A Survey of Virginia Barbecue

A Virginia Barbecue, in a shady grove, near a cool spring, with good speakers, who are gentlemen, and a gathering of Virginia ladies and Virginia farmers, kindness, courtesy, and hospitality prevailing, tops all other political assemblages or mass meetings! There is nothing like it elsewhere! — Alexandria Gazette, June 30, 1860

Virginia’s regional barbecue sauces became famous first in the region of the state where restaurants or vendors first served them. Therefore, the Virginia barbecue map (below) depicts the regions of Virginia with restaurants and vendors who are famous for originating each particular regional sauce style—not necessarily just the regions where they can be found today. Moreover, all of the regional styles have roots in Virginia that go back to colonial times.

Today, you can find the various regional Virginia barbecue sauces just about anywhere in the state, fortunately. Therefore, in addition to calling them by their home region, Virginia barbecue sauces are often named from their color or consistency. For example, you can find Virginia red sauces, Virginia brown sauces and Virginia mahogany sauces.

The Shenandoah Valley and Mountain Regions

Representative Restaurants
1752 Barbecue/Woodstock Brewhouse
The Apple House
Triple Crown BBQ
Shaffer's Barbecue

Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and Mountain regions are home to delicious Virginia-style, vinegar-based barbecue sauces. The famous Shenandoah Valley barbecued chicken calls for a vinegar-based sauce that has a rich mixture of herbs. Some add tomato juice to it. A few others add a little red wine. The Mountain and Shenandoah Valley’s vinegar-based sauces may also include sweet spices and celery seed. However, I’m treading into top-secret territory, so I should move on to the next regional style.

The Southside and Tidewater Regions

Representative Restaurants
King's Famous Barbecue
K & L Barbecue

Virginia’s Southside and the Tidewater regions gave us their vinegar/tomato base sauces flavored with a hint of mustard. Of course, Virginians have used mustard in their barbecue sauces for hundreds of years. Unlike South Carolina, however, Virginians never used mustard as a base for barbecue sauce. Rather, they prefer to use it as a flavoring. For years, the owners of a barbecue restaurant in Hillsborough, North Carolina, served a Southside Virginia–style barbecue sauce. The restaurant owner won the secret recipe in a game of horseshoes played in Virginia.

Central Virginia and the Piedmont Region

Representative Restaurants
Barbeque Exchange
Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
Paulie's Pig Out

Central Virginia and Piedmont region sauces are reminiscent of the barbecue flavors found in Mary Randolph’s cookbook . Some are on the sweet side and may include a rich mixture of spices. Don’t be surprised if you find some with a good amount of sassafras or Worcestershire sauce in them, too. Another unique central Virginia barbecue sauce originally found in restaurants in the Chesterfield and Richmond areas is Virginia peanut barbecue sauce. It is a delicious tomato- and vinegar-based Virginia-style barbecue sauce with a hint of peanut butter, which pays homage to Virginia’s famous peanuts.

Northern Virginia

Representative Restaurants
Long Dog BBQ

Northern Virginia barbecue sauces are usually tomato based and often sweeter than the other Virginia varieties. They, too, are seasoned with sweet herbs and sweet spices and may include fruit in some form. Looking to try some? Taste O South has a line of Virginia barbecue sauces.

This article was adapted from Joe Haynes's 2016 book Virginia Barbecue: A History from The History Press.