Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Food, Drink and Cooking Wonder what the poor folks are eatin' tonight?

So much for the desert... what's for dessert? (If I left now, I could probably make it for dinner!)

Got my travelin' shoes on!

You are correct on all counts. There nothing like cooking a pig in the ground over coals. It is quite a bit of work taking all night and then some and you'll need friend to help you tend the coals and shoveling them into the pit and you'll need help turning the pig over. When it's done you are ready to have a pig pickin' where you get your own meat right of the hog.

The trick is to get some of what is known in NC pig circles as "Mr. Brown", which is outside smoked meat that has turned brown and mix it with lighter inside meat. A lot of people like it chopped. If I'm ordering it at world class pig joints say like Parker's in Wilson, NC I'll order "outside chopped". Most of the time for BBQ sandwiches you are going to get pork shoulder. That's best for sandwiches. It's also standard that you get Carolina cole slaw (usually minced) on top of the meat and then the bun.

If you even attempt to put mustard or ketchup on your BBQ sandwich, the entire restaurant will immediately take you outside and whip your butt. Probably whip your grandmama's butt too if they can find her. So don't do it.

There is a higher fat content. And all kidding aside, the truth behind vinegar based sauce is that eastern NC, Tidewater Virginians and Low Country South Carolinians prefer sauce that enhances the flavor of the slow cooked smoked pork. Vinegar sauce enhances the meat all other sauces hide the flavor of the meat.


Ms. Slipped and I were discussing that very thing last night. She prefers St. Louis cut and she likes sweet glop sauces. Needless to say she didn't grow up down home. However, she will tell you that her favorite BBQ sandwich is from Olde Tyme BBQ in Cary, NC, and oddly enough it's a chopped sandwich with vinegar sauce (no sugar in it) with cole slaw on the top. Go figure.

Get on over here. Dessert in the desert will be home made Banana Puddin' which is different from Banana Pudding because I leave the "g" out.

If it's anything like my mom's banana puddin', I will be in Hog Heaven(pun intended)!it was always my job to slice the bananas while my mom made the pudding. It is my grandma's(and her mom's recipe.

I favor the pulled pork sandwich I had at Pig restaurant on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. They also had real fried pies, which my grandma used to make for us kids.

Fried pies and Memphis BBQ. Oh, lawd! You can't go wrong.

Nope, and I still make those fried pies!

Ever try making barbequed pork fried pies? I have had those at a Dim Sum place. Of course, it was Chinese-style barbeque.

I like to use Sweet Baby Ray's brand of sweet glop sauce, but really just to brush on lightly to carmelize on the outsides over the coals at the end of the smoking. I'm always looking for ribs that are a bit crunchy on the outside, and tender and juicy inside. It's a fine line, because a little bit too much heat toasting the outside and you get some very tough and dry areas. I guess I would be asking for some Mr. Brown in my order, too, if I ever get down that way.

I don't need a sauce to add heat, because I make my own dry rub using New Mexico or pasilla ground chili powder instead of paprika. Not very hot, but enough to feel it when you bite into a rib. And it adds more flavor than using paprika plus cayenne.


OMG, what the hell is wrong with some people? Ketchup is for your french fries, and mustard is for sausages.

I'll tell my wife about Sweet Baby Ray's, thanks.

The ribs turned out great. It took a bit longer this time on the smoker because of the constant wind we are having. It sucks the heat out of the smoker. No problem, I enjoy messing with it.

Yesterday I decided to baste the ribs with mustard and then sprinkle on Dave's Dry Rub. Next I let it sit for about 1 1/2 hours at room temperature before I put it in the smoker on a rib rack. I sprayed the ribs with apple juice after 3 hours. At 4 1/2 hours, I basted them with Scott's sauce (on mine) and Carolina Treet (for my wife). I took the ribs out after 5 hours.

Mighty fine. Both of us were happy with the results. Painting them with mustard, to hold the dry rub, seems to have held in some of the juices, as did the apple spray. They were moist.

IMHO, if you want the eastern NC taste I recommend Scott's BBQ Sauce without reluctance. Carolina Treet gives you the eastern NC taste, but it has a little sugar and little bit of something else in there, for people who like their BBQ with sweetener added - which is probably 99.9% of the known world. Vinegar based sauce without sugar of some kind in it is unique and not to everyone's liking.

Scott's BBQ Sauce

Carolina Treet