Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
NC BBQ, specifically Eastern Style is Whole Hog. Literally the whole pig. Nothing "cheaper cut" or "low income" about it.
No doubt that’s the staple of NC BBQ. Whole hog is incredibly difficult to pull off with a high degree of success. Do we know how many BBQ restaurants are still known for doing only whole hog in NC? Seems like it would be a dying art. Very difficult to maintain a high quality standard doing that in a commercial setting. I know Skylight and Grady’s are still supposed to be whole hog.
I grew up going to pig pickin’s where the whole hog was cooked and you picked the pig yourself. It’s pretty common still at large gatherings like church suppers, weddings, etc. I don’t really eat bbq anymore but I appreciate the tradition. Here are a few links
I really am not an expert but whole hog is kind of a standard eastern NC thing. Lotta people grow up with pig pickins and go around to various competitions. I see pick up trucks pulling pig smokers all the time. List of contests and events here: https://wholehogbarbecue.com/
I grew up going to pig pickin’s where the whole hog was cooked and you picked the pig yourself. It’s pretty common still at large gatherings like church suppers, weddings, etc. I don’t really eat bbq anymore but I appreciate the tradition. Here are a few links
I really am not an expert but whole hog is kind of a standard eastern NC thing. Lotta people grow up with pig pickins and go around to various competitions. I see pick up trucks pulling pig smokers all the time. List of contests and events here: https://wholehogbarbecue.com/
Yeah, makes sense. That’s a great link and kind of supports my hunch. Relatively hard to find true NC traditional whole hog BBQ joints. Out of hundreds of BBQ restaurants across the state, there are only 19 on this list The North Carolina Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail - NCBS and the closest ones to Raleigh are in Willow Spring, Dudley, and Goldsboro.
I like it all, and the history of the traditional BBQ Capitals of the USA (NC, KC, Memphis, Texas) and how they differ in method and product is interesting IMO.
Yeah, makes sense. That’s a great link and kind of supports my hunch. Relatively hard to find true NC traditional whole hog BBQ joints. Out of hundreds of BBQ restaurants across the state, there are only 19 on this list The North Carolina Barbecue Society Historic Barbecue Trail - NCBS and the closest ones to Raleigh are in Willow Spring, Dudley, and Goldsboro.
I like it all, and the history of the traditional BBQ Capitals of the USA (NC, KC, Memphis, Texas) and how they differ in method and product is interesting IMO.
Very interesting and whole Hog as noted is a lost art and some would say for reasonable reasons. I know a suburban neighborhood up North that for decades has had a 4th of July Pig Roast. We a few years ago had a block party pig roast. There is a timing and scale issue in doing a whole hog not to mention equipment.
Whole hog barbecue is regarded as the oldest continuous form of barbecue in the United States. Historians can trace the cooking technique to the American Indians, but it flourished in the South, where slaves would cook whole animals on plantations to feed large groups of people. And when whole hog barbecue restaurants started opening in the 1920s, they would often carry the name of white owners while black pitmasters worked the pit. The skill was passed down through generations; outside of restaurants, whole hog barbecue has long been a celebratory meal accessible to everyone with space enough for a pit.
Since I am descended from North Carolina Slaves I have a hunch my insight might have merit.
Much of low and slow has its roots in Southern poverty.
Since I am descended from North Carolina Slaves I have a hunch my insight might have merit.
Much of low and slow has its roots in Southern poverty.
100%, and a lot of great low and slow methods of cooking in general. My summary:
Rich people: Take the choice cuts of meat, whether that be beef tenderloin/ribeye or center cut pork chops and tenderloins. Give the scrap meat (butts/brisket/ribs/cheeks/snoots/etc) to poor people/slaves/immigrant workers.
Poor people: Cook “throwaway” cuts low and slow, making them insanely delicious.
Rich people: Thank you, I’ll have that. You can tend the pits.
There you go, my simplified history of BBQ. LOL.
American BBQ, Jewish brisket, corned beef, chicken livers/gizzards, etc. A huge part of the story of American food culture centers around poor groups making discarded “lesser” meats into something delicious.
Like I mentioned I don't really eat BBQ any more, but The Pig in Chapel Hill is supposed to be really good and whole hog. Y'all carnivores check it out!
The roots of barbq low and slow are in Both Indian and African American Slave culture with multiple other cultural overlays.
Some might call efforts to sort the history of Barbq by the type of sauce used and to leave out the contributions leading up to etc a tad disingenuous To try to celebrate its rich history and to acknowledge its cultural history I guess will now be known as
CBT and perhaps banned.
So my ancestors on the Eastern shore didn’t cook like other slaves just south of them?
Eastern shore of Maryland? I have no idea what their traditions are.
In North Carolina in the eastern part of the state it's whole hog and in the west (past Lexington) it's shoulder.
I don't know what all they do in South Carolina where Rodney is, but they have some strange stuff down there besides the mustard in their sauce. That "hash" in SC -- yeeesh!
Eastern shore of Maryland? I have no idea what their traditions are.
In North Carolina in the eastern part of the state it's whole hog and in the west (past Lexington) it's shoulder.
I don't know what all they do in South Carolina where Rodney is, but they have some strange stuff down there besides the mustard in their sauce. That "hash" in SC -- yeeesh!
Eastern shore of North Carolina. Transplant description near the coast
A story that shapes my thinking. Prior to coming down here I grilled a decent amount using a weber kettle grill. Didn't use it to smoke with. Once here used the kettle and got a Weber gasser. Shortly thereafter I got a Big Green Egg and ditched the kettle.
Like many transplants went through the whole Eastern v Western, Vinegar v Tomato intellectual exercise etc. Started smoking food.
Had a good friend and family come down to visit. He is a excellent chef and once a year his neighborhood has a bigh 4th party and he rents the equipment and does a pig. So he had done this for a good number of years. He said when he came down he wanted a place that had good North Carolina pulled pork. I didn't thing that any close by met that standard so I did a butt myself. It turned out real well and he loved it. I had both vinegar and Tomato based sauces etc etc etc. He wanted to know if it was North Carolina style. I said look I am a resident and citizen here now and we are in Central North Carolina so it is official Central North Carolina Pulled Pork. Eat it and enjoy which they all did.
The basic essence is the same and how you mop, moisturize you BarbQ is a great discussion point but it is just that a discussion point best shared over some ribs smoked low and slow. Now whether the ribs are wet or dry or they type of rub if done right they are still barbq ribs and the cut of the meat style really sorta goes out the window when the chew to roll around in the mouth stage arrives. I have Rodney Scott rubs and sauces and still am trying to classify his other sauce.
Don't get me started on Beef Ribs made at home in NC and what to call them other than good.
Got a bunch of chicken wings and thighs thawing to smoke in a couple of days. Love wings smoked over lower temps. Got a KJ now and a Webber 4 burner and love both of them.
Last edited by TuborgP; 07-06-2022 at 03:04 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
