Pulled Pork Sandwich

By minicoopercraig

Traditional North Carolina pulled pork is dressed with nothing more than a bit of spicy cider vinegar, used to accentuate the meat's flavor, not mask it. Unfortunately, when restaurants interpret this dish for a national audience, they use the same cheap trick unleashed on barbecued beef and racks of ribs: a bucket of sickeningly sweet sauce made from a slurry of sugar, corn syrup and other insulin-spiking ingredients. The result: A single sandwich with as many calories as three Big Macs! This one gets back to the humble hog treatment and turns out a sandwich flush with flavor and light on calories.

Ingredients

• 1 boneless pork shoulder/pork butt (4-5 lb)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 Tbsp liquid smoke
• Hamburger buns (preferably Martin's Potato Rolls)
• Coleslaw (search recipes)

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Cut the pork into 2 or 3 large pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan and when hot, sear the pieces of pork until thoroughly browned on the outside. Remove the pork and place in a slow cooker.
Add the vinegar to the hot pan to deglaze, scraping any bits of browned meat stuck to the bottom. Pour the vinegar over the pork, then add the broth and liquid smoke. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours, until the pork falls apart with gentle pressure. Remove the pork from the liquid and shred. Toss with a bit more vinegar and serve on top of warm buns with coleslaw.