This weekend was all about North Carolina bbq, where vinegar and peppers meet butter and spices.  Big hat tip to the Wilkes County Fire Department, whose chickenque fundraisers have inspired thousands to get in the kitchen and try to emulate the amazing secret marinade.

Our NYC take on this NC tradition started with beautiful chicken from John and his crew at International Meat Market in a 6 hour brine.

Then it was onto the grill and basted every 15 minutes with our version of the secret sauce.  See that stick of butter in the pan?  That’s a big part of the magic.

More later on our Carolina vinegar bbq sauce.