There seems to be no end to this debate; Memphis style, Southern style, North Carolina style, or South Carolina style. Even Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida have gotten into the game! We're talking here, of course about the vast array of pulled pork crockpot recipes that make these claims.
There is no agreement whatsoever on which region can claim which recipe. When I started comparing pulled pork crockpot recipes, I found many of the same ingredients and cooking methods claimed by a multitude of regions, states, and cities. If a dry rub is used in one recipe, I can find it used again in another recipe clear across the country, and again, claimed to be that region's style of sandwich. If there are a million barbecue sauce recipes, then …show more content…
In order to make a barbecue sauce you need the sweet and sour combination. You'll find many recipes that claim to be official Memphis style pulled pork because they always use vinegar in their sauce. However, just about any pulled pork sandwich that has homemade barbecue sauce will have vinegar as an ingredient.
Brown Sugar - I have eaten at barbecue joints in Florida where they use only brown sugar, vinegar, and cayenne pepper to season their pork, making these sandwiches definitely not "barbecue saucy." Brown sugar is a common ingredient in many barbecue sauces, but this style of eliminating the sauce all together is different. There are cooks who swear that there should be NO barbecue sauce mixed in with the pork.
Dry Rub - Here again the boundaries blur. South Carolina recipes often stake claim to this method of seasoning the pork. The rub is made up of a variety of spices, usually including paprika, cayenne, and lots of black pepper. Some folks say this is the only only flavoring you add to the pork. That means no barbecue sauce is mixed in with the pulled pork, only served on the side as a condiment. As a matter of fact, some folks in Memphis shudder when someone refers to this beloved sandwich as a pulled pork
There is no agreement whatsoever on which region can claim which recipe. When I started comparing pulled pork crockpot recipes, I found many of the same ingredients and cooking methods claimed by a multitude of regions, states, and cities. If a dry rub is used in one recipe, I can find it used again in another recipe clear across the country, and again, claimed to be that region's style of sandwich. If there are a million barbecue sauce recipes, then …show more content…
In order to make a barbecue sauce you need the sweet and sour combination. You'll find many recipes that claim to be official Memphis style pulled pork because they always use vinegar in their sauce. However, just about any pulled pork sandwich that has homemade barbecue sauce will have vinegar as an ingredient.
Brown Sugar - I have eaten at barbecue joints in Florida where they use only brown sugar, vinegar, and cayenne pepper to season their pork, making these sandwiches definitely not "barbecue saucy." Brown sugar is a common ingredient in many barbecue sauces, but this style of eliminating the sauce all together is different. There are cooks who swear that there should be NO barbecue sauce mixed in with the pork.
Dry Rub - Here again the boundaries blur. South Carolina recipes often stake claim to this method of seasoning the pork. The rub is made up of a variety of spices, usually including paprika, cayenne, and lots of black pepper. Some folks say this is the only only flavoring you add to the pork. That means no barbecue sauce is mixed in with the pulled pork, only served on the side as a condiment. As a matter of fact, some folks in Memphis shudder when someone refers to this beloved sandwich as a pulled pork