North Carolina Style BBQ?

I was at a dinner party the other night and at My Brides an my table there was a pair of gents. Hearing they were from Oak Park also and interesting in good food our conversation revolved around the good area places (some of which they had not been to) and my introduction of LTH.

One of the gents waxed fondly of his love for true North Carolina BBQ and how much he missed it. He mentioned that it was more than the sauce but extended to how the BBQ was actually prepared. To tell the truth I drew a blank.

I have perused the latest threads...

Lillie's Q Urban Barbecue
Fat Willy's?
Q BBQ

... and there is a fair amount of talk about the sauce but not much about the process. Is there really a difference?

I would like to be able to bring to him what his heart desires. Any suggestions?

Sounds like he's talking about eastern North Carolina bbq, and yes there is a big difference. In eastern North Carolina, it is definitely more than the sauce since they traditionally cook the whole pig, not just the shoulder. Most of the western NC places (and including most of the places in Lexington IIRC) cook only the shoulder. And in eastern NC, they typically cook the whole pig over pits of hardwood charcoal. This post by PIGMON is a great read on the subject.

The remaining Dixie Kitchen locations make a great NC pulled pork sandwich.