The following letter will be included with two pounds of Bar-B-Q, one pound of slaw and one pint of House Hot Sauce sent to Governor Rick Perry of Texas in response to the article published in the News and Observer on September 22nd 2011.

Governor Perry,

I hope you are well and thank you for taking the time to read this letter. My name is Richard Averitte and I represent Smithfield’s Chicken N’ Bar-B-Q, a restaurant brand in North Carolina serving fried chicken and Eastern North Carolina-style Bar-B-Q. I am writing this letter in response to a statement that has come to light regarding Eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q. According to the book “Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue,” by John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed, after tasting Eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q you were quoted as saying you have “had road kill that tasted better than that.” While we acknowledge Texas-style barbecue is different from Eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q, we are stunned that you feel barbecue from the Old North State pales so greatly in comparison.

 Enclosed you will find two pounds of our signature Bar-B-Q, one pound of slaw and a pint of our House Hot Sauce. I strongly encourage you to revisit your experience with Eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q and give you the opportunity to rectify your statement. Our Bar-B-Q is prepared from freshly cooked pork shoulders cooked overnight, hand-pulled and made from scratch with the freshest ingredients from an old family recipe. We take pride in serving the finest Eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q with a 40-year history of success.  

 We hope you enjoy this sample and perhaps sway your opinion originally based on the snapshot experience you had with Eastern N.C. Bar-B-Q. We would also like to extend an invitation to you to dine in one of our restaurants when your presidential campaign trail visits North Carolina, so you can fully experience this important part of our culture.

Regards,

Richard Averitte -Director of Marketing

Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q ®