Editing Lexington, North Carolina (section)

===Barbecue===
[[Image:Lexington Barbecue Festival - more pigs.jpg|thumb|[[Pigs in the City]] and the [[Lexington Barbecue Festival]] bring in tourists from all over the country.]]
{{Main|Lexington Barbecue Festival}}
Lexington calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World".<ref name=official>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com|publisher=Lexington Tourism Authority|access-date=August 14, 2022|title=Welcome to Lexington, NC}}</ref> Since 1984, the city has hosted the [[Lexington Barbecue Festival]], one of the largest street festivals in North Carolina. As of 2003, the city has over twenty barbecue restaurants, an average of more than one per thousand residents. In 2012, ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranked Lexington #4 on its list of the best cities for [[barbecue]].<ref name="usnews">{{cite magazine|url=http://travel.usnews.com/features/Americas_Best_BBQ_Cities/ |title=America's Best BBQ Cities |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |year=2012 |access-date=June 12, 2012 |author=Bratcher, Emily H. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606043828/http://travel.usnews.com/features/Americas_Best_BBQ_Cities/ |archive-date=June 6, 2012 }}</ref>

Lexington-style barbecue is made with [[pork shoulder]] cooked slowly over a [[hardwood]] fire, usually [[hickory]]. It is basted in a sauce (called "dip" locally) made with [[vinegar]], [[ketchup]], water, salt, pepper and other spices.<ref name=serious>{{cite web|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-north-carolina-barbecue-lexington-style-meat|publisher=Serious Eats|title=What's So Great About North Carolina Barbecue? An Exam of the Lexington Style|access-date=February 6, 2022|date=February 26, 2019|author=James Boo}}</ref>  The ingredients vary from restaurant to restaurant, with each restaurant's recipe being a closely guarded secret. While each is vinegar-based, the taste varies widely from tangy to slightly sweet or spicy.

The most distinguishing feature of the "Lexington Barbecue Sandwich" is the inclusion of [[red slaw]] (sometimes called "barbecue slaw"). Red slaw is a combination of cabbage, vinegar, ketchup and crushed/ground black pepper; it is distinguishable from [[coleslaw]] because it contains no mayonnaise. Many Lexingtonians (and visitors) consider red slaw a staple for a quality barbecue experience. Red slaw is commonly served as a side dish with barbecue, grilled poultry and other meats, and on [[hot dog]]s as a relish.