ON THE TRAIL OF TRUE 'CUE

North Carolina has not one, but two distinct styles of barbecue. And while traditional pitmasters are united in their passion for cooking over wood, the sauce is a matter of hot debate

- TOM BURSON

"THIS IS SOUTHERN LIVIN'," says Melvin Simmons, sprawling out in a booth at his restaurant in Durham, North Carolina. He's helmed Backyard BBQ Pit for over 16 years, serving up barbecue sandwiches, ribs, oxtails, smoked chicken, ranging in quantity from a single serving to a few pounds to take home - because in North Carolina the question isn't just what you want to eat, but how much.

It's a little after noon, and hungry customers are already queueing out the door. This restaurant is legendary, and Melvin is one of the state's few remaining pitmasters serving up old-school, wood cooked barbecue. In the US, barbecue varieties are what fine wines, beers, and cheeses are to Europe. Each region has its own style: in Texas, they love their brisket; ribs in Memphis; in Kansas City it's thick, syrupy sauces. North Carolina, meanwhile, is hog country, where 'barbecue' specifically refers to chopped pork. In the eastern half of the state, it's all about whole hog chopped and mixed with a vinegar-based chilli sauce, while to the west, Lexington-style is pork shoulder, chopped with a vinegar- and ketchup-based sauce. Durham, where we are, straddles the line separating the two barbecue rivals.