A couple weekends ago, Gil decided to break in the Smoky Mountain Weber smoker that EE, Dan & I got him for his birthday. First experiment was to smoke a pork shoulder to make a North Carolina style pulled pork for sandwiches served with cole slaw. There's East & West North Carolina barbecue sauces, both of which are vinegary, but my version tends towards the Western style which has more tomato in it.
After perusing a number of recipes, I eventually came up with my own spice blend which is now tried and true. The key to doing this pork justice is to smoke it low and slow around 225F - 250F for at least 8-10 hours or until you reach an internal temperature of 160F. Then, put the pork in an aluminum drip pan, spritz generously with apple cider, cover with foil, place back in the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 195F. Total cooking time should be 10-12 hours, so if you don't want to stay up all night tending the fire, then start early in the morning.
We used a mop sauce to mop the meat the first time around, but next time we're going to just spritz the pork with apple cider from a squirt bottle because mopping just seems to mop away the nice crust/bark that forms on the outside. Also, we'll inject the meat with a marinade to render it super flavorful and moist.
Ingredients:
6-7 lbs. bone-in pork shoulder (aka, pork butt, but it's really the shoulder)
Spice Rub:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. pepper
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
W. North Carolina Style Barbecue Sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. Crystal Hot Sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
Cole Slaw:
1 head of cabbage, cored & finely chopped
1/4 cup of the Carolina BBQ sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 cup minced red or yellow onion
2 scallions, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Hamburger buns (or whatever type of bread you like to use for the sandwich)
1. Combine the spice rub mixture in a bowl, then pat generously over all sides of the pork. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
2. Combine all the BBQ sauce ingredients in a nonreactive (glass is good) bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Cover & set aside (or refrigerate if not using right away).
3. Make the cole slaw: combine all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Remove the pork from the frig and let sit at room temp for 30-45 minutes. Prep your smoker or grill for indirect grilling. Add some pre-soaked wood chips (e.g., mesquite) for extra flavor.
5. Place the pork on the grill, cover, and cook 8-10 hours at 225-250F. Add 12 fresh charcoal coals and 1/2 cup soaked wood chips every hour and spritz the pork with apple cider.
6. When the internal temperature reaches 160F, remove the pork to an aluminum pan, spritz with apple cider, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and return to the smoker/grill. Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the pork reaches about 195F. Remove from heat & let rest for 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove the pork to a large bowl and shred apart with two forks or by hand (wear gloves to do this).
8. To make the sandwiches: Slice the hamburger buns or whatever other bread rolls you prefer in half. Top each with a generous helping of the pulled pork, the cole slaw, then drizzle some of the BBQ sauce on top.
After perusing a number of recipes, I eventually came up with my own spice blend which is now tried and true. The key to doing this pork justice is to smoke it low and slow around 225F - 250F for at least 8-10 hours or until you reach an internal temperature of 160F. Then, put the pork in an aluminum drip pan, spritz generously with apple cider, cover with foil, place back in the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 195F. Total cooking time should be 10-12 hours, so if you don't want to stay up all night tending the fire, then start early in the morning.
We used a mop sauce to mop the meat the first time around, but next time we're going to just spritz the pork with apple cider from a squirt bottle because mopping just seems to mop away the nice crust/bark that forms on the outside. Also, we'll inject the meat with a marinade to render it super flavorful and moist.
Ingredients:
6-7 lbs. bone-in pork shoulder (aka, pork butt, but it's really the shoulder)
Spice Rub:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. pepper
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
W. North Carolina Style Barbecue Sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. Crystal Hot Sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
Cole Slaw:
1 head of cabbage, cored & finely chopped
1/4 cup of the Carolina BBQ sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 cup minced red or yellow onion
2 scallions, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Hamburger buns (or whatever type of bread you like to use for the sandwich)
1. Combine the spice rub mixture in a bowl, then pat generously over all sides of the pork. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
2. Combine all the BBQ sauce ingredients in a nonreactive (glass is good) bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Cover & set aside (or refrigerate if not using right away).
3. Make the cole slaw: combine all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Remove the pork from the frig and let sit at room temp for 30-45 minutes. Prep your smoker or grill for indirect grilling. Add some pre-soaked wood chips (e.g., mesquite) for extra flavor.
5. Place the pork on the grill, cover, and cook 8-10 hours at 225-250F. Add 12 fresh charcoal coals and 1/2 cup soaked wood chips every hour and spritz the pork with apple cider.
6. When the internal temperature reaches 160F, remove the pork to an aluminum pan, spritz with apple cider, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and return to the smoker/grill. Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the pork reaches about 195F. Remove from heat & let rest for 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove the pork to a large bowl and shred apart with two forks or by hand (wear gloves to do this).
8. To make the sandwiches: Slice the hamburger buns or whatever other bread rolls you prefer in half. Top each with a generous helping of the pulled pork, the cole slaw, then drizzle some of the BBQ sauce on top.
Spice rub for the pork.
Spice blend for the pork: celery seed, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground cumin, chile powder, ground coriander, cayenne, mustard.
Soak the wood chips 20-30 minutes before using.
Prepping the smoker with charcoal. When smoking, do not use Matchlight or any charcoal that has been presoaked with lighter fluid or else that's the flavor that you'll taste in your meat.
Ingredients for the Cole Slaw: Dijon mustard, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, honey.
Carolina BBQ sauce.
For the cole slaw: core and chop one head of cabbage.
Shredded carrot, minced scallions & onion for the cole slaw.
Combine all the veggies (cabbage, onion, scallions, carrots, jalapeño) for the cole slaw in a bowl, then toss with BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, mayonnaise, and celery seed.
We mopped the pork on our first try, but decided to spritz the pork every hour on the hour with apple cider thereafter to keep the outer crust from falling off and/or getting soggy.
Gil, shredding the pork with gusto.
After shredding the pork, place on a chopping board and chop.
Place a generous serving of the pork on a hamburger bun, top with cole slaw, then drizzle with some extra BBQ sauce. Bon appetit!
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