Best North Carolina Style Pulled Pork Recipes

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix mild paprika, light brown sugar, hot paprika, celery salt, garlic salt, dry mustard, ground black pepper, onion powder, and salt. Rub spice mixture into the roast on all sides. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
• Prepare a grill for indirect heat.
• Sprinkle a handful of soaked wood over coals, or place in the smoker box of a gas grill. Place pork butt roast on the grate over a drip pan. Cover grill, and cook pork until pork is tender and shreds easily, about 6 hours. Check hourly, adding fresh coals and hickory chips as necessary to maintain heat and smoke.
• Remove pork from heat and place on a cutting board. Allow the meat to cool approximately 15 minutes, then shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks. This requires patience.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cider vinegar, water, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and white pepper. Continue whisking until brown sugar and salt have dissolved. Place shredded pork and vinegar sauce in a large roasting pan, and stir to coat pork. Serve immediately, or cover and keep warm on the grill for up to one hour until serving.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES AND COLESLAW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix together the salt, pepper, and paprika; sprinkle all over the pork and rub inches
• In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a 24-inch-long sheet of heavy duty foil and double wrap the pork.
• Place the pork, skin side up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; roast until tender, about 4 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and carefully unwrap the top of the pork, revealing the skin. Increase the heat to 450 degrees and roast for 20 minutes more.
• Transfer the roast to a large bowl, along with any juices. Using two forks, shred the pork. Add the vinegars, sugar, and hot sauce; toss. Serve on the hamburger buns, topped with coleslaw (recipe follows), if using.
• For the coleslaw: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegars, sugar, hot sauce, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Add the cabbage and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes, then toss and serve.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE BBQ PULLED-PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Make small holes all over the pork shoulder with a thin sharp knife and stuff in garlic cloves. Rub the meat all over with the Memphis Shake; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare an outdoor grill with an indirect medium-hot fire with a mix of briquettes and hardwood charcoal in half of the grill. Set grate over coals. Place pork, skin side up, in an aluminum pan with about 1 1/2 cups water on the cooler side of the grate. Toss 1 cup of the soaked and drained wood chips onto the coals and cover the grill, making sure the lid's vents are directly over pork.
• When the coals cool to medium-low heat, preheat a chimney-full of hot briquettes and hardwood charcoal. Whenever smoke stops coming out of the vents, about every hour, add more hot coals and 1 cup of soaked and drained wood chips to the fire. The goal is to maintain a medium-heat, smoky fire (but don't worry if it is hotter when the coals are added and cooler while preheating the coals). Rotate the pork when you add coals so it cooks evenly. Cook the meat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 180 degrees F, about 6 hours.
• Set aside 1 quart of the North Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Sauce. Once the pork reaches 180 degrees F, begin mopping the entire surface of the meat every 20 minutes with some of the remaining sauce and the pan drippings. Continue to cook the pork, covering the grill between mopping, until an instant-read thermometer registers 200 degrees F, about 1 to 2 hours more.
• Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Remove the outer skin and discard. Cut large chunks from the bone and shred, using 2 forks or your fingers, (when cool enough to touch) or chop. Toss with about 1 cup of the reserved barbecue sauce for every 3 cups of meat. Tuck the pork into the soft rolls and serve with pickles.
• Whisk paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic, ancho powder, salt, and celery salt in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.
• Heat the vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Off the heat, stir in the ketchup, honey, salt, red pepper, and black pepper.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium low and prepare for indirect cooking: On a gas grill, preheat the grill, then turn off the center burners. On a charcoal grill, light the coals, then push to the edges of the grill, creating an open space in the middle; put a disposable aluminum drip pan in the middle of the grill under the grates.
• When the grill registers 250˚ F, place the pork on the grill grates over the cooler part. Cover the grill and cook the pork until the skin is crisp, the meat easily falls off the bone and a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork (away from the bone) registers 190˚ F to 200˚ F, 7 to 10 hours (if using charcoal, adjust the air vents and add more coals as needed so the temperature stays around 250˚ F).
• Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce: Combine 1 cup water, the vinegar, hot sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, 2 1/2 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let cool.
• If using a gas grill, turn off the heat and carefully transfer the pork to a cutting board. If using a charcoal grill, do this quickly, as the grease may cause the coals to catch fire. Let the pork rest at least 30 minutes, then pull the meat off the bone with tongs and a large fork; discard the bones and any large pieces of fat. Chop the crispy skin and stir into the meat. Transfer to a bowl and toss with 1 to 2 cups of the barbecue sauce. Serve on buns with the remaining sauce.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK BARBECUE

Steps:

• Prepare the barbecue sauce the day before cooking the meat.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
• In a large (6- to 8- quart) ovenproof casserole or flameproof roasting pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add meat, and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes a side. Remove meat and wipe out casserole.
• Place a rack in the bottom of the casserole. Put the meat on the rack, and cover with 2 1/2 cups barbecue sauce. Cover and cook for about 4 hours, basting occasionally, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 150 to 180 degrees. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
• Gently heat remaining barbecue sauce. When meat is cool enough to handle, trim and discard fat. Shred meat coarsely by hand, or pull it with two forks. Put shredded meat in a large bowl, and toss with warmed sauce. Serve on rolls or slices of white bread, with coleslaw and bread-and-butter pickles on the side.

NORTH CAROLINA STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Grilling Method: Indirect/Medium