Pulled Pork BBQ - Lexington Style

Ever since I was very little, I can remember going to various barbecue (BBQ) restaurants with my family. The BBQ Center, Andy's BBQ, Kerley's, Lexington BBQ, Smokey Joe's BBQ and many others. BBQ has been a part of my menu since I can remember. There are many disagreements in the US, South and even NC about what BBQ is. 

Some people use the word barbecue to refer to anything that's been cooked on the grill.  When they refer to barbecue, they don't mean any particular food.  They are only referring to the style in which whatever food they chose was cooked.  When you get to the south (and native southerners), barbecue usually only refers to barbecued pork.  The only differences start to lie with how you choose to cook the pork or even flavor the pork.

In North Carolina, there are two main ways to flavor the BBQ.  In Lexington Style BBQ, the 'dip' (dip is the term that we use to refer to the BBQ sauce) is more of a sweeter flavor than in Eastern NC BBQ.  The Eastern NC BBQ is usually mainly vinegar based with very little sugar or sweetness added.  Lexington BBQ usually has brown sugar and/or ketchup to cut the tanginess of the vinegar. The recipe I used for dip was found online at epicurious.com. It was the closest match (so far) that I could find. It was a little hotter than what I normally like, but very accurate to Lexington BBQ. In the future, I will probably cut the red pepper flakes to a teaspoon or less.  It's always easier to make something spicier if you feel it is too bland.

Lexington Style BBQ Dip

2 cups cider vinegar (16 oz.)

1 Tbs. sea salt

1 Tbs. ground white pepper

1 Tbs. red pepper flakes (or less!)

2 Tbs. white sugar

¼ cup dark brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ cup ketchup

Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add the ketchup and mix into a paste. Pour vinegar in slowly while stirring.

You can store in refrigerator, but the longer it sits, the hotter it will get. If you need to cut the spice, add another 2 cups cider vinegar, ½ cup ketchup and ¼ cup brown sugar (salt to taste).

I just bought a pork loin and put it in the slow cooker and poured the dip in on top.  I didn't add all the dip.  I saved some to put on the sandwiches themselves.  Don't forget, the liquid in the slow cooker will be laced with fat, so you can cut some of that fat by using fresh dip. I hope you'll give this a try. Enjoy!!