Posted on 05/29/2005 11:47:02 AM PDT by varina davis
Age-Old Debate Over N.C. Barbecue Fired Up
By MARTHA WAGGONER Associated Press Writer
10:15 AM PDT, May 29, 2005
ARCADIA, N.C. — Fourth-graders here expected a civics lesson when they suggested that the Lexington Barbecue Festival be named the state's official food festival. Instead, they got a lesson in the fierce intrastate rivalry over barbecue that pits west vs. east, tomato vs. vinegar and whole shoulder against whole pig.
"I didn't know so many people would be asking questions and wanting to know how I feel about it," said 10-year-old Kaylyn Vaughan. "You have to realize it is a very big deal."
While Texas generally unites behind beef brisket, Kansas City has its slathered ribs and South Carolina holds dear to its mustard-sauced pork, North Carolinians are divided about their two distinct barbecue styles.
Crowning one style as "official" would be a mistake, said Bob Garner, author of the book "North Carolina Barbecue," which doesn't take a stand on which version is supreme.
"The whole story of barbecue in North Carolina is about these two distinct styles and this fun, family argument that we just refuse to get rid of," Garner said. "People love to argue about this."
North Carolina's western barbecue, also known as Lexington or Piedmont, is made from the shoulder of the hog and has a red, tomato-based sauce. Eastern style takes seriously an old North Carolina adage -- "We use every part of the pig except the squeal" -- and uses a vinegar-based sauce.
The argument about which is best has waged forever, although Garner said eastern style came first. The state's tourism division even conducted an online poll in 2002. Thousands of votes were cast, with eastern winning by a snout, although the head of the Lexington visitors bureau demanded a recount.
The pupils of Friedberg Elementary School in west-central North Carolina fired up the fight innocently enough in February when they decided to undertake a civics project. They could have studied the state tree, the state bird or the state fish. They chose food.
They wrote letters to lawmakers asking that the one-day Lexington event, one of Travel & Leisure magazine's Top 10 food festivals, be named the "state food festival."
Two lawmakers obliged, but when the bills were filed, they mistakenly called for Lexington's event to become the "state barbecue festival."
The damage was done.
"Remind lawmakers that while our humble pig may not get the publicity Lexington gathers from the lying Yankee press, we still put on a pretty good show," columnist Dennis Rogers, a protector of eastern-style, wrote in The News & Observer of Raleigh.
The High Point Enterprise defended the western style, calling it barbecue from "a lean, filet of pork shoulder in Lexington, not all of Old McDonald's pig."
From there, the students' lesson became political. A House committee recommended the festival receive the state designation last month, but the bill ended up in another committee. In the Senate, the bill has been stuck in committee since it was filed.
"I don't really expect that the bill will be heard," said one of its sponsors, Sen. Stan Bingham, a Republican from the Lexington style's home turf of Davidson County.
Bingham denies the bill was meant to say Lexington-style barbecue tastes better than eastern style. "It's just indicating that 150,000 people come to Lexington for the festival," he said, somewhat unconvincingly.
That's what the Friedberg children say as well. And they manage to say it without an arched eyebrow in the bunch.
"I wish we could all get along," said 10-year-old James Lumley.
Then he gets down and dirty.
"I know that we all think western is better than eastern," he said, pointing around the table at three friends, "and I think western is better."
Garner gives the nod to western-style barbecue on two counts: its aficionados have done a better job of sticking to pit-cooked barbecue than their eastern counterparts, who have no big barbecue festival comparable to Lexington's.
But Garner believes it is heresy to pass a bill that essentially gives western-style the imprimatur of being the best.
"I just think it would be a shame to set up either eastern or Lexington as the official thing when it's all about the friendly debate."
Your sauce sounds good. I may try it... as soon as it stops raining and warms up up here. We had warmer days in April than it is right now.
I like it all!!
I love ribs that are falling off the bone...
Yum!
Ms.B
Dang!
Well, I thought you might enjoy reading this thread!
Some good stuff posted here!
;0)
Ms.B
Sorry, diabetes.
Anyway, sugar kills any thirst quenching properties, at
least for me.
If you come to Atlanta, try Harold's it's out by the
federal prison.
Still toast their bread over coals from the pit.
Oh that I will just disappointed here at the rain. Guess I'll have to break our the George Forman Grill and grill sumtin dat way.
I'm sorry about the rain..
It rained up here almost 3 weeks straight..
Is it just a passin' through storm, or a real soaker?
Ms.B
CD, how come you didn't ping me on this?
Rebelbase, you got that right.
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Don't get carried away and put too much on, it doesn't take much.
L0L Get on down here! We cooked so much skirtsteak in a vietnanese marinate last night that I was invited to help reduce the leftovers again tonight L0L
Tomato based marinates tend to have to much sugar in them and can easily burn.
While I like tomatoe based it isnt my first choice.
But I make it for folks who prefer it. I start with a dry rub. Then add the tomato based sauce AFTER Cooking
Again: "Its all good"!
LOL
I sure wish I could get down there!
It sounds like a blast!
I'm very HONGRY now!
;0)
Ms,B
Im getting a bit Peckish myself L0L
All hungry like! :)
Can't believe y'all get Carolin Treet in NH! That's a WOW
It's one of those, start to make you stop - then stop to make you start and repeat the sequence storms. It's rained everyday for the past week. Fri was a real all night soaker and so was last night. It's behaving like it can't make up its mind right now.
L0L Beef holds up well to Pecan smoke, but NEVER use pecan on chicken or fish L0L It can be too much of a good thing as you say
I was in North Augusta, SC in April, and ate at a Bobby's Best Barbeque Buffet somewhere near there. Being a CA boy raised on Love's and Chris and Pitts, I was a bit shaken by the yellowy-orange barbeque sauce on the pulled pork.
It was a vinegar base, and tasted very strange. The whole meal was weird. A guy in his nineties was playing an old Hammond organ in the corner, and it sounded like he just started taking lessons. I expected Rod Serling to come walking in to the place and tell me I was never returning home again. But I got to see the Masters, so it was worth it.
Hey Fawnn! you ever do BBq Ham sandwiches up there?
My Moms were awsome L0L
That sounds like a party right there
Here's a recipe from Uncle Billy's Downeast Barbeque..
Uncle Billy's BBQ Sauce
21/2 quarts water
12 ounce can Moxie soda
1/4 cup Hungarian Hot Paprika
1/4 cup granulated onion powder
1/8 cup ground oregano leaf
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate bits
3 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
1 Tablespoon crushed red peppers flakes
2 Tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons ground anise
2 Tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 dashes allspice
dash of dry ginger
small can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
5 cups cider vinegar
1/3 cup Barbados molasses
2 Tablespoons soy suave
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vegatable oil
1/4 cup red wine (cheap)
1/4 cup black coffee (old)
2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
In a small bowl, combone all the dry spices with one pint of the water and the can of Moxie to make a paste.
Use a whisk..
In large pot, bring two quarts of water to a boil, then whisk in the paste.
Add rest of the ingredients stirring continuously until it boils again.
Reduce heat immediately and let simmer for 15 minutes, remove from burner and let cool.
This recipe makes a gallon and a half of sauce.
*****This is an EATING sauce, not a cooking sauce..
Set on the table to accompany your meats!
Enjoy!
Ms.B
Is this for real? Is this truly, even of the most minor importance to anyone?
but it has oil and vinegar and spices in it and its fabulous on chicken......
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