Eastern NC BBQ sauce

[Blackwater]

I think there are as many BBQ's and sauces as there are those who prepare them. And I have yet to find one I didn't like. Here in Ga., though, we love our sauces to have at least some brown sugar in them. I use soy and Worcestershire sauce in mine as well, plus catsup or tomato sauce/paste, usually cider vinegar but any will do, a drop or two of liquid smoke (too much makes it sit heavy on the stomach), mustard, occasionally a mild sprinkling of taragon (try it & you'll like it if you like taragon), and whatever else appeals to me when I'm making it. Always use onion powder and garlic powder, too. Never made a bad one yet, and never really went by a recipe. A tiny taste test and adjustment of the mix keeps me straight. My wife is totally lost on BBQ sauces, so when she says we're out, I always get busy. Heating it all together helps blend the flavors and make a smoother tasting sauce. Simmering a bit thickens it up if you like a thick sauce. I doubt I'll live long enough to try all the things I want to try in making BBQ sauces, and if I have to smell the sweet aroma of pork being BBQ'd, I usually fall into the regimen described above. Never had any complaints, unless I put too much LA hot sauce, peppers (red or black) in it for their taste. My wife's a real pansy when it comes to anything "hot." So I usually just put black pepper or LA hot sauce on my meat, then the sauce, and mix it all together.

I can't even imagine a "bad" BBQ!

[johnho]

Easter NC bbq sauce is vinegar and Cayenne pepper based, Western NC bbq sauce is tomato based. Lexington NC style is a combination of these 2. South Carolina bbq sauce is mustard based. I grew up with Lexington style as I live very close to Lexington and my grandfather was from Lexington. The wife loves Eastern style as she grew up in the eastern part of the state. When I make pulled pork I have to make both eastern and Lexington style sauces.

Moonie, very interesting, I didn't know that obviously. I researched that a bit more and found out the sauce was developed by German immigrants in SC who brought a lot of mustard with them and developed that style sauce. Thanks. As others have said too, I have yet to find a bad sauce. I thought it was an eastern NC sauce because that is where I first experienced it when living there. All the restaurants had that sauce on the table, along with the real eastern NC sauce recipes I see others mentioning.