The state of North Carolina is clearly divided between East and West. A boundary as distinct as the Berlin Wall separates the two. The Tarheel State population is split – those who prefer Eastern North Carolina BBQ and those who think the Western style is the real deal. The dividing line is somewhere near Raleigh and the battle for bragging rights as to which is best has been raging for a hundred years or more.
Western style NC BBQ uses a red sauce with ketchup, vinegar, and pepper, along with other spices that vary from recipe to recipe, and they only use pork shoulders. The Eastern style uses a simple vinegar base sauce, and the entire hog is smoked and chopped in the process. “We use every part but the squeal,” or so they say.
The champion of the Western-style North Carolina BBQ is a Carolina institution known as Lexington BBQ. In the East, it’s Parker Barbeque, based out of Greenville.
The legendary Parker’s Barbecue Restaurant shaped an industry. Known for a tangy vinegar sauce and lauded as the nation’s most authentic pork barbecue, Parker’s Barbecue has been feeding the families of eastern North Carolina and beyond for over 50 years.
And they fed our family last weekend. We were in Greenville for my grandson’s graduation from East Carolina, and my daughter, Angelin, ordered Parker’s BBQ with all the fixin’s. If we had a Parker’s Barbeque in Charlottesville, I would weigh as much as a fattened hog at the State Fair. I love Parker Barbeque.
As for which is best, you can’t go wrong. If you find yourself in the Winston Salem area and see a Lexington BBQ restaurant, don’t pass it by. Same goes for a visit to Parker’s in Greenville or Wilson in the east.
It’s all good stuff.