Barbecue in North Carolina facts for kids
Barbecue is a super important part of North Carolina's history and culture. It's even led to special laws about it! This is partly because North Carolina has two main types of barbecue that have been around for hundreds of years: Lexington style and Eastern style. Both use pork, but they use different parts of the pig and different sauces. You can also find other kinds of barbecue all over the state.
Contents
A Taste of History
North Carolina barbecue has a rich history, influenced by many different groups. Native Americans, early European settlers, and African Americans all played a part in shaping how barbecue is made today. Even modern cooking tools and methods have added to its story.
Big social events like weddings or church gatherings often feature a "pig pickin'"! This is where a whole pig is cooked and served. Some catering companies even specialize just in this kind of barbecue!
Different Kinds of Barbecue
North Carolina has a mix of people, so you can find almost any style of barbecue there. But a few styles are really special and important to the state's history and culture. These are the ones you'll most often find in restaurants and at parties.
Eastern Style Barbecue
Eastern-style barbecue uses the whole pig. People sometimes joke that it uses "every part of the hog except the squeal!" The sauce for Eastern-style barbecue is made with vinegar and pepper. It doesn't have any tomato in it at all. This sauce is usually added after the meat is cooked.
When you get coleslaw with Eastern-style barbecue, it almost always has mayonnaise or a similar creamy dressing.
Lexington Style Barbecue
Lexington style barbecue is also called Piedmont or Western style. It uses a red sauce, often called "dip." This sauce is made from vinegar, tomatoes, and usually red pepper flakes. Other spices are added too, and recipes can be different. This style is most common in the middle and western parts of North Carolina.
Lexington style only uses the pork shoulder part of the pig. Just like other barbecue styles, the recipes for the sauce can vary a lot. Some are a little sweet, while others are hot and spicy. This sauce is also used to make "red slaw" (or "barbecue slaw"). This is coleslaw where the Lexington-style barbecue sauce is used instead of mayonnaise. You'll often eat hushpuppies with pork shoulder and slaw.
Pork Ribs
Pork ribs are another popular barbecue choice in North Carolina. Many festivals and competitions celebrate them every year.
- Baby back ribs are smaller, tender ribs cut from the top part of the pig's loin.
- Spare ribs come from lower down the pig's rib cage. They are thicker and longer, and have a lot of flavor.
How Barbecue is Cooked
Pit Style Cooking
A pit barbecue is a way of cooking meat and root vegetables underground. People around the world have used earth ovens for thousands of years. In the United States, this method is often linked to the East Coast, especially the "barbecue belt." In North Carolina, pork is the most common meat cooked this way.
"Pit barbecue" can also mean cooking in an enclosed, above-ground "pit." This could be like a special oven or an outdoor pizza oven. The meat cooks slowly using different kinds of wood for flavor. This slow cooking makes the meat super tender. Both beef and pork can be cooked this way.
Barbecue vs. Grilling
People often mix up "barbecuing" and "grilling," but they are actually very different ways of cooking!
- Grilling uses direct, dry heat from burning wood, charcoal, or gas. The heat hits the food directly, and food cooks quickly.
- Barbecuing is a much slower process. It uses lower heat, and the food is often cooked more by the heat from the smoke itself, rather than direct flames.
Barbecue Festivals
Lexington Barbecue Festival
The Lexington Barbecue Festival is a huge one-day festival held every October. It brings in over 160,000 visitors to Lexington, North Carolina! The festival takes over several blocks of Main Street in downtown Lexington. Besides a barbecue competition, there are carnival rides, lots of music and entertainment, and over 100 vendors. It's even called the Official Food Festival of the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina!
In 2012, U.S. News & World Report said Lexington was one of the top US cities for barbecue. The festival is also listed in the book 1000 Places to See in the USA & Canada Before-You-Die.
Other Festivals
Many other barbecue events happen all over North Carolina each year. These festivals attract millions of visitors and help local businesses.
