It's practically a golden rule among North Carolinians: barbecue is a noun, not a verb. At Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, a sign inside the restaurant proudly proclaims that "BBQ is not a sauce." Instead, barbecue is a way of life and the best food to eat, according to Prime owner and champion pitmaster Christopher Prieto.

Prime Barbecue doesn't define itself as Eastern or Western style NC barbecue. It's inspired by Prieto's barbecue-making journey across the country, learning different techniques and flavors that now make up his own unique style. Prieto describes the flavor profile of Prime's barbecue as "smoke, sweet, salt and a little bit of heat."

Whether it's brisket, pork ribs or pulled pork -- as the barbecue hits the tongue, "you want to be kind of delighted by this sweet balance." Prieto says the key to good barbecue has a lot to do with the meat and the way you render it down. "That gives it its flavor and soul."

The Texas native-- who's now lived in North Carolina for more than half his life-- is a self-described "barbecue nerd." He's honed his skills from years of cooking on the professional barbecue circuit, immersing himself in the art and science of barbecue.

See a full interview with Christopher Prieto

You get Prieto talking about the barbecue-making process at Prime and his face lights up. "What kind of smoke do we use? We use a one-year age pecan wood. We use an oak wood, where it's present and nutty and light and sweet, but not overbearing." The brisket, for example, is a labor of love that's smoked for 19 hours. "And then you do need that aggressive kind of pepper, not so much spicy, but heat. And it needs to be balanced with salt. That's where that kind of liveliness of everything comes together."

It's become a recipe for success that's earned him a huge honor in the restaurant world. Prieto is a semifinalist for Best Chef in the Southeast in the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards.

He said getting the call was not only a validation of the work. "It gave my team a 'why.' Each and every day I promised them, this will have meaning and I have to make it worth it to them," says Prieto. "They look to me to lead the ship in the right direction. And when you get that call, you know you're in the right waters, going the right speed." (Finalists will be announced April 2nd and winners will be recognized in a ceremony on June 16th.)

Prieto says he's honored that the craft of barbecue is "starting to get recognized as a real cuisine."

Prieto's love for barbecue started as a child growing up in Texas. His parents immigrated from Puerto Rico and his father was working on his PhD at Texas A&M University. Prieto says his father took him and his siblings to a local barbecue joint. He'll never forget his first taste of barbecue. " Eating something that just melted in my mouth, that I could tell immediately had a soul; like this food impacted me in such a great way," says Prieto. "Honestly, it was my first love."

And he wanted to replicate that feeling over and over again.

Opening a restaurant was always a dream of Prieto's. He launched that dream in May of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic as strictly takeout.

"I was masked up. I was gloved up," recalls Prieto. "There was no beautiful restaurant to walk into, no cool music, no cool trays."

Yet the customers came, hungry for what Prime offered.

"You know, we had cots in this restaurant. We (our team) slept here and we had to make it work. We believed in people and we handwrote, we gave thank you notes in all the to-go bags."

Prieto says opening Prime Barbecue during the pandemic taught him resilience. " It really taught me the importance of what I'm putting inside of that box. It really had to resonate, make an impact."

During COVID, "people were so separated, we needed to find a connection point," said Prieto. And that's when he realized the key ingredient for any successful restaurant was hospitality

The daily goal at Prime Barbecue is to run out of barbecue.

"The reason for that is because we really want to be pit to plate. We want to be as fresh as possible." In fact, on the website, the restaurant's hours are five days a week from 11:00 a.m. to "sell out."

Their slow-cooked meats and homemade sides are a draw, but Prieto knows the food only goes so far. "It's when they walk through the door where they feel a presence. Presence of hospitality. Presence of being seen, loved, and valued," says Prieto.

He's also the father of five school-aged kids. Prieto says his children also help at the restaurant in various roles, as they learn lessons of hospitality and community.

Prieto says he has big plans for 2025. He plans to launch his own retail line of barbecue sauces and rubs. Hear what he had to say about a second location coming to RTP.