Western North Carolina (also called “Lexington style”)

Western North Carolina(also called “Lexington style”) Found in the area west of Greensboro. Thin, vinegar-based sauce with ketchup or tomato paste, making it sweet and tangy with a little bit of spice. Great on pulled pork.

Eastern North Carolina(also called “Vinegar Sauce”) From Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill to the Outer Banks of North Carolina Thin, vinegar-based sauce with only salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes added. Can be spicy. Used as a basting sauce, BBQ sauce, and for cole slaw. Also found in the Pee Dee region in South Carolina.

South Carolina Mustard Sauce Made with yellow mustard, sometimes dijon if feeling fancy. Sweet and tangy, and native to South Carolina.

Orangeburg Mustard Sauce Orangeburg is a small town in the “Low Country” of South Carolina. They have their own unique form of mustard-based BBQ sauce that contains mayonnaise.

Tomato-based Sauce The closest thing to the dark, sweet BBQ sauces you find in grocery stores across the US. Can range from spicy to molasses-sweet. The common denominator is ketchup, spices, and brown sugar. Native to Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kansas City. Can also be thinner, with more vinegar, and a strong, smoky flavor.

White BBQ Sauce Invented by Big Bob Gibson, whose descendants still run a restaurant named after him. Native to (and only to) Decatur, Alabama, this mayo-based sauce is best on chicken, but can also be used on beef and pork. “The best sauce you never heard of.” DECATUR

Pulled Pork Found throughout the South. Made from slow-smoked pork shoulder, cooked until its so tender, you can pull it apart with your bare hands. Also served chopped and sliced, usually on a bun or white bread with a pickle. “Southern-style” means it comes with cole slaw inside the sandwich.

Ribs Ribs in the South are usually slow-smoked Spare-ribs- bigger and tougher, but more flavor. Some do serve baby back ribs, which are more tender, but not as much flavor. Ribs are usually basted at the end of cooking with a tomato-based BBQ sauce. In Kansas City, these are usually referred to as “Sticky Ribs”, but in Memphis, they are called “Wet Ribs.”

Memphis-style Dry Rub Ribs This unique style of rib is native to Memphis, where Charlie Vergos, a Greek restaurant owner, invented them in order to compete with local BBQ joints. His restaurant, The Rendezvous, is famous for these smoky, spice-rubbed ribs. Usually made with baby back ribs.

Whole Hog Frequently done on the coastal regions of North and South Carolina. A whole hog is roasted for hours over a bed of coals. Vinegar is used as a basting sauce. Meat is then pulled off the whole body, chopped, and served as a sandwich or by itself, which is usually called a “pig roast.” Some pull the meat right off the carcass to eat, hence the term “pig pickin’.”

Brisket The staple of Texas BBQ, this huge, thick, tough slab of BEEF is rubbed with spices, smoked for many hours to yield a tender cut of meat. Can be served with a thin, dark sauce, but most Texans prefer it without. NOTE: DO NOT bring up BBQ around a Texan and other Southerners- a fight is sure to ensue.

“According to historians, southerners ate, on average, five pounds of pork for every one pound of beef.”

Western North Carolina (also called “Lexington style”)