Savory Southern Cusine, and I Ain't Talkin' bout Southern Ireland!

I returned to Ireland with the sad realization that while I was back in North Carolina visiting I neglected to eat any BBQ! For my Irish friends and my US friends not from North Cackalaky I want to make sure you have a clear understanding of what North Carolina BBQ is all about, and why it is so sad that I didn't have a chance to tantalize my tongue with that tangy delight!

Barbeque is a hotly debated topic in the USA, and I cannot even begin to cover all aspects of it in this one post. In fact, I would have to create an entirely different blog just to deal with the complex issues of competing regional barbecue styles.Think about it!? I've already spelled it (Barbeque, Barbecue, BBQ) three different ways, and that's just the spelling! Besides, there are already oodles of BBQ blogs out there like this one www.bbqguyblog.blogspot.com and this one www.bbqjunkie.com.

Pit Master Ed Mitchell at The Pit in Raleigh. Adam managed to stop in for some BBQ when he was back, but I forgot.

With so many different regional styles out there people tend to take sides, and I am no exception. Growing up in the Midwest I was raised on Kansas City style BBQ, which uses a thick tomato and molasses-based sweet and smoky sauce. For the first 20 some odd years of my life that was the only BBQ I knew. It wasn't until Adam and I moved that my taste buds were awakened to the delights of the spicy, tangy, vinegar-based sauce that they were serving up with their whole hog chop in Eastern North Carolina! One bite and it was love, I was a barbeque convert.

Whole hog is the only way to go! I love me a good pig pickin'!

Why stop with BBQ!? In the years we spent in North Carolina I grew to love many other Southern treats like: Shrimp & Grits, collard greens, pimento cheese, fried okra, country ham, hoppin' john, cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, chicken and dumplings, Brunswick Stew, hush puppies, etc. We got our fix on many of these delectable delights from our friend and true Souther gentleman, Lee Fleming, a caterer, who Adam worked with for several years.

There are however some Southern foods that never grew on me, and I'm fairly certain they never will. This first one may cause some of my friends to draw back in horror, but I just do not like Sweet Tea. I am sorry but I just can't do it. Also can't do: sausage gravy, chitlins, liver mush, pecan pie, or boiled peanuts.

Sorry to veer so far off track! I guess it's about time I share with you What's Cookin' Wednesday! Today I have made Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Ha ha, just kidding! Of course I made BBQ, as well as a few other tasty Southern treats! I even made my own Eastern North Carolina Vinegar style sauce. I had trouble finding cider vinegar, maybe it doesn't exist here, or maybe I just wasn't looking in the right place. So I made my own by mixing white vinegar and apple juice. That combined with sugar, crushed red pepper, worcestershire, and a little ketchup, and voila!

Pork Butt ready for slow cookin'!

Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce

Alas, we do not have a grill or a smoker here in Ireland, so it was not exactly authentic, but I did my best! I decided to slow roast a pork shoulder with a dry rub of sugar and spices on low heat for about five hours until it was tender. Then I shredded it up and tossed with my vinegar sauce. Tasty! The best way to deliver that yummy pulled pork from plate to mouth is on a bun topped with tangy coleslaw!

I also made deviled eggs just for my husband because he loves them so much, and I tried my hand at making Pimento Cheese spread for the first time ever. Pimento cheese was always so readily available in North Carolina that I never considered making it from scratch, but here in Ireland it is unheard of. So I had to look at this as an opportunity to expand my culinary catalog!

With the spirit of the South welling up inside it got me thinking about adding buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy to the catalog as well. Even though the gravy is not something I enjoy (see above), Adam loves it, and I reckon a good southern woman does those sorta things for her man! However biscuits and gravy will have to wait, as this Southern spread was enough for now.  Bon Appetite - Y'all!