Carolina Vinegar Sauce

Thin, tangy and peppery, Carolina vinegar sauce is the oldest-tasting sauce in American barbecue. It does not hide the meat; it wakes it up. Here are the eastern and Lexington styles and how to make and use them.

Eastern North Carolina style

The eastern sauce is about as simple as a sauce can be: vinegar, usually cider vinegar or white vinegar, with crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Some cooks add a little sugar, a dash of hot sauce, or both. There is no tomato. The result is thin enough to soak into chopped pork rather than coat it, and sharp enough to balance the fat of whole hog barbecue.

It belongs with whole hog barbecue, the eastern Carolina tradition, where meat from the whole pig is chopped together and seasoned with the sauce. It is also used as a mop on the hog during cooking.

Lexington, or Piedmont, style

In the Piedmont region of North Carolina, centered on the town of Lexington, cooks usually smoke pork shoulders instead of whole hogs and season them with a "dip." It starts with the same vinegar and pepper base and adds a modest amount of ketchup or tomato, plus a little sugar. It is still thin, but reddish and slightly sweeter. The same dip often goes into the region's "red slaw," a coleslaw dressed with vinegar and ketchup instead of mayonnaise.

Basic eastern-style method

There is no single official recipe. This is a starting point; adjust to taste.

  1. Pour cider vinegar into a non-reactive container, such as glass or stainless steel.
  2. Add crushed red pepper flakes and ground black pepper. Start with a modest amount; the heat builds as it sits.
  3. Add salt and, if you like, a little sugar to round off the edge.
  4. Stir or shake until the salt and sugar dissolve.
  5. Let it rest in the refrigerator for a day if possible so the flavors meld.

Basic Lexington-style dip

  1. Start with the eastern-style base above.
  2. Stir in a small amount of ketchup, much less than the vinegar, so the sauce stays thin.
  3. Add a little more sugar and pepper to taste.
  4. Warm gently in a non-reactive saucepan to dissolve everything, then cool and refrigerate.

How to use it

  • As a mop. Dab it on pork during the cook. Keep basting sauce separate from any sauce that will be served, and never use a brush that has touched raw meat on cooked food.
  • To season pulled or chopped pork. Toss the hot meat with a little sauce, taste, and add more if needed.
  • At the table. Serve in a cruet or squeeze bottle so everyone can add their own.
  • On slaw. Use the Lexington dip for red slaw.
  • Beyond pork. Try it on smoked chicken or collard greens.

Tips

  • Use non-reactive containers. Vinegar can react with aluminum and unlined metal.
  • Season the meat first. Vinegar sauce adds tang, not saltiness; salt the meat properly.
  • Go easy. It is easy to add more, impossible to take it out.
  • Taste on the meat. Straight from the bottle, vinegar sauce is fierce. On fatty pork, it is balanced.

Storage

Keep homemade vinegar sauce covered in the refrigerator. Any sauce that has been used as a mop on raw or partly cooked meat, or that has had a used brush dipped in it, should be discarded rather than saved.

Compared with other sauces

Vinegar sauces sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from the thick, sweet Kansas City style. South Carolina's mustard-based sauce is a third Carolina option. See all the families in our sauce guide.

Serve it with

Read more about the region in our Carolina barbecue guide.

Frequently asked

Is it supposed to be that thin?

Yes. Carolina vinegar sauce is meant to soak into the meat, not sit on top of it.

Cider or white vinegar?

Both are used. Cider vinegar is a little fruitier and softer; white vinegar is sharper and cleaner. Many cooks use cider vinegar, or a mix.

Can I use it on beef?

It is made for pork, but a splash on smoked chicken or even brisket can be a bright change of pace.

How spicy is it?

As spicy as you make it. The pepper flakes infuse the vinegar over time, so taste after a day and adjust.

Mopping a whole hog

When cooking a whole hog, many pitmasters mop the exposed meat side with vinegar sauce after the flip, so it seasons the meat as it finishes. Keep the mop and its bowl separate from the sauce you will serve.

Sources

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