Sampling sauce is like taking a mini tour of the South. North Carolina is famous for its vinegar-based varieties, while South Carolina's is mustard-tart and sugar-sweet. Texas serves up a thick, sweet sauce with brisket, and in North Alabama, a mayonnaise-based sauce is synonymous with barbecue chicken. Thin sauces are for basting whole and half hogs during the smoking process. Thicker, more sugary (or mayonnaise-based) sauces are for brushing on at the end of cooking, chopping into the meat, or pouring on a sandwich. The sauces here can all be made ahead and refrigerated up to one week. If you've got a special sauce in your repertoire, we'd love to hear from you.

Is Your Favorite Here? Did we miss a good one? Please send it to us. We'll gleefully try it, and perhaps you'll see it in a future issue. Contact Barbecue Sauce Editor, Southern Living, P.O. Box 523, Birmingham, AL 35201, or e-mail me at susan_dosier@timeinc.com.

Executive Editor Susan Dosier confesses to midnight cravings for North Carolina's Lexington-style barbecue, barbecue slaw, hush puppies, and sweet tea. For dessert, she wants her mama's pound cake.

To Rub Or Not To Rub If you're from Memphis, you're likely a fan of dry rubs already. Our "Ribs" story on page 68 of Southern Living discusses how cooks can season ribs with spice blends that add both depth and heat to the flavor of the meat. Rubs aren't just for ribs, however. In our Test Kitchens, we've discovered rubs that successfully work for briskets, pork chops, grilled chicken, and more. The dry rub forms something of a crust that seals in the juices during cooking. You can still team a sauce with a rub, and lots of good cooks do both.