Eastern North Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce with a West Coast Twist

I'm not sure if using honey instead of sugar really qualifies as a "West Coast twist," but it does ensure that people from North Carolina can't attack me for this Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue sauce not being authentic.

Anyway, while this isn't exactly what you might find in the Tar Heel State, it was fantastic on the pork, and I hope it inspires you to add this deliciously different barbecue sauce in your repertoire.

As I mentioned in the video, I'm heading down to SoCal to work on a top-secret project, but since I teased this sauce in the recent paper pork recipe, I wanted to get this posted before I left. Unfortunately, I can't give any details about what I'm doing down there, but let's just say…actually, I can't even say that. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon honey, or other sweetener to taste
  • 1 generous tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 generous tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
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