Charlotte Happenings is your monthly guide to events and things to do in and around Charlotte, NC.
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vinegar with tomato orth Carolina has two barbecue camps. ey have more similarities than they care to admit, but the one that dominates the Piedmont and western regions is defined by the cooking of a pork shoulder and a sauce that involves vinegar with a touch of tomato and typically a pinch of brown sugar for a bit of sweetness. e town of Lexington, North Carolina, which falls in the Piedmont region of the state, is universally known as a barbecue stronghold, so you'll also oen hear western-style sauce referred to as Lexington-style. One example lies just to the west of the city in Shelby. Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, about an hour from Charlotte, has been in business for 70 years. Plates and trays of smoked pork shoulder are the staples here, served with barbecue coleslaw and a sauce made of vinegar and ketchup. "We call it Shelby-style," says Natalie Ramsey. She and her brother, Chase Webb, are the third generation of the family to run the business. eir grandparents developed the sauce recipe, and not much has changed since. "We're just a whole big family out here," Ramsey says. "We have customers that come in every single day, and we love them like family." Closer to Center City, just outside of Uptown on Wilkinson Boulevard, the Bar-B-Q King has been a staple since 1959. e drive-in restaurant is a nostalgic stop for regulars and a cultural history lesson for kids and teens. Smoked pork shoulders are topped with a vinegar and tomato sauce for plates, trays and sandwiches. e sauce is also a star of the restaurant's signature Bar-B-Q fried chicken, which involves breading chicken, frying it and submerging it in barbecue sauce. e unusual delicacy was a hit with Food Network star Guy Fieri, who visited the restaurant for an episode of "Diners, Drive- Ins and Dives." meat: pork shoulder charlottesgotalot.com 25