Add some serious zip to your barbecue with this ketchup and vinegar based Lexington Dip recipe.
Inland from the coast in North and South Carolina, in the west part of the Carolinas, the area called Piedmont or Hill Country or the Foothills, they call BBQ sauce “dip” and they apply it to pork shoulder most of the time. Small amounts of ketchup and sugar are added to the simple vinegary Low Country Mop-Sauce. The result is a Lexington dip that’s still thin and penetrating, never thick like Kansas City Sauce.
The science behind our Lexington Dip recipe
The debate over whether ketchup belongs in barbecue sauce has caused many a shouting match and even stirred a raucous debate in the North Carolina legislature. Some recipes omit the sugar, but I think it rounds out the flavor. Distilled vinegar is essential and the norm, but using apple juice is also a veer from the standard. I, however, stole the idea from my favorite North Carolina sauce, George’s, made in Nashville, NC. It really adds depth. Since Lexington dip is mostly vinegar, it keeps a long time in the fridge.
Recipe Overview: Lexington Dip Success Formula
- Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl with a lid.
- Refrigerate the sauce for at 3 hours but up to a week.
- Divide the sauce into two containers. Use one for basting.
- Baste your favorite meat such as a smoked pork shoulder.
- Serve the rest of the sauce in a cruet alongside the meat.
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Ingredients and substitutions for Lexington dip
- Distilled vinegar is the first choice for pickling, some dressings, and many sauces. It is not vinegar that has been distilled. Rather, it is vinegar made from clear distilled spirits, like vodka. I’ve seen both distilled and cider vinegar used in NC. I usually prefer cider vinegar in most of my sauce recipes because it has more flavor, but in this recipe I prefer distilled. Try both on meat and see which you prefer. Lemme know.
- Ketchup plays a role in a lot of barbecue sauces despite the fact that it’s hotly debated in many circles. It’s needed here. Don’t like it or think it’s too sweet? Make my homemade ketchup.
- Apple juice brings some sweetness to balance out the savory notes and the heat and adds depth.
- Hot sauce of course adds some heat, which you want a little of. If you want something that isn’t gonna make you cry, use my Controlled Burn Hot Sauce,
- Light brown sugar isn’t quite as sweet as dark brown, but either works here. It’s got some complexity and molasses that granulated sugar doesn’t.
- Morton coarse kosher salt is my default salt. If you want to swap out table salt, read up on salt science first. Kosher salt has half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much.
Lexington dip, step by step
- In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients.
- Transfer them to a lidded container and let them sit for at least 3 hours or up to a week in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld.
- Divide the sauce into two portions and baste your pork with one half, using a basting brush.
- Serve the rest of the mop in a cruet, tableside, to use with the meat.
Lexington dip FAQs
East Carolina BBQ uses the whole hog, and the sauce is a mop that’s thin, sharp and doesn’t typically use tomatoes. It usually has apple cider or white vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Lexington BBQ favors pork shoulder with a vinegar, hot sauce, and ketchup or tomato paste.
A quick and easy bbq sauce with just three ingredients includes 1 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup honey or brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
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Our Lexington Dip BBQ Sauce Recipe
Lexington Dip BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Whisk together all the ingredients and let them sit for at least three hours in the fridge in a lidded container to allow the flavors to meld. Overnight is better. A week is best.
- Use. Divide the sauce in two. Use one for basting. The locals mop it on the meat with a basting brush once every hour while cooking. If you do mop, a good silicon brush is best. It holds lots of fluid and is easy to clean. A lot of places still use string mops, but I think these are too hard to clean and potential sources of food poisoning.
- Take the remaining mop and serve it in a cruet on the side so your guests can drizzle on more if they wish.
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