North Carolina BBQ Rub

North Carolina BBQ Rub North Carolina is one of the oldest and main barbecue centers of this country.  Jim Early of the North Carolina BBQ Society, calls North Carolina the “Cradle of Cue”!  It started in the 1500’s when the Spanish introduced pigs into the Native Americans and the Southeast part of the country. As with any regional cuisine there are numerous variations (and disputes) as to what is true authentic North Carolina barbecue.  North Carolina barbecue is pork, period, although you can get chicken at most barbecue joints or shacks, as they are affectionately called.  The variations are that the East Carolina barbecue whole hog and the center, also known as Lexington, and the west, use pork shoulder or pork butt, aka Boston butt.  The sauce or “dip” as it is known, was originally made with vinegar (mostly cider), salt, red and black pepper.  In the late 1880’s, when commercially produced ketchup became available, the German immigrants in the Lexington area added ketchup to swe