10 North Carolina Barbecue Sauces That Define Regional Tradition
North Carolina barbecue sauces tell a story of regional pride and culinary history.
From the tangy vinegar-based concoctions of the east to the tomato-infused dips of the west, these flavor-packed potions have sparked friendly rivalries for generations. Grab your napkins as we explore the sauces that make NC barbecue a mouth-watering treasure map of taste!
1. Scott’s Barbecue Sauce
Legends aren’t born overnight! Scott’s peppery eastern-style potion has been setting taste buds ablaze since 1917 in Goldsboro.
Forget fancy ingredients, this sauce keeps it real with vinegar, pepper flakes, and a pinch of secret magic. Pure, unadulterated eastern NC tradition in liquid form!
2. Bum’s Sauce
Holy smokes! Ayden’s legendary Bum’s Restaurant crafts this liquid gold that transforms humble pork into edible poetry. The family-guarded recipe dates back generations.
How do they do it? This thin, fiery concoction is made with only a few basic ingredients: vinegar, red pepper, and a little magic. The ideal dance partner for a whole hog BBQ!
3. Wilber’s BBQ Sauce
Where flavor meets history! Wilber’s has been a Goldsboro institution since 1962, when Wilber Shirley first bottled lightning in sauce form.
Though whisper-thin, this vinegar-pepper concoction packs a mighty punch that cuts through fatty pork like a champion. Mr. Shirley’s legacy lives on in every peppery drop!
4. Skylight Inn Sauce
Minimalism at its mouth-watering best! Skylight Inn—crowned “The Capital of Barbecue” by National Geographic, keeps their sauce deliberately simple.
Why mess with perfection? This crystal-clear vinegar potion, spiked with crushed red pepper, lets the wood-smoked pork shine. Barbecue purists worldwide make pilgrimages to Ayden just for this liquid treasure!
5. The Pit Eastern NC Sauce
Raleigh’s modern barbecue ambassador! The Pit restaurant bottled their eastern-style magic for home cooks craving authentic flavors without the road trip.
Unlike wannabe copycats, this sauce nails the perfect vinegar-to-heat ratio that makes eastern NC sauce legendary. Celebrity chefs and barbecue judges tip their hats to this liquid tradition!
6. Lexington Barbecue Sauce
Welcome to Piedmont paradise! Lexington Barbecue (affectionately nicknamed “The Honeymonk” by locals) created the sauce that launched a thousand imitators.
What’s the secret? A splash of ketchup joins the vinegar party, creating that distinctive reddish “dip” that defines central NC barbecue. Shoulder meat’s soulmate since 1962!
7. Stamey’s Barbecue Sauce
Greensboro’s gift to all BBQ enthusiasts! Stamey’s has been honing its Piedmont-style “dip” since 1930, and it makes your taste senses dance.
With just enough ketchup to draw attention, this sauce keeps a vinegar backbone, so even though tomato joins the party, don’t expect it to be thick and sweet. It’s impossible for four generations of pit masters to be mistaken!
8. Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge Sauce
Shelby’s saucy sweetheart! Red Bridges has been wooing barbecue fans since 1946 with their western NC style sauce that strikes the perfect sweet-tangy balance.
In contrast to its eastern counterparts, this sauce embraces the tomato to provide a significantly sweeter and richer flavor. The star of the show may be the brick pits, but this sauce steals many moments!
9. Barbecue Center Sauce
Lexington’s other liquid legend! The Barbecue Center has been dazzling diners since 1955 with their pitch-perfect Lexington-style dip that makes hushpuppies jealous.
How good is it? Folks drive for hours just to grab extra containers to take home. The perfect balance of vinegar tang and tomato sweetness creates barbecue magic that’s impossible to replicate!
10. Old Mule Original Barbecue Sauce
Asheville’s saucy rebel! Old Mule kicks tradition up a notch with their western NC style that’s bolder and more complex than its eastern cousins.
Thicker texture? Check. Tomato sweetness? You bet. But don’t be fooled, vinegar still leads this flavor rodeo, just with more spicy friends along for the ride. Mountain barbecue never tasted so good!