Barbecue is an important part of the heritage and history of the state of North Carolina. It has resulted in a series of bills and laws that relate to the subject, and at times has been a politically charged subject. In part, this is due to the existence of two distinct types of barbecue that have developed over the last few hundred years: Lexington style and Eastern style. Both are pork-based barbecues but differ in the cuts of pork used and the sauces they are served with. In addition to the two native varieties, other styles of barbecue can be found throughout the state.
Lexington Style
Lexington Style barbecue (occasionally referred to as Piedmont or Western style) uses a "red" sauce that is seasoned with ketchup, vinegar, and pepper, along with other spices that vary from recipe to recipe. It is most common in the Piedmont (central) and western areas of the state. This style uses only the pork shoulder section of the pig. As with other styles of barbecue, the recipes vary widely, and can include many different ingredients, and range from slightly sweet to hot and spicy. The sauce also serves as the seasoning base for "red slaw" (also called "barbecue slaw"), which is coleslaw made by using Lexington-style barbecue sauce (or similar) in place of mayonnaise. Hush-puppies are usually consumed with pork shoulder and slaw.
Eastern Style
Eastern-Style barbecue is a whole-hog style of barbecue, often said to use "every part of the hog except the squeal". Eastern-style sauce is vinegar-and-pepper-based, with no tomato whatsoever. With Eastern Slaws, the ketchup disappears, and the mayonnaise (or whipped salad dressing) is almost universal.
Other Styles
Many other types of barbecue can be found in restaurants in North Carolina, with influences from Texas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Jamaica and other places, but they are more recent additions and not necessarily a part of the cultural history. Nonetheless, they are an important part of the variety that can be found throughout the state. Additionally, North Carolinians barbecue a variety of other meats and cuts, including chicken and beef, although they are found less frequently.
Next month we visit the great state of Texas to check out how they do B-B-Q in The Lone Star State.
By DeGrey