Upwards of 200,000 barbeque lovers packed the streets of Lexington, NC this past Saturday to celebrate a lovey fall day and eat thousands of pounds of genuine Western-style North Carolina pork barbeque – and we were there.
Nancy and I joined our daughter Angelin and her husband Brent and arrived early, parking right beside the entrance to the Main Street of downtown Lexington. We then ate our way through the small city, stopping often to inspect the wares of some 250 vendors. Main Street is nearly a mile long and the entire street was closed off with vendors set up in the middle of the road and scattered along the side streets.
There were 4 huge barbeque tents manned by the 4 major BBQ We were all in in hog heaven.
There is a heated argument in the Tarheel State as to which is better – Western Style or Eastern-stye BBQ. The western style, or Lexington style, uses only Pork Shoulders, cooked low and slow, then finely chopped along with bits of the crispy outside meat. The sauce is called a red dip with a vinegar and pepper foundation combined with a touch of ketchup or tomato for mild sweetness and a bit of color. Traditional sides include red slaw (coleslaw dressed with the tomato-vinegar barbecue dip instead of mayonnaise) and hush puppies.
In Eastern North Carolina BBQ, they use the whole hog which is
slow smoked over hardwood coals so that all parts of the pig are chopped and mixed together. The sauce is a thin, sharp, vinegar-and-pepper base made with apple cider vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and little-if-any ketchup. Typical sides include mayonnaise-based creamy coleslaw, collard greens, Brunswick stew, and hush puppies.
Frankly, I like both, but I particularly enjoy the world-famous Lexington BBQ. There was lots of typical fair food available including Elephant Ears, Turkey Legs, Crab Cakes, Fried Apple Pies and the like. We filled our sweet tooth longings with a hot Funnel Cake and a plate of New Orleans-style Beignets. Yumm.
The Lexington BBQ Festival began in 1982 as a local celebration of the town’s great BBQ tradition and has grown to become one of the top attractions in all of North Carolina. It was impossible to get an exact head count since there is no admission, but 200,000 is not an exaggeration. There was a genuine mass of humanity lining the streets.
If you like BBQ, pencil in the 3rd Saturday of October for next year’s Lexington BBQ Festival and come hungry.
