7 Pig-Pickin’ Rules North Carolinians Expect Everyone to Know

An invitation to a pig pickin’ doesn’t come with instructions.

North Carolinians know how it all works, and newcomers can feel a step behind.

Here’s the local know-how that’ll help you fit right in at your first pig pickin’.

1. Whole Hog

NCpedia’s 2006 barbecue entry ties the modern pig pickin’ to Coastal Plain barbecue, a split hog.

The North Carolina Folklife Institute wrote in 2016 that Newport cooks pigs whole hog, and that shoulders, butts or ribs alone are considered incomplete.

That makes a whole hog what you can expect at a Newport pig cookin’.

2. Wood Fire, Low and Slow

For eastern North Carolina, Our State describes a pig pickin’ as whole hogs, slow-cooked over wood fires lit at 0-dark-30.

At the 2016 Newport cookoff, most teams cooked with propane gas, the Folklife Institute reported.

Smokey Colwell was one of the few still using wood and charcoal.

His team stayed up all night.

The preferred temperature was around 180 degrees.

If you’re hosting, INDY Week‘s 2006 guide to throwing a pig pickin’ says roasting a pig yourself isn’t meant to be convenient.

So go for a charcoal cooker over propane.

3. Chopped, Sometimes With Skin

NCpedia says Coastal Plain barbecue, the style behind the pig pickin’, is boned, chopped or shredded and seasoned further with the basting sauce.

In some areas, bits of skin are considered integral to the finished product.

So bits of skin on your plate may be part of the recipe.

In 2006, INDY Week reported that Dave Sparrow of Pig in the Pen, a Pittsboro caterer, chopped the meat fine or coarse, however the customer preferred.

4. Vinegar-Pepper Sauce

For most pig pickin’ devotees, NCpedia said in 2006, a whole hog sopped with locally made vinegar-pepper formulas remains the recipe of choice.

The basting mixture on Coastal Plain barbecue is cider vinegar, red pepper and salt.

For eastern North Carolina, Our State says the meat ends up self-served and splashed with barbecue sauce, so you do the serving.

5. Slaw on the Bun

INDY Week‘s 2006 guide to throwing a pig pickin’ says to put slaw on the bun.

Baked corn sticks, fried hush puppies, Brunswick stew and white or yellow coleslaw, often added to barbecue sandwiches, are common side dishes.

Carolina Country wrote in 2018 that white bread or rolls are standard at a pig pickin’ because they help with grease absorption.

So if a bin of slaw is sitting on the table, you know where it goes.

6. Sweet Tea

At a pig pickin’, sweet tea (and unsweet) must be invited to the party, Carolina Country wrote in 2018.

So a host should have both.

Iced-down Cheerwine, in quantity, is also a recommended treat.

Dave Sparrow’s 2006 catering package, INDY Week reported, included sweet tea alongside the buns, slaw, baked beans, potato salad and hush puppies.

7. Bring a Side

A smaller pig pickin’ can turn into a potluck, Carolina Country says, with the host asking guests to bring their special slaw, tater salad or baked beans.

If your host calls it a potluck, you’re probably bringing the slaw.

Banana pudding and pig pickin’ cake are typical desserts.

In North Carolina, hardly a hog roast happens without the cake, Coastal Review reported in 2017.

Host Advice on Clean-Up

Carolina Country‘s 2018 hosting guide tells hosts to line up friends who offer to pitch in with post-pick’n clean-up.

Reward those helpers with leftover pig.

So if you’re the guest who asks “can I help with anything,” you may leave with leftovers.

Politics and Proclamations

Scott signed the pig pickin’ proclamation on Oct. 9, 1972, according to the state Department of Agriculture’s blog.

In it, he proclaimed North Carolina the Pig Pickin’ Capital of the World.

Our State reports that Scott tied pig pickin’ to good eating and Southern hospitality at the signing.

The blog says pig pickin’s have served as gatherings, from FFA fundraisers to church fellowship, for generations.

Our State calls a pickin’ an essential part of any church fundraiser and a must-attend event for any politician on the campaign trail.

So your invitation could come from a church, an FFA group or a candidate.

Newport Cookoff Plates

At Newport’s pig cookin’ contest, the Folklife Institute wrote in 2016, the judged meat is taken to a pavilion where it is chopped and sold in plates and sandwiches.

The plates often support local charities, which received more than $100,000 each year from cookoffs in the Whole Hog Barbecue Series.

So the plate you buy may help a local charity.

The Western Exception

Away from the Coastal Plain, where NCpedia places the modern pig pickin', Lexington, home to a popular barbecue festival, is the inspirational center of western-style barbecue, the entry says.

Western-style barbecue favors chopped or sliced pork shoulders or butts with a thin, tomato-based sauce.