North-South BBQ Bowl Between Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern

[bonarae]

Newly renamed.

https://gwusports.com/news/2024/2/1/football-rivals-gardner-webb-and-charleston-southern-announce-north-south-bbq-bowl.aspx

[Milktruck74]

As a connoisseur of all things swine related and an aficionado of the cooking technique that utilizes indirect fire and the carbon based byproduct of a hickory log....I only see one issue with this game. THe meat itself is prepped the same all over both Carolinas...however the sauce is the difference...and the delineation of such is not based on the geographic boarder of the the states, but rather a very blurred north to south line that somewhat follows the yadkin/Pee Dee and Cape Fear River Watersheds. Now if a plate of either is offered to me at a tailgate...well I'm not complaining!!!

[FUBeAR]

As a connoisseur of all things swine related and an aficionado of the cooking technique that utilizes indirect fire and the carbon based byproduct of a hickory log....I only see one issue with this game. THe meat itself is prepped the same all over both Carolinas...however the sauce is the difference...and the delineation of such is not based on the geographic boarder of the the states, but rather a very blurred north to south line that somewhat follows the yadkin/Pee Dee and Cape Fear River Watersheds. Now if a plate of either is offered to me at a tailgate...well I'm not complaining!!!
…but it’s not “either” and it’s multiple blurred lines

You are absolutely right about the blurred borders, but there is some differences in the meat within the styles - whole hog vs. shoulder-only. And FUBeAR agrees that the sauce is the real difference.

But…again…not “either” … 4 types

1) Vinegar, peppery, thin - Eastern NC & NE Coastal SC
2) Vinegar with some tomato, peppery, thin (Lexington (NC) style) - Central NC to Western NC and into North Central SC
3) Tomato, tending toward sweet, thick - Western NC & Western SC…down into GA
4) Mustard-based, thick-ish- Midlands of SC down to low country

As far as the schools and which style they “represent”…

Campbell was Eastern NC-style (1 above)
Gardner-Webb (FUBeAR understands) is Lexington-style (2 above)
Charleston Southern (FUBeAR understands) will be mustard-based (4 above)

No schools will represent 3 above … and shouldn’t - it sux compared to the other 3. FUBeAR still eats it, cuz it can be tasty … just not as good - by a LONG shot - as the other 3.

[Sir William]

…but it’s not “either” and it’s multiple blurred lines

You are absolutely right about the blurred borders, but there is some differences in the meat within the styles - whole hog vs. shoulder-only. And FUBeAR agrees that the sauce is the real difference.

But…again…not “either” … 4 types

1) Vinegar, peppery, thin - Eastern NC & NE Coastal SC
2) Vinegar with some tomato, peppery, thin (Lexington (NC) style) - Central NC to Western NC and into North Central SC
3) Tomato, tending toward sweet, thick - Western NC & Western SC…down into GA
4) Mustard-based, thick-ish- Midlands of SC down to low country

As far as the schools and which style they “represent”…

Campbell was Eastern NC-style (1 above)
Gardner-Webb (FUBeAR understands) is Lexington-style (2 above)
Charleston Southern (FUBeAR understands) will be mustard-based (4 above)

No schools will represent 3 above … and shouldn’t - it sux compared to the other 3. FUBeAR still eats it, cuz it can be tasty … just not as good - by a LONG shot - as the other 3.

I fully concur with everything FUBeAR said here. Barbecue gospel.

[Milktruck74]

I get the 4 sauces...I was meaning more of the "either" based on the two schools represented.

So in True FooBare rankings, I'd give my personal nod to

1A - Eastern NC Vinegar
1B - Lexington

These just depend on the mood and the beverage associated with!!!!

3 - Mustard (and I have never been able to stomach the taste of plain yellow mustard (I like dijon and spicy...but no to the French's)
4 - Sweet and Spicy Ketchup (which I have made at least 500 gallons of in my off season job in a chattanooga BBQ restaurant...which was really a book laundering organization with a BBQ front...which had decent meat)

All that to say, ETSUx, WCU, Furple and Chattanooga could all be representatives of #4...as well as the Tennessee Schools on or past the plateau....TSU, TTU, UTM. But then we would need to cross another boarder and make it a 4 team playoff.

