Alton Brown Fears This Beloved Barbecue Tradition Is Fading Away

Not much beats the sizzle of a barbecue, and the various traditions mean there's no such thing as cookie-cutter grilling. Yet not all styles of regional BBQ in the United States are on stable footing. YES! Weekly conducted a revealing phone interview with none other than Alton Brown himself, and one of his answers, in particular, caught our attention. When questioned about the hot debate between North Carolina's Lexington versus Eastern-style barbecue, he refused to pick sides. However, he did have some sage words of caution. "Whole-hog cooking needs to be protected and passed down more fervently," he said. "The shoulder school is going great guns, but I fear whole-hog is starting to decline and there are a lot of reasons for that, like time and skill. I hope it can be preserved for future generations."

Barbecuing in this manner does result in considerable waste — you pay for everything (ribs and all), but the meat yield is fractional compared to that of basic cuts. It's no mean feat to cook different sections evenly for such a prolonged period, either. And that fuel bill quickly racks up. Still, those in the know hold a torch to the traditional allure of North Carolina's Eastern-style barbecue. As Brown says, it's a cultural culinary practice that needs protecting.

A rotating hog is pretty tricky to overlook. At first glance, the difference is obvious: Eastern barbecue techniques involve cooking an entire pig at once. This cuts a sharp contrast to the likes of Lexington-style barbecuing, which uses pork shoulder, or the Texan foodies' love affair with beef brisket. The Eastern approach to meat cut is maximalist — albeit with a slower cooking process. But it isn't just about the cut (or lack thereof) — flavoring is a key feature, too. What makes east and west North Carolina sauce so different is that Eastern-style barbecues rely on just vinegar and pepper, not tomato. These two ingredients are combined in a sauce and impart a tangy quality to the pork.

Could the traditional practice be undergoing a revival? You never know — cross-state relocations of whole hog masters could spark reuptake, and the sauce itself remains popular. In the meantime? Perhaps garner inspiration from different countries' attitudes toward "going the whole hog." According to Andrew Zimmern, the best barbecue is outside the U.S., and the surviving focus on cooking meat whole is why. Take Indonesia's babi guling — the spit-roasted pig is traditionally cooked intact for ceremonial festivities and is still offered as a signature dish. It might be time to book yourself a food-centered getaway.