Barbecue Shredded Beef Sandwiches with North Carolina Dipping Sauces

                                       

In North Carolina they take their barbecue mighty seriously. Ironically, the biggest arguments are not about the meat, everyone agrees low and slow wins the day, but rather the accompanying sauces. These dipping sauces, or as they call them finishing sauces, have caused many a throwdown. This feud continues today as it has since the early 1800’s. Eastern, Southern, Western N.C. and all places in between lay claim to the “authentic” North Carolina finishing sauce crown.

Although basically all vinegar based recipes, it’s the accompanying ingredients that give each geographic area their own twist. Here I’ve compiled a few different sauces to use on a simple shredded beef sandwich. The subtlty of the sandwich will allow you to really get a feel for which of the sauces tickle your fancy. To serve, bring all the sauces to room temperature and ideally have them in squeeze bottles. Hope you enjoy – and when your guests rave, just tell ’em what they do in the South: the secret is in the sauce!

My favourite combo was the beef piled high, soaked with Western sauce, and a bit of Piedmont sauce spread on the roll.  

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Barbecue Shredded Beef Sandwiches with North Carolina Dipping Sauces

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
6 pounds beef shoulder
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
6 challah rolls or kaisers, split and toasted
North Carolina Western Sauce (recipe follows)
North Carolina Piedmont Sauce (recipe follows)
North Carolina Southern Sauce (recipe follows)

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until tender, about 5 hours.
  3. Remove the beef from the oven and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, shred with forks.
  4. Toss shredded beef with BBQ sauce
  5. For each sandwich serve about 3/4 cup of the beef on a toasted bun with sauces on the side.

 North Carolina Western Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce 
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

Preparation:

  1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

North Carolina Piedmont Sauce

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon water

Preparation:

  1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

North Carolina Southern Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ballpark mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar, distilled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

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