And to finish it off...I kinda equate the BBQ folks to Christians... Those that eat the ketchup based, they are good folks that kinda believe in Jesus, but the vinegar and rub folks...FULL ON ASILE FLIPPING BENNY HINN CHARISMATICS!!!! So, Having drug my cross (err smoker) all over this land and served long term appointments as a BBQ Missionary in Memphis, Chattanooga, The TriCities, Eastern KY, and LExington Ky...I have done my part to convert those ketchup based folks over to the ONE True Orthodoxy of thin and tangy!!!!

[FUBeAR]

I get the 4 sauces...I was meaning more of the "either" based on the two schools represented.

So in True FooBare rankings, I'd give my personal nod to

1A - Eastern NC Vinegar
1B - Lexington

These just depend on the mood and the beverage associated with!!!!

3 - Mustard (and I have never been able to stomach the taste of plain yellow mustard (I like dijon and spicy...but no to the French's)
4 - Sweet and Spicy Ketchup (which I have made at least 500 gallons of in my off season job in a chattanooga BBQ restaurant...which was really a book laundering organization with a BBQ front...which had decent meat)

All that to say, ETSUx, WCU, Furple and Chattanooga could all be representatives of #4...as well as the Tennessee Schools on or past the plateau....TSU, TTU, UTM. But then we would need to cross another boarder and make it a 4 team playoff.

And to finish it off...I kinda equate the BBQ folks to Christians... Those that eat the ketchup based, they are good folks that kinda believe in Jesus, but the vinegar and rub folks...FULL ON ASILE FLIPPING BENNY HINN CHARISMATICS!!!! So, Having drug my cross (err smoker) all over this land and served long term appointments as a BBQ Missionary in Memphis, Chattanooga, The TriCities, Eastern KY, and LExington Ky...I have done my part to convert those ketchup based folks over to the ONE True Orthodoxy of thin and tangy!!!!

https://y.yarn.co/86e94eab-96a3-4b6f-96a7-c6122cde8a2e_text.gif

[whoanellie]

Hey, Please check your map. Elon is located strategically in the Barbeque sweet spot. Just north of Lexington only a 30 minute drive up on I-85/40 several classic spots are nearby. The Huey Family were always great supporters of Elon Athletics. Bridges in Shelby is iconic but N Charleston is hype only.
https://y.yarn.co/86e94eab-96a3-4b6f-96a7-c6122cde8a2e_text.gif

[Milktruck74]

Hey, Please check your map. Elon is located strategically in the Barbeque sweet spot. Just north of Lexington only a 30 minute drive up on I-85/40 several classic spots are nearby. The Huey Family were always great supporters of Elon Athletics. Bridges in Shelby is iconic but N Charleston is hype only.


While you are technically correct, I'm not sure Elon can be considered in this conversation. The location of the campus is only a part of the complete picture. You are not factoring in the student population or the league you participate in. Your kids are not from Alamance county anymore. Once you dumped the fighting Christians, kicked up the tuition, and started exclusively recruiting students from NOVA and the northeast, you lost all cred amongst the TRUE BBQ FAITHFUL. In fact, on a tour with my eldest, the guide (a young man from outside Boston) explained that the school would do fun events for the kids several times a semester. Included in his list of things was a "Bar-B-Que" on the lawn....WITH HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS...Really?

[FUBeAR]

While you are technically correct, I'm not sure Elon can be considered in this conversation. The location of the campus is only a part of the complete picture. You are not factoring in the student population or the league you participate in. Your kids are not from Alamance county anymore. Once you dumped the fighting Christians, kicked up the tuition, and started exclusively recruiting students from NOVA and the northeast, you lost all cred amongst the TRUE BBQ FAITHFUL. In fact, on a tour with my eldest, the guide (a young man from outside Boston) explained that the school would do fun events for the kids several times a semester. Included in his list of things was a "Bar-B-Que" on the lawn....WITH HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS...Really?Most likely those were all beef hot dogs … just sayin’

https://www.elon.edu/u/students/hillel/fast-facts/faqs/#:~:text=How%20large%20is%20the%20Jewish,our%20com munity%20grows%20every%20year.

#29 - between Yale & U. of Chicago (neither known for their outstanding nearby BBQ joints) https://www.hillel.org/2020-top-60-jewish-schools/

3x the % of NC’s population %. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just facts.

And we all know NC BBQ dang sure ain’t kosher.