During that time, I fell in love with North Carolina-style barbecue, mostly from local restaurants, but I'd also often order it from regional fast-food chains. Now, Sonic Drive-In, which is headquartered in Oklahoma City but has locations in 47 states, is stepping up to the plate with its trio of barbecue-inspired menu items: its pulled-pork BBQ cheeseburger, pulled-pork BBQ "totchos," and pulled-pork BBQ sandwich. "These new items are a harmony of BBQ's best flavors, proving BBQ really does make everything better," Gibson added. While the signature meat in Texas-style barbecue is usually beef and Kansas-style is a mixture of both beef and pork, North Carolina-style and Memphis-style barbecue particularly focuses on pulled pork and pork ribs. I tried all three new items on Sonic's menu to see how they stacked up to the chain's regular offerings, and to determine if more national chains should follow its lead and bring home the barbecue.

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Persons: —, I'd, Sonic, Mackenzie Gibson, Gibson, Cook, McDonald's, Burger Organizations: Service, Business, Smithsonian Magazine Locations: North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Southern, Virginia, Texas , Kansas City, Carolina, Memphis, Texas, Kansas