Carolina Barbecue

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. While I think you can have a barbecue just about any time, lots of folks consider this the last big weekend to fire up the grill.

When people in my neck of the woods say "barbeque", they are not thinking about ribs slathered in a ketchup-based sauce. Outsiders are sometimes shocked when they order barbecue in North Carolina. It is quite different from barbecue anywhere else in the U.S.

Barbecue in eastern North Carolina is shredded roast pork (the whole pig or sometimes just the shoulder) drenched with a cider vinegar-based sauce, usually with red pepper flakes. The barbecue is either piled on a plate or on bread, and served with coleslaw and hushpuppies. My parents have been known to bring a cooler with them on visits from Oklahoma. They stop in their hometown, go to their favorite joint, and load a cooler with round paper cartons full of pork barbecue.

So, if you make this, it's as simple as roasting pork -- no need to get fancy with seasonings. Let it cool before you shred it. Then drench the shredded meat in the sauce which you have mixed the night before.

Carolina Style BBQ Sauce:

4 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
3-4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients and let this sit for several hours before using. No need to cook, but I wouldn't pour it over the meat straight from the fridge.

You can play with this, because everyone has their own super-special secret recipe. Some of their ingredients include molasses, dry mustard, dashes of Worchestershire sauce, melted butter, chili sauce... just remember that if you add ketchup, you are leaving the sacred territory of Eastern style North Carolina barbecue and headed west.

For slaw, I personally don't like it made with mayo, and if you are eating outdoors, it's a good idea to avoid mayo, anyway. I recently tried this recipe for Cabbage and Tomato Slaw with Mustard Vinaigrette from Epicurious.

Learn more about this style of barbecue from the book North Carolina Barbecue. If you ever come to North Carolina, pick up a copy of The Best Tar Heel Barbeque for a review of more than 140 barbeque places across the state. (Proceeds from the book support Special Olympics North Carolina.)

Comments

[grateful reader]

Thank you for this site--backyard grub. It is tremendously intersting to me. I hope you remain active and online for years to come.

[Shaun]

Thanks, grateful reader! I hope to do more with it!

[anita may]

planning new england clam chowder and carolina barbecue menu for superbowl party...your recipe for the carolina style vinegar sauce sounds great and I will use it on my pulled pork sandwiches. Thanks!