Lexington Dip (North Carolina Hill Country)

Inland from the coast in North and South Carolina, in the west part of the Carolinas, the area called Piedmont or Hill Country or the Foothills, they call BBQ sauce "dip" and they apply it to pork shoulder most of the time. Small amounts of ketchup and sugar are added to the simple vinegary Low Country Mop-Sauce. The result is still thin and penetrating, never thick like Kansas City Sauce. The debate over whether ketchup belongs in barbecue sauce has caused many a shouting match and even stirred a raucous debate in the North Carolina legislature. Some recipes omit the sugar, but I think it rounds out the flavour. Using apple juice is also a veer from the standard, but I stole the idea from my favourite North Carolina sauce, George's, made in Nashville, NC. It really adds depth. Since it is mostly vinegar, it keeps a long time in the fridge.

In Lexington North Carolina the barbecue sauce recipe is mostly vinegar with just a touch of ketchup and hot pepper. Here's how to make an authentic NC Lexington Dip BBQ sauce and mop baste. Relying heavily on vinegar, apple juice, and red pepper flakes, this tangy sauce penetrates meat deeply to make it flavourful.

About the vinegar. I've seen both distilled and cider vinegar used in NC. I usually prefer cider vinegar in most of my sauce recipes because it has more flavour, but in this recipe I prefer distilled. Try both on meat and see which you prefer.

1 cup distilled vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup apple juice
1 tsp. hot sauce
3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
½ Tbsp. Morton's coarse kosher salt
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. black pepper, finely ground

Whisk together all the ingredients and let them sit for at least three hours to allow the flavours to meld. Overnight is better. A week is best. The locals mop it on the meat with a basting brush once every hour while cooking. If you do mop, a good silicon brush is best. It holds lots of fluid and is easy to clean. A lot of places still use string mops, but I think these are too hard to clean and potential sources of food poisoning.

Divide the sauce in two. Use one for basting. The locals mop it on the meat with a basting brush once every hour while cooking.

Take the remaining mop and serve it in a cruet on the side so your guests can drizzle on more if they wish.

Storage: Because it has a high acid content, it can keep for months in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1½ cups.