Lexington Barbecue Festival - North Carolina Pork Party

Posted by Cyndi Allison Oct 25, 2008

We spent the day at the Lexington, North Carolina Barbecue Festival. Around here, it's just called THE Barbecue Festival. After all, who makes the best barbecue? OK. That can be debated. But, Lexington, NC does have a unique and really tasty way of cooking up pork.

Lexington barbecue is pork cooked slow over a wood fire. It takes a really long time to get it right, and the best barbecue joints do get it right. If you're looking in Lexington, try out Lexington Barbecue or Jimmy's.

The smoke flavor is what makes this barbecue really special. The slow cooking makes the meat really tender. The sauce sets it apart as well. North Carolina barbecue sauce is vinegar based. Out toward the coast, it's basically vinegar and seasonings. Hitting Lexington and on out to the mountains, you get a little tomato in the sauce. It's still rather thin and has a kick.

NC barbecue is served usually on a bun (or a tray where you can build a sandwich or several). On the side, you get slaw, hush puppies and French fries. This is what you get at the Barbecue Festival, but I've never seen any hush puppies. You have to hit a barbecue restaurant in the area to get those.

The Lexington Barbecue festival is one of the biggest one day street events in North Carolina. It's ranked high with several groups and magazines. If you can't get to Lexington (which is near Winston Salem and Greensboro) at the end of October for the festival, then you can still check out the barbecue. It really is a unique style of barbecue, and it grows on you. I appreciate it more every year.