One of the first things visitors notice when arriving in Lexington is the savory smell. Walk around Uptown or venture into nearby neighborhoods, and you’ll catch a whiff of wood smoke. That aroma wafts from the pits of 15 restaurants dedicated to producing the pride of Lexington: barbecue. Barbecue means different things in different places, but in this North Carolina town, barbecue is pork shoulders cooked over hardwood coals, the way it’s been done for more than a century. After smoking for hours, the pork is chopped or sliced, often with bits of crispy, brown skin mixed in. The meat is served with a thin ketchup-and-vinegar sauce called “dip,” a distinctive red slaw, hushpuppies and sweet tea.