Mason-Dixon Recipes

Eastern Carolina Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue sauce is like a beautiful woman. If it's too sweet, it's bound to be hiding something.

         — Lyle Lovett

Folks in the Carolinas call their barbecue sauce “Finishing Sauce.” It is decidedly different from western barbecue sauces which are tomato based. As a matter of fact, there is a war between western and eastern North Carolina with regard to their barbecue sauces, with western Carolina leaning more heavily to the traditional barbecue sauces of the midwestern and western states.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¹/₂ tsp garlic
¹/₂ tsp basil

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together in a glass jar and shake vigorously. Store in refrigerator.

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