Tailgating Tradition Centers on Barbecue | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post, Doug Boyd, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

    It's hot.

    It's saucy.

    And come September, it's a match made in heaven - hog heaven, that is.

    ECU and BBQ.

    "Any game that's three or later, we're going to have a pig on the grill," said Mark Alexander of Greenville, a 2004 East Carolina University graduate and part of the "Pirates of Elmhurst" tailgating group. "For us, it's a family thing. We have our kids come out here. It's a great social environment."

    They don't always do a whole pig; sometimes, it's Boston butts. But it's always something good.

    "Cook with care," said fellow tailgater and 1990 ECU graduate Scott Snead of Greenville. "You have to constantly monitor your temperature, and we have a sauce people love."


Zach Daugherty, who earned his accounting degree in 2012 and his MBA in 2015 from ECU, cooks shrimp wrapped in bacon with honey chipotle barbecue sauce -- his opening day tradition – during the Sept. 2 pre-game tailgate at ECU. (Photos by Rhett Butler)
    Unfortunately, the components of the sauce remain a secret. But the prime cooking method is well-known.

    "Low and slow," said Pete Balent of Winterville, a 1999 graduate and member of the "Pork-N-Pirates" tailgating crew. He's missed only one home game since 1994: the 1999 "Hurricane Floyd game" against Miami that was played in Raleigh. About 10-12 hours on the grill is what his group aims for.

    Even though she lives in Georgia now, ECU alumna Mary Lindsey is secretary of the N.C. Barbecue Society, an organization founded by her father, Jim Early. Its mission is "to preserve North Carolina's barbecue history and culture and to secure North Carolina's rightful place as the Barbecue Capital of the World."

    "I don't get back nearly as much as I would like, but when I am able to attend an ECU game, barbecue HAS to be part of the tailgating experience because Greenville has some of the best around, and you definitely can't get that kind of barbecue in Georgia," Lindsey said.


The self-named Pirates of Elmhurst pose for a photo before the Sept. 2 Pirate home-opener against James Madison University.
    Diana Saum, a dietitian and teaching instructor in the ECU nutrition science department, said barbecue can be a healthy way to tailgate.

    "The number one thing I would have to say ... is it's healthier if you make it yourself and don't have to buy it," Saum said. "It's going to be lower in salt. You can control things if you make it yourself."

    She also said the vinegar-based eastern North Carolina sauce has less sugar than red sauces and less salt than mustard-based sauces.

    And she suggests sides of vegetable trays and fruits to help fill up.

    Watch portion sizes, and drink plenty of water. "Drinking your calories ... is something you really have to be careful about," Saum said.

    But most of all make it fun.

    "Our tailgate's a 10," Snead said.