Ingredients
- Gretchen’s Pulled Pork
- My recipe is to rub a pork butt or shoulder with whatever rub you want or no rub or a mixture of brown sugar and black pepper. The pork can be any size.
- Put it in a 250* oven for 8 hours. Pull the meat being sure to mix in the browned bits and fat.
- Moisten VERY VERY lightly with a mix of cider vinegar with a little brown sugar.
- Serve.
- BBQ sauce is added at the table by the folks eating.
- Carolina Pulled pork
- 1 pork shoulder or butt, bone in or out–any size–the cooking time is the same for a 3#or 8# piece.
- BBQ rub of your choice or just rub the meat with a mixture of coarse ground black pepper and brown sugar. Let marinate 8 hours or overnight.
- Method 1–IF you have a smoker that can control the temp (I have a sidebox smoker and can keep the temp at 200*-250*) smoke the meat for 4 hours, keeping the temp low. Then place the meat in a 250* ove
- Method 2 (and this is the one I have really used for 30 years). Place the meat in a 225-250* oven for 8 hours uncovered . I have often done them overnight. It will still have the melting tenderness. .
- When ready to serve pull chunks of meat off and then “pull” the meat into shreds by pulling between 2 forks. Do not discard the fat–mix it in. enjoy, use it!!! The pork can also be chopped.
- For a traditional Carolina serving method very lightly moisten the pulled meat with sweetened vinegar (1 qt. vinegar + 1/4C sugar and 2TBS coarse black pepper). It should be so little that you don’t e
- To warm before serving put the vinegared meat in a pan (black iron frying pan is good or Le Creuset) and cover tightly. Heat at 250* until heated.
Preparation
Step 1
To serve, offer bbq sauces, coleslaw (in the Carolinas, it goes ON the sandwich), baked beans, rolls, and banana pudding.
For BBQ sauce here is my tomato based (western NC style):
1 bottle ketchup (28 or 32 oz.)
1 ketchup bottle of cider vinegar
6 oz. yellow mustard
6 oz. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 oz. liquid smoke
2-3 TBS coarse black pepper
Tabasco to your taste
Simmer for 45 minutes.
If you use commercial bbq sauce I suggest diluting them 1/2 with vinegar for this use.
Eastern NC uses vinegar sauces–sweetened vinegar with 1/4C (at least!!) cayenne pepper OR black pepper. It is too hot for me!
South Carolina uses a mustard based sauce but don’t know the recipe. The one in T&T from Big Daddy is a good approximation of Maurice’s of Columbia, SC.
Note that for traditional pulled pork BBQ, it is served without sauce. Sauce is added at the table, if any is wanted.