Wine & North Carolina Barbecue

Admittedly I have left the most challenging style, wine wise, for the final missive, on American Barbecue styles, that being North Carolina.  This style of barbecue is set apart form other styles for a couple of distinct reasons.

• North Carolina Barbecue is all about pork, predominantly either pork shoulder or whole hog served chopped or "pulled".
• the sauce is vinegar based and can range from mild to very spicy.

North Carolina barbecue actually has a sub set known as West North Carolina, wherein a little ketchup is added to the traditional vinegar-based sauce.

The biggest challenge here is the sauce; vinegar is essentially a wine, beer or hard-cider in which the alcohol has been converted by bacteria to acetic acid.  In a sense we are trying to pair wine and or beer with soured wine or beer!

We will leave beer to other bloggers. The challenge here is wine and vinegar.  Overall, the best wine to pair with North Carolina barbecue will be one that has retained a good portion of its natural acidity.  Two predominant  factors determine the acidity of a wine:

• its growth climate 
• when the grapes are harvested.

With climate, the cooler the better. As a grape ripens on the vine it develops more sugars, while at the same time, the acidity diminishes. The cooler the climate, where the grapes are grown, the higher the level of natural acidity that will remain in the wine.  With time of harvest, the sooner the better. Again, if the grapes are allowed extended hang time on the vine, the acidity will naturally decrease, as additional sugars are produced.

Golden Grape Estates Australian Blend

This next bit of news may be hard to swallow, but overall the 'fruit forward' expression, favored by most New World wine producers, requires an extended 'hang time' to accomplish. Essentially, what the winemaker is doing is picking 'late harvested' grapes, but rather than produce a dessert style of wine, they ferment the wine to dryness.  This is why so many wines from North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa tend to have a higher alcohol content than wines produced in a more traditional European style.

When looking for red wines to pair with North Carolina barbecue, start in Italy.  Not only do the Italian wine makers prefer to harvest their wines at peak ripeness, as opposed to over-ripeness, but some of the native grapes of Italy also tend to have higher levels of natural acidity to start with. Red grape wines to look for are Chianti, made predominantly from the Sangiovese grape, Barolo and Barbaresco made from the Nebiolo grape.

In addition, wine with the name Barbera on the label, which is the name of the grape used to make the wine, will give you the acidic balance you will want. Outside of Italy your next best bet will be France, particularly Bordeaux, Burgundy and the northern Rhone Valley. Wines from these areas are grown in cooler climates and harvested ripe, with more acidity, to improve their ability to cellar for extended periods of time.

And now for something completely different: as pork has been touted in the media as "the other white meat", there is plenty of justification to pour a white wine with your chopped pork plate. In addition white grapes, as a rule, have a higher level of natural acidity. This also opens up the opportunity to purchase wines from the New World that you may be more familiar with. At the top of the list would be Sauvignon Blanc, a wine with a great crisp acidic character. Also Pinot Grigio, also known as Pinot Gris in the New World.

If you can find an Italian wine made from the Cortese grape, you won't be disappointed.  Last but certainly not least, the Riesling grape has the highest level of natural acidity, that I am aware of. Here you have two options:

• the traditionally semi-sweet German style easily found in most areas - this would be my first choice if the accompanying sauce offers a little 'heat' in its profile.  
• Second is a dry Riesling -  although not as easy to find these wines are a real eye-opener to those who have never tasted one.  Australia has a long tradition of making this style of Riesling and they are quite skilled at it. You may also find some dry Riesling wine from Washington state and possibly the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Well if you have read this far I want to thank you for your time. As always, look for recipes and barbecue tips at The Smokin' BBQ Pit where my buddy Bubba Q really knows his stuff.

If you have specific questions for me just email me at Pat 'the wine guy".

Remember: the difference between eating and dining is a glass of wine. Enjoy one today.

Wine and Barbecue - Memphis Style

Memphis is our next stop on the wine and barbecue journey.

There are three features of  Memphis barbecue that define its 'style'.  The dominant protein is Pork; either ribs, or pork butt that is served 'pulled'.  Dry rubs are used to prepare the meat for the smoker. Often this is the only preparation used and the pork is served 'dry'.

Memphis Sauce, which is either served along side the meat or applied after the meat is off the heat, is a thinner type of sauce that has vinegar as a primary ingredient.

The 'spice' in Memphis rubs and sauces is not a hot spice, such as that found in Texas Style barbecue, so wines with a distinct oak signature are certainly to be considered. As pork is not as fatty as beef I tend to go for Malbec, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Sangiovese and Tempranillo as opposed to the bigger Cabernet, Syrah and Zinfandel varieties.

Lirico Malbec

If the meat is to be served and eaten dry, there will be a wider spectrum of wines that will enhance the meal. The challenge comes when you choose to add the Memphis sauce.

When the sauce is brought into play, the pairing gets more complicated. The vinegar essence brings a need for a wine with a good level of acidity; these will be  wines grown in cooler climates which helps retain the natural acidity. With reds in mind again a nice Malbec brings a good amount of acidity to the table as well as a Pinot Noir. Now, for a change of pace,often times a nice acidic Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling from Australia will enhance the pork ribs better than any red, most definitely with the pulled pork served with a generous ladle of sauce.

Most importantly, always remember to trust your own palate as it will never lie to you. If you like the wine and food combination then it is a good one for you, although others may feel differently, they must also trust their palate.

For more tips on preparation and recipes, visit my buddy, Bubba Q at The Smokin' BBQ Pit, and if you have questions about wine you can reach me at the number on the right, or email at Pat The Wine Guy.

Always remember,  "the difference between eating and dining is a glass of wine. Enjoy one today."

Barbecue and Wine, Texas Style Barbecue

Next in our series, we're heading south, to Texas, where we find some variation from the Kansas City style.

• First, the meat is usually smoked over mesquite wood rather than hickory. This is merely due to the local availability of each wood.  The mesquite adds a bit of a spice note to the meat not found in hickory.
• Second, the meat is smoked 'naked' meaning no sauce preparation is applied during the cooking process. The sauce is either served along side the meat, or ladled on just before serving.
• Third, the sauce itself is a tomato based sauce, similar to Kansas City sauce, but it tends to be less sweet and much spicier.    

 One thing I have learned over time is that hot spicy food preparations and oak aged wines are not very compatible.  So my first recommendation is to avoid oak aged wines.

Since beef is the main protein featured in Texas barbecue, and everything is bigger in Texas, I recommend big reds that are made to accentuate their fruit character.  Some Italian reds would fit this profile such as a Barbera D'Asti, but my tendency would be to focus on the 'fruit forward' styles of red wines predominantly made in the western and southern hemispheres. 

For brisket, a nice Zinfandel is a good match, or a California Central Coast blend, many which feature four to five different wines. For the ribs I am thinking a Petite Sirah or a substantial Shiraz from Australia. Also look for Chilean Carmenere in an unoaked style.  You need the substantial body to pair with the big flavors of the beef ribs.

The other predominant meat is a large smoked sausage, the character of which can vary greatly. Suffice it to say it will be spicy. Just how spicy only a taste will tell, so this is often a difficult pairing.  For this category I would recommend something with a hint of sweetness. The residual sugar in the wine will cool the fire of the spice in the sausage and the sauce itself. The challenge is to find a red wine with that profile.  If you have a well rounded wine shop in your area, you could ask for a late-harvest style of Cabernet.

I get some of these from South Africa, Australia and Chile; however the true masters of full body reds with a nice fruity finish are the Eastern Europeans, specifically the Romanians and the Hungarians.

Full bodied Hungarian Merlot

 The wines they make are well balanced, full of body and certainly on the sweet side but they are not widely distributed unless you are doing business with a specialty broker such as myself (wink wink)! They will cool the fire, but yet have the body and character to pair with the meat.

One other rather out of the box recommendation would be a German Late Harvest Spatlese, since one of the components in most Texas sausage is some pork and the heat is ever present. This type of wine would be a pleasant accompaniment particularly on a deck in the middle of summer.

The most important thing is to trust your own palate, as it will never lead you astray. For hints and tips on how to make Texas style barbecue visit my buddy, Bubba Q, over at  The Smokin' BBQ Pit.

My next stop on this virtual tour of barbecue and wine will be in Memphis, and if Elvis likes it you know it has to be good!

I welcome your questions and comments. Operators are standing by, so drop me a note at Pat The Wine Guy, or give me a call at the number on the right.