Bucket-Trippin’ with Chet Garner: Carolina Whole Hog Barbecue

Barbecue is America’s comfort food. It’s messy, it’s tasty, it’s saucy, and there are so many different styles. So many, in fact, that barbecue has become a bit of a regional debate, each declaring their barbecue reigns supreme.

But when it comes to slow cooked meat and delicious sauce, how can you decide which is best?

Best Western put Chet Garner to the test and sent him bucket trippin’ to see if a born and raised Texan could love North Carolina whole hog barbecue.

Spoiler alert: There was a lot of eating and not a lot of complaining.

North Carolina – If you think the fight for best barbecue is solely between states, think again. The battle between Eastern versus Lexington style in North Carolina is a matter of the utmost local pride. Lexington style barbeque typically uses pork shoulders with a vinegar based sauce with a little bit of ketchup added to it for a sweeter, redder mixture. Eastern style chops the whole hog with a vinegar based sauce (absolutely no ketchup!).

Memphis – If you have a craving for all things pork, you’re in luck because Memphis barbeque is all about the pig. From pork ribs to pulled pork, Memphis barbeque is slow cooked in a big pit and known for both its slightly sweet barbecue sauce and paprika-based dry rubs.

South Carolina – The vinegar-based sauce from North Carolina spills over to the eastern and western parts of South Carolina, but if you’re looking for a much sourer and tangy sauce, look no further than central South Carolina, also known as the “Mustard Belt”. The mustard-based barbecue sauce is thicker, and of course, yellower!

Central Texas – Calling all beef lovers! Central Texas barbecue is renowned for their emphasis on the quality cut and cooking of their beef. The meat is dry-rubbed with spices and cooked with indirect heat over pecan or oak wood. You won’t find thick sauce served with your cut of meat because Central Texas has very little interest in sauce, which is usually served on the side.

East Texas – Barbecue from East Texas mimics the barbecue of the South more closely than it does its central Texas counterpart. Both pork and beef are slow cooked over hickory wood and smothered with some sweet tomato-based sauce. Slice, not chop the brisket and serve with a bun, and you’ve got yourself a taste of East Texas barbecue.

Kansas City – When you think barbecue, you probably get a craving for the thick, dark red sauce drowning all kinds of meat. That’s Kansas City barbecue. Not prejudiced against any meat, you’ll often see beef, pork and chicken on the menu of any Kansas City barbecue joint.

Alabama – Lax about what constitutes Alabama barbecue, you can find various types of barbecue all over the state: pork or beef, hickory or pecan wood, chopped or sliced. But unlike other states, Alabama white sauce is used, which is a mixture of apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, lemon juice and a sprinkle of some salt and pepper.

And if you’re like Chet, you’re going to need a comfortable bed after a barbecue-packed trip to sleep away the full, but happy, belly. Plan your own tangy-sauced tour, and book direct at bestwestern.com.