CityView Magazine

a certain religious fervor. In North Caro- lina, our barbecue standards are high; our tastes highly discerning. This is a state where chopped pork doused in a thin vinegary, peppery liquid is sacred sustenance. North Carolinians have been preparing and per- fecting barbecue with tender loving care for generations. And don't even get me started on the whole Piedmont-style versus eastern North Carolina-style recipe riſt. Bob is hardly an old-timer — he's 40 — and has no time-honored family recipe from which to fill up a menu. He turned to a decidedly newfangled resource for inspira- tion. "I learned a lot of the technique just by reading a lot on the Internet," he told me. "I mean, that's where I got the basic idea for my sauces and my dry rub. There's the Smokin' Sweet ("our signature sauce"), the Sweet Honey ("with a hint of smoke flavor"), the Smokin' Sweet Heat ("a little spicy kick to it"), the Simply Smokin' ("not too hot"), the Holy Smokes ("a little hot- ter"), and the Brisket Sauce ("a blend of our sweet and sweet heat"). Barbeque You can get you a pulled pork sandwich for four bucks, a brisket sandwich for five, and a rib sandwich for six. "They had enough on there for three sandwiches," Jay Carter said of his pork piled between two buns, ne- cessitating a request for extra napkins. The Illigs open their shack at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday, closing at six on weekdays (or until the barbecue runs out) and three on Saturdays. Sometimes they have catering jobs that pull them away from their regular spot at the Eutaw Shopping Center, but they keep their growing flock of fans posted about their schedule on Face- book. "If I miss one day here, I mean I get all kinds of questions," Bob said. "Oh, I thought you had leſt!" Of course, in North Carolina, barbecue comes from a pig. Period. End of discussion. But those cow-centric Texans and Kansans have a real beef with that. In our military community, we have transplants who just can't stomach swine meat garnished in some vinegar concoction. As Rebecca told me, "We have so many people from out of state, with Fort Bragg, who say, 'You don't have that Carolina barbecue, do you?'" To Carolina barbecue purists, that sounds like blasphemy. But in the interest of feeding the multitudes from multiple corners of the country, the Illegs give them their beef. And 2/3 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons butter 1 quart cooked beef or pork, sliced or shredded 1 cup beef broth or bouillon 3 tablespoons vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 1/3 cup ketchup 1 1/2 tablespoon prepared mustard Saute onions in butter over medium heat. Add beef or pork, vin- egar, Worchestershire sauce, brown sugar, ketchup and mustard. Simmer gently, uncovered, until mixture thickens to desired con- sistency. Stir occasionally. Recipe Note: The longer it simmers, the better it is. This recipe may also be cooked in a slow cooker. — Jennifer Matlack arbecue is serious food in North Carolina, where rec- ipes for sauces, slaws, rubs and sides get passed down and prized from one generation to the next. Here are a few local people's recipes. Enjoy! B Barbecue Sauce 2 qts. apple cider vinegar 12 oz. Worstershire sauce 12 oz. Dijon mustard 12 oz. seafood cocktail sauce 12 oz. honey 15 oz. real lemon juice Red pepper flakes for flavor Mix all ingredients together in a gallon jug. Using a funnel, alternate poring the ingredients into a gallon jug using the vinegar to wash them down the funnel. Shake the jug well to mix. This sauce is also great on chicken. —Kenny Godwin CityViewNC.com | 27

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