Thursday, August 15, 2013

The History Of Eastern North Carolina Bbq Sauce

By Essie Craft


Eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce is hundreds of years old. It's traditionally a mixture of vinegar and pepper. Although this may not sound very appetizing to some, rest assured it's a very tasty recipe, though maybe a bit spicy for some. And remember, it would not have lasted until now if it was tasteless. There are, of course, several ways to make it, many of which have been passed down through generations of families.

The United States has a long tradition of eating barbecued food and this stretches back to the times of the Native Americans. They were renowned for cooking their food on a low heat and having the spit high up and out of reach of the flames, so that food cooked slowly. The added advantage of this was that flames gathered around the meat and gave it that smoky flavor we love so much today.

Traditionally, it has been the pig that was eaten at barbecues. This trend started during the 1500's when the Spanish introduced the animal to the Native Americans. They quickly showed them how to slow cook the animal and the authentic barbecue was born.To this day the meat that's used up and down the country is a pig, though sometimes people eat beef burgers and beef brisket.

It is widely agreed that there are 4 sorts of barbecue, each one separated by a type of sauce. The sauces themselves are there to do two things. They act as a baste, which means that while the food is cooking you can continuously brush sauces onto it to keep it moist and to give it flavor. Once the food is done the sauce can then be put in a bowl and be used as a dip.

Historically, there are only four types of sauces in barbecues in the United States. In practice, however, many more have been made and continue to be made. The very first one that was made was the Eastern North Carolina sauce. The others are mustard, heavy tomato and light tomato. Most other sauces in existence now are just derivatives of these original recipes.

Hot pepper and vinegar are what makes the Eastern North Carolina variety unique. The use of vinegar offers an acidity that can combat the richness of the meat and the spice gives it flavor. Though the original recipe probably had only these two things in, these days people have added further ingredients. For instance, some use sugar to counteract the sourness of the vinegar and the heat of the pepper. Salt is a must too, as this adds extra flavor.

The great thing about doing any sauces is that you can experiment. Something that many people love doing is putting the vinegar and pepper recipe in a food bag and letting it sit for 24 hours so the flavors can merge. Then they add pork. By marinating the pork for 24 hours you'll get a much tenderer piece of meat, and the flavor of the liquid will permeate the meat and make it taste that much better.

If you have not tried Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce then now might be the time to do so. You can adapt the recipe and even use cider vinegar. This will give it that tangy taste that is essential for the dish.




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