Authentic NC BBQ

[=Mark]

Don't have recipes, but for those who missed the pics of the Pig Pickin' there is a condensed collection of them here.

[Varmint]

First, welcome Sidratha!!

As far as "recipes" for NC barbecue are concerned, there's really not much to do. I am in the early stages of putting together an eGCI course on a pig pickin', but let me cut to the chase: to do eastern style barbecue, you need a whole hog that you have salted (or brined -- good luck with that!). You need to slow cook it over hardwood -- it's not just smoked, you actually want a bit of heat under the pig that cooks the beast. Keep temperature as close to 225F as you can. You need to crisp the skin. Then chop the meat, making sure you cut in some crispy skin, some of the non-skin crispies. Add a touch of sauce, which is really just apple cider vinegar, red pepper, and a bit of sugar. I put some other stuff in my sauce (e.g., orange rind), but that's just an idiosyncratic thing to do to make it sound as if my sauce is truly original. That's it.

For the western or Lexington style barbecue, use shoulders. Again, slow cook OVER hardwood. The difference is that this meat will be much more uniform in consistency and the smoke flavor is generally more pronounced simply because you're dealing with a smaller cut of meat. This is also chopped and sauced, but the western style sauce has some ketchup added to it, along with more sugar. I like brown sugar, simply because it has a bit more of that caramel flavor. In the end, though, this sauce is a heck of a lot more similar to eastern style sauce than it is different. It's mostly vinegar, with just a broader assortment of flavors.

I ultimately prefer eastern style simply because it represents all that is good in pork. Brown and white meat, skin, a bit of fat. The sauce is hardly noticeable if done right. Screw it up, and it's mediocre. Get it right, and it's heavenly. Screw up western style, and the smoke will cover up some of the problems. Get it right, and it's also fantastic, but you don't taste the pork as well as you do with eastern style. I'll take either style any day of the week.

[Varmint]

There's a relatively new place for BBQ in the Triangle: the Q shack...owned and operated by Scott Howell of Nana's. Wondered if anyone from here has an opinion, though it's not true eastern NC style, they have some sort of 'battle' between Western NC and Texas style. He's got one open in Durham now with a shop in Raleigh soon to open. Though an eastern fan myself, i appreciate the option they provide. But the sides suck...why doesn't anyone do mac n' cheese right? Where are the collards, and decent black eyed peas? The experiences i've had (Wilber's, Lexington, Cooper's: except the pork rinds) all make good Q but the sides are severly lacking.

Thanks, phlawless. There's a thread on the QShack here. I thought the sides I had several months ago were pretty good, but I haven't been back to Durham since. The new joint in Raleigh, which should open in a couple of weeks, is only a mile from my house, so I'm looking forward to visiting it.

Realize, however, that they're using a commercial smoker for their barbecue, meaning that the meat is smoked rather than cooked over hardwood in a smokey environment. That's a somewhat important distinction. I still liked the stuff I had, but IIRC, I preferred the brisket.

[Sidratha]

Thank you all for the warm welcome ....... I have been hunting recipies and methods of cooking NC BBQ for a long time to no avail as it seems those in the know want to keep the interlopers from learning the secrets to Pork Nirvana. It was indeed refreshing to have Varmit give up information so freely.

Varmit ..... is there not a way to use the brinkman or weber on a Boston Butt to achieve Eastern BBQ without having to grill an entire pig? I have done half and whole pigs before but always burried with rocks or on a spit. I have no large pit or smoker though I will gain one in the future <I hope>.

Squeat ......... my condensed history ........ Born 1/26/54 at Camp LeJune, father from West "By God" Virginia mother from Wilmington, father got out of the Corps and went back to the mines of Logan County WVA, Alantic Coastline moved to Jacksonville Fla thus so too my Momma's parents, shortly thereafter the mines shut down while in Jax for Christmas and we stayed as my Dad found a job making Paper and I was pulled from the two room school house in Landville WVa and placed in a school with more students than Landville and Man had citizens.

Then in the sumer between the 7th and 8th grades my Dad got a job as electrician at Gilman Paper Co in StMarys Ga whereupon we moved to another rual enviroment which after living in Jax was like returning to the Ice Age. I graduated from Camden County High School in 1971 at 17 as I started at 5 in WVa. Went to college and was just too young made deans list first quarter flunked out second thus I became a Paper Maker. Did a stint in the Navy married a Texas girl < I was stationed in Dallas>had a child 13 years later divirced and remarried to an Airforce brat whose roots are in StJoseph.

After 22 years of making paper My health was failing so I medically retired from Gilman and was deemed 100% disabled by Social Security, my wife and I both wanted out of Camden County and I needed a drier climate, as we searched for where to move her Grandmother died and we came here to StJoe to bury her, the wife started in on moving to Mo from that point on , then about 3 months later her step grandfather died leaving the house to his side which we purchased from them, thus I am now in StJoe. It is nice but very different than anything I am used to. KC BBQ is too dang sweet!!!!!

Our house is in the Musem Hill Area of town is 157 years old and needs lots of work and TLC, the rub is everything has to go through the historic society before it can be done and certain materials can not be employed thus increased cost in refurbishing it, but we will get it all fixed and made ready for another 157 years of use.

BTW if you are a Ives, Heath, Cain , Innis or Dury you are probably a cousin.

Sidratha

[Varmint]

You can certainly come close to an eastern style Q, but remember that eastern style, by its very nature, is one consisting of the whole hog. Try a ham and a shoulder so you get a mix of brown and white meat. Low and slow. Keep the skin on, and then try to peel it off once the meat is done to crisp it. You'll want to cut it in with the rest of the meat. Gently sauce the meat mix.

[JohnReed]

After a long time and a lot of work, Andy Price is about to open a genuine, old-fashioned, wood-cooking, whole hog barbecue place in Lumberton. Andy apprenticed with the great Wilber Shirley in Goldsboro and knows what he's doing. Varmint had an interview with him a while back:

http://varmintbites.com/tag/andy-price/

The place will be called Nelson's Barbecue and deserves to succeed. Should be open by New Year's.

Nelson's Barbecue

4880 Kahn Dr, Lumberton, NC 28358