A unique eastern North Carolina recipe for stewed potatoes boiled with salt, spices and hot sauce perfect to serve with barbeque or any homecooked meal.
JUMP TO RECIPEThe minute I saw these potatoes on the menu at Parker's Barbeque in Wilson, NC I knew I wanted some! The potatoes are soft, perfectly seasoned and have a little nip of something that makes you think of that famous NC pepper vinegar BBQ sauce.
A hunt online for the recipe lead me down a rabbit hole of social media discussions and a couple recipes that made reference to other barbeque restaurants in Eastern NC that serve BBQ Boiled Potatoes.
Being from South Carolina, I'd never heard of these, so I crafted this recipe based on what I read and what my taste buds told me!
KEY INGREDIENTS
As with any regional recipe, there are a LOT of opinions floating around about how to make BBQ Boiled Potatoes. The only ingredients everyone agrees about are below (folks start to disagree on fat and flavor after these):
- Potatoes
- Salt
- Hot Sauce
- Paprika
BUTTER, LARD OR BACON GREASE?
There are a lot of opinions on what type of fat to use in BBQ Boiled Potatoes: butter, lard or bacon grease. I think the differences come from which restaurant's recipe you're after (or maybe how your granny made it). Since I'm down for all three, I went with bacon grease in my recipe because I always have some on-hand and I love the flavor. Feel free to use whichever you like best!
KETCHUP, BARBEQUE SAUCE OR NEITHER?
I feel like the potatoes I tasted had a tee-niny hint of sweetness. Most conversations I read said to use ketchup. But that flavor could have come from good quality sweet paprika. Or a little red (tomato based) barbeque sauce.
I wrote my recipe to use red (tomato based) barbeque sauce even though I doubt it's authentic. WAIT, y'all, hear me out! I doubt it's authentic to the recipe because you're not going to find red barbeque sauce in any BBQ joint in Eastern NC. But I did it for a reason. Three reasons, actually.
1) It will provide that hint of sweetness, 2) it will give the potatoes good color and 3) most of our pantries have paprika that doesn't taste like anything. When it's fresh and of good quality, paprika is sweet with smoky flavor but most people's paprika is stale and doesn't taste like anything. So, by using the red barbeque sauce, I know you're going to get the sweet and the smoky.
A FEW RECIPE NOTES
- I used new potatoes (smaller, red-skinned potatoes) but any waxier potatoes can be used (Yukon gold or any yellow potatoes).
- I cut my potatoes in half because they were small but if using large red potatoes, you'll want to cut them into thick slices.
- If using waxy potatoes (reds or yellow potatoes) you don't need to peel them but you certainly can!
- I wouldn't say this is spicy but there is a mild kick.
- You can use less hot sauce if you're concerned about spiciness but consider adding a splash of vinegar to make up for the twang from the hot sauce if you do.
- I only ever use Texas Pete hot sauce (which, ironically, is made in NC). You could use Frank's or any neutral hot sauce.
- Ketchup can be used instead of red (tomato based) barbeque sauce BUT you'll only want to use about 1/4 cup.
- Lard or butter can be substituted for the bacon grease.
- You can use smoked paprika or sweet (Hungarian) paprika.
- I imagine you could omit both the hot sauce and barbeque sauce and use NC-style pepper vinegar barbeque sauce instead.
On a personal note... We were in Wilson, NC because my last baby, my boy, is at Barton College playing baseball for the bulldogs. If any of you sees the handsomest, sweetest, pitcher in the whole wide world, tell him his mama loves him. And maybe give him a hug. And tell him to shave. And remind him to wash his sheets.
Recipe for BBQ Boiled Potatoes
BBQ Boiled Potatoes
A unique eastern North Carolina recipe for stewed potatoes boiled with salt, spices and hot sauce perfect to serve with barbeque or any homecooked meal.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs red potatoes
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce or ketchup
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1/4 cup bacon grease
- 1.5 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder (optional)
Instructions
- Cut potatoes in half (or cut into thick slices if using larger potatoes) then add to a medium-large pot.
- Add water and remaining ingredients then bring to a boil.
- Boil, uncovered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Taste potatoes about 15 minutes into cooking then add more salt or other spices if desired.
- Remove from heat then let rest at least 10 minutes before serving. The longer they soak, the better they taste!
Notes
- I used new red potatoes but any waxy potatoes can be used (Yukon gold or any yellow potatoes).
- If using waxy potatoes (reds or yellow potatoes) you don't need to peel them but you certainly can!
- I wouldn't say this is spicy but there is a mild kick.
- You can use less hot sauce if you're concerned about spiciness but consider adding a splash of vinegar to make up for the twang from the hot sauce if you do.
- I only ever use Texas Pete hot sauce (which, ironically, is made in NC). You could use Frank's or any neutral hot sauce.
- Ketchup can be used instead of red (tomato based) barbeque sauce BUT you'll only want to use about 1/4 cup.
- Lard or butter can be substituted for the bacon grease.
- You can use smoked paprika or sweet (Hungarian) paprika.
- I imagine you could omit both the hot sauce and barbeque sauce and use NC-style pepper vinegar barbeque sauce instead.
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