This is a guest post from Dan Levine, aka Porky Leswine, the author of the BBQJew blog:
"People who would put ketchup in the sauce they feed to innocent children are capable of most anything... [W]e, the Eastern North Carolina purveyors of pure barbecue, will not be roadkill for our western kin." - Former N&O columnist Dennis Rogers reflecting on a legislative proposal to make Lexington's Barbecue Festival the state's official celebration of BBQ (see more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200866.html).
When Andrea offered me the opportunity to write a couple of guest posts for this blog, I knew I wanted to write something in tribute to Dennis Rogers. It was Rogers who carried on a notorious and always humorous intrastate feud with Jerry Bledsoe, who used to write for the now defunct Greensboro Daily News. Bledsoe extolled the virtues of Western-style barbecue as served in towns like Greensboro, Salisbury, Lexington and other parts of the Piedmont. Rogers, on the other hand, playfully denigrated Western-style 'cue any chance he got, instead singing the praises of the Eastern-style 'cue served in Wilson, Greenville, Goldsboro and elsewhere.
In honor of the N&O's key role in the ongoing feud between Western and Eastern disciples, and because I am a Triangle-native so can claim neutrality on the debate, below is an objective summary of the two styles. First, I should note two things, with sincere apologies to Dennis Rogers: 1) The differences between the styles are truly quite minor outside of the cut of meat used. 2) BBQ joints often incorporate elements of both styles (for example, Allen & Son in Chapel Hill cooks shoulders but serves them with a quintessential Eastern-style sauce), so categorizing a place as Eastern or Western is not as clear-cut as Rogers and Bledsoe suggested.
| West | East | |
| Geography | Burlington and west | Raleigh and east |
| Origin of the Style | Circa 1910s | Colonial Times |
| Meat |
Pork shoulders, chopped, sliced, coarse-chopped |
Whole Hog, chopped |
| The Sauce |
"Dip" made w/ vinegar, hot pepper, salt, other spices, a bit of ketchup |
"Sauce" made w/ vinegar, hot pepper,salt, other spices, NO ketchup
|
| Cooking Method | Traditionally, slow-cooked over hickory/oak coals. This method is dying off a but is more prevalent than down east. | Traditionally, slow-cooked over hickory/oak coals. Gas and electric cookers are far too common, but a proud few still cook over wood. |
| Typical Sides | Hush puppies or rolls, red slaw, fries | Hush puppies or corn bread, white slaw, boiled potatoes, Brunswick stew, greens, more. |
| Beverage | Iced tea (sweet, of course) | Iced tea (sweet, of course) |
| Best virtue | Orders of "outside brown" are divine | Whole hog is the original American BBQ |
| Famous Joints | Hursey's, Lexington #1, Stamey's | B's, Skylight Inn, Wilber's |
Comments
What about the "Beef"
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 08:14 — thogue5I love pork BBQ, I really do. But once you try Beef BBQ, you're world opens up to possibility that there just might be a strong competitor lurking out there. Beef Brisket, Coated in a good ole spicy rub, Slow smoked for hours over hickory or oak wood, as you stand over the smoker you think to yourself um, um, if that taste as good as it smell... Then the time comes to pull it out of the pit. The rub has now transformed into a black crust, encapsulating this large odd shaped hunk of meat. A little trimming and then it's time to taste this wonderful brisket. Fork tender, your knife easily slices off a chunk and then... Oh my Lord, what is this remarkable flavor? My friends, this is Beef BBQ, and there's nothing quite like it, different from pork, but just as flavorful, a worthy competitor for your BBQ experience.
HERESY!!!
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 08:21 — NCBuff_CaniacBeef barbeque????? In North Carolina???? Heresy!!
Look I love slow roasted beef cooked over charcoal or oak or any other kind of wood as much as anyone, but to compare it to NC 'que just ain't right. If you want beef, high thee to Texas.
Headings switched
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 08:12 — NCBuff_Caniacgiven that the readership of this blog is quite erudite and knowledgeable, everyone will probably realize that the headings over the columns above listing the attributes of the two styles of NC 'que are reversed. Eastern is over the information for the Western style 'que and vice versa.
Thanks for pointing that
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 10:15 — amweigl (author)Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed it.
Looking at those menu's
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 07:16 — Danny7Looking at these menu's has made my mouth water.
Oh dear I think I've got to fire up the barbi...
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