Picnic recognized for its whole hog pork

"Overall, the whole hog pork at Picnic was great."

—"Picnic – Durham, NC" Barbecue Bros

Picnic recognized as a top NC barbecue spot

"the menu at Picnic is more diverse than most barbecue joints. There’s excellent fried chicken dredged in smoked buttermilk, blackened catfish, and a burger topped with pimento cheese. There’s a little something for everyone, and lots of menu items that help offset the cost of those heritage breed hogs. The generously stuffed sandwich is still a good deal at $8.95, which includes a side."

- "The new Carolina Barbecue" Daniel Vaughn, TMBBQ

Time Magazine recognized Picnic as a "Top 8 Best BBQ Spot in the Carolinas"

"Pitmaster Wyatt Dickson and farmer Ryan Butler have joined forces to return to barbecue’s roots, with heritage-breed pigs raised for the smokehouse. The distance from pasture to Picnic’s pit is only about 12 miles."

—"The 8 Best BBQ Spots in the Carolinas" Rien Fertel, Time Magazine

Picnic recognized as "Next Generation 'Que"

“Hundreds of roadside barbecue joints dot the highways intersecting the heart of North Carolina, where pork is king and tomato, and vinegar-based barbecue sauces rule the day. In February, pitmaster Wyatt Dickson, Chef Ben Adams, and farmer Ryan Butler launched the newest addition to the North Carolina BBQ Trail, with their new and much-anticipated barbecue joint, Picnic, in Durham.”

—"NEXT GENERATION ‘CUE AT PICNIC" Staff, The Local Palate

Picnic recognized as urban BBQ with small town tradition

“It’s [the menu] a bit overwhelming. Dickson chuckles when I tell him that if it’s OK, I might stick to the pulled pork sandwich and the hush puppies and maybe the creamy mac and cheese. But the menu, he points out, includes Brunswick stew. The description right below it has two words only, and it is the perfect embodiment of this entire barbecue-gone-country-gone-city phenomenon. It says, simply, Old-school!”

- "Country Hog, City Hog" Adam Lucus, Our State

Picnic promises authentic barbecue

“Barbecue Man” Wyatt Dickson and chef/partner Ben Adams have teamed up with Green Button Farm’s Ryan Butler to open PICNIC, a modern roadside barbecue joint located in Durham, North Carolina. Here,  authentic whole hog barbecue—smoked slowly over oak—will share the plate with Adams’ seasonal Southern sides and desserts.”

—“ Dickson and Adams Team Up to Open PICNIC in Durham” Staff, Full Service Restaurant

Chef Ben Adams recognized for use of traditional ingredients

“There has been a renaissance of chefs who use traditional ingredients, says Chef Ben Adams, 33, who worked at Piedmont in Durham, N.C., and is opening his restaurant, Picnic, whose menu is a twist on a modern roadside barbecue joint."

—"Southern Cooks focus on heritage food" Sena Desai Gopal, Boston Globe

Durham barbecue featured in Washington Post

"Picnic, which the partners call “Next Generation ’Cue,” will mix traditional and modern [barbecue] . Heritage hogs will be cooked over an all-wood fire, but probes will help monitor the cooking process. Sides will include the traditional Brunswick stew but also “NC Crab Beignets.”

—"Why North Carolina’s barbecue scene is still smoldering"  Jim Shahin, The Washington Post