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West Tennessee barbecue is typically pork shoulder that’s been slow-cooked, typically over charcoal, with a tomato-based sauce. Sometimes that sauce is sweet; other times it’s tangy.

The West Tennessee–style sandwich is made with pulled pork topped with sauce and coleslaw. Pulled pork (pork cooked to a temperature that’s hot enough to allow the meat to literally be pulled apart in your hands) originated in West Tennessee. (Meat’s collagen breaks down at 192 degrees, and the absence of collagen makes it very tender.)

Cities in West Tennessee, including Lexington and Henderson, have a long tradition of whole-hog barbecue. To cook a hog Tennessee style, you need not one but two fire pits — one to burn the coals and one to cook the hog. You burn down live coals and then shovel the coals under the hog to smoke it.

The fire pit to make the coal can be a burn barrel or a separate chimney dedicated to burning down wood. A pit is usually crafted with a grated, elevated bottom so that the coals fall through. You put wood in the top, and the coals fall through the grated floor as the wood burns. You then scoop out the hot coals and shovel them under the hog.

The difference between a West Tennessee whole hog and Carolina hog is the fact that, in West Tennessee, portions of the hog are pulled off as they’re requested. You may want part of the ham or shoulder or, if you really know what you’re doing, you ask for some middlin’ meat or belly.

These two different styles of cooking a whole hog produce two different results but make equally delicious sandwiches.

In Memphis, which is about as far west as you can go in Tennessee, the sauce is tomato based, typically with added ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, and other spices to make it a tad bit sweet or give it a tangy bite. A Memphis barbecue sandwich has sauce and slaw and is typically middle of the road with a hint of savory.