So, let’s say that NC has several varieties depending on location. I’m a fan of East Carolina or Eastern BBQ sauce, and Lexington. I have, what I call good recipes, but I guarantee you will not like them. The Eastern sauce is mostly apple cider vinegar with a squirt of ketchup, red pepper flake, ground while pepper, and probably something else. ( I’d have to look for it. ) If you had a spoon full and dumped it out, it would run out and the spoon would be dry. Essentially, the Lexington is the same add some more ketchup and sugar. It’s a little thicker and has more red color. It would still run out of the spoon, but leave a thin coating on the spoon. Both are definitely vinegar flavored, but the Lexington is not as sharp.
Then there are the weirdos in the mountains. They make a sauce closer to a St Louis or Memphis sauce, aptly called Western Carolina BBQ Sauce. Western Carolina is going to be a heavy tomato base with probably brown sugar, some pepper and spices. You have to shake it out of a spoon, and even involve your finger if you want to get it all off the spoon.
Even within these regions, there are variances, and some are just a disgrace to the name.
Eastern and Lexington are the ones most popular in NC. But they are an acquired taste if you are accustomed to thick heavy sweet sauces.
May I suggest taking your favorite sauce (Sweet Baby Rays or what have you) and cutting it Lexington to start with. You can start out slow and add more Lexington Sauce until you reach your threshold, and then knock it back a bit with a little more Sweet Baby Rays if you went too far.
Dukes Carolina Vinegar or Heinz Carolina Vinegar are both pretty thick, and sweet enough my kids will eat them. You may start them as your base and slowly add your go to sauce since they are not as thin or vinegary as is traditional East Carolina or Lexington sauces. FWIW I take either of these and add vinegar to thin them out if I’m not making sauce.
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