North Carolina
In North Carolina, where many food scholars believe the use of barbecue sauce made its debut during the Colonial era, there are two main styles: Eastern and Lexington, or Western-style. Eastern-style sauce is made with vinegar and pepper, and Eastern-style barbecue is whole hog, where cuts from the entire pig are chopped together after cooking. Lexington-style “dip,” on the other hand, includes a dose of ketchup and is used mainly on pork shoulder. Which style is best is a topic of heated debate in North Carolina, but the state’s original barbecue sauce was the Eastern version, with Lexington being developed after the introduction of ketchup as an American condiment. One thing to note: Eastern-style sauce is often used as a mop sauce to baste the hog while it’s cooking. It’s also served as a dip on the side. Both styles of North Carolina sauce can be found drizzled on barbecued pork that’s been piled on a soft white hamburger bun, dressed with a scoop of vinegary slaw.
north carolina eastern-style mop sauce Some traditional recipes include butter (or even lard) in this style of sauce, giving it a rich, silky texture that helps pork retain moisture. If you’d like to add fat to this recipe or the Lexington-style version below, just heat the sauce ingredients along with a stick of unsalted butter until the butter melts, stirring to combine. 2 1 1 2 1 2
cups apple cider vinegar tsp hot sauce, plus more to taste Tbsp red pepper flakes Tbsp dark brown sugar Tbsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper
| preparation | Stir all ingredients together in a bowl (or shake in a jar) until sugar and salt have dissolved. Allow to stand at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.
north carolina lexington-style dip 1½ cups apple cider vinegar ½ cup water 1 Tbsp sea salt 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp cayenne pepper, plus more to taste 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar ½ cup ketchup
| preparation | In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until sugar and salt have dissolved, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and then pour into a jar, letting sauce rest for 6 to 12 hours. Sauce will become spicier as the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper infuse the vinegar; the longer the sauce infuses, the spicier it will become.