Barbecue is a southern delicacy with many states and regions claiming their own specific cooking styles, methods, and sauces. For example, brisket is a Texas staple, while Memphis has Memphis-style dry-rubbed ribs. Along with different barbecue styles come debates about which style is better, what type of sauce is best, what cut of meat to use, how to cook the meat, who created each style, and many other questions. North Carolina is no exception; within the state there are two styles of barbecue Eastern and Lexington (Western). Both styles involve cooking pork for a long time at a low temperature. The significant difference between the styles is the sauce and the cuts of pork used.
Barbecuing was introduced to Spanish explorers in the 1490s when they saw Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean smoking a variety of meats like alligator, lizards, and fish. Those meats were cooked low and slow and basted with lemon juice and red peppers. Spanish explorers introduced hogs to both the Caribbean and North America. Lemons were not available north of Florida, so colonists replaced the lemons with vinegar. That is why both Eastern and Western styles of barbecue feature vinegar-based sauces.
In this 1590s engraving made from John White’s watercolor painting, Croatan Native Americans are barbecuing their fish over an open flame, using sticks to elevate their dish above the fire.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
In North Carolina, almost everything about barbecue is up for debate. The only thing North Carolinians are in agreement on is that pork is the protein of choice. North Carolinians debate things like how to smoke the meat, style of sauce, what cut of pork to use, and which style is better Eastern or Western.
The dividing line for Eastern and Lexington (Western) style barbecue is not a clear line; it is generally seen as Raleigh and the Research Triangle Park. In Raleigh, diners can find both styles of barbecue. Generally speaking, east of Raleigh towards the North Carolina coast, Eastern-style barbecue is king and west of Raleigh Lexington-style is more common.
The basic sauce for seasoning Eastern barbecue consists of vinegar, salt, black pepper, water, and both ground and dried cayenne pepper. Sure, there are some variations to that recipe, but any Eastern sauce must start with vinegar, salt, and pepper at the very least. Eastern style barbecue does not feature tomatoes, because in the 17th and 18th centuries, colonists believed that tomatoes were poisonous. Today, people know that tomatoes aren’t poisonous, but there’s not a trace of tomatoes in Eastern-style North Carolina barbecue.
Eastern-style and Lexington-style sauces.
Courtesy of Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a new style of barbecue sauce emerged called Lexington-style, named after Lexington, North Carolina, where the style originated. It has a similar sauce to Eastern style, featuring vinegar, salt, and pepper, but adds a bit of ketchup and brown sugar to cut some of the acidity of the vinegar.
Another difference between the styles is that Eastern pitmasters cook whole hogs; while Western ones cook the shoulder. Easterners use the saying “every part of the hog but the squeal.” Lexington pitmasters typically cook bone-in pork shoulders because they are often juicier and easier to work with. Lexington is usually chopped, sliced, or cut into chunks. Eastern barbecue is usually finely chopped. Each style of barbecue is seasoned with their unique style of sauce.
Ed Mitchell seasons some freshly barbecued pork. Mitchell started making barbecue in Wilson, North Carolina, and prepares Eastern-style barbecue. He is one of the most well-known pitmasters in North Carolina.
Courtesy of Wally Gobetz. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Ed Mitchell barbecuing a whole hog.
Courtesy of Wally Gobetz. CC BY-NC-ND-2.0.
People enjoying a pig pickin’.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
North Carolina barbecue is one of the most well-known foods from the state. The first sit-down barbecue restaurant, Bob Melton’s Barbecue, opened in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1924. Now it is served in hundreds of restaurants across the state. There is also a communal aspect to this dish. A pig pickin’ is a social gathering in which a pig is barbecued, picked apart, and eaten. The barbecued pork is often served with accompaniments such as coleslaw, potato salad, or cornbread. North Carolina barbecue is a delicacy no matter which side of the East versus West divide a person falls on.
Eastern-style North Carolina barbecue.
Courtesy of Christian Geischeder. CC BY 3.0.
