I came across a great article from Charlotte’s Creative Loafing site explaining what Carolina BBQ is.
I was surprised to find out that North Carolina barbecue is divided along old colonial lines.
Bob Garner, author of North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time, explained that the meat on the Eastern side would have been more gamey because hogs were most likely left to forage in the wild or fed table scraps. The sauces used where hot, salty, and vinegar-based to balance out the gaminess of the meat.
Another surprise is that food historians assume that oysters may have been used to flavor the BBQ sauces of that time.
The Eastern side of the state the sauces are more vinegar-based and the Western side is more tomato based. That is said to still be the case today.
I found this to be an interesting read on the history and current state of Carolina BBQ.
You can check out the complete story here: