STANDARD AND KEEPING IT SIMPLE. YOU KNOW HOW WE COOKED WITH WOOD? NEVER GAVE UP ON THAT. WE’RE STILL DOING IT TODAY. KEEPING HIS FAMILY’S FLAVORS AND COOKING METHODS ALIVE IS ONE OF THE REASONS CHARLES AND THE RESTAURANT WERE INDUCTED INTO THE NORTH CAROLINA BARBECUE HALL OF FAME ON MARCH 1ST. STAMEY WAS ONE OF SEVEN INDUCTEES RECOGNIZED AT THE EVENT IN BURLINGTON CHIP SAYS IT WAS AN HONOR TO HAVE HIS FATHER RECOGNIZE FOR HIS WORK, EVEN IF IT’S NOT QUITE DONE YET. HE STILL SERVES AS THE PITMASTER EMERITUS AND KEEPS THE STAMEY TRADITION ALIVE. HE HASN’T EVER FORGOTTEN, YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO, AND THEN JUST KEEPING ON TOP OF US TO KEEP THAT STANDARD THAT MY GRANDFATHER CREATED. AND HE’S TAUGHT US IN GREENSBORO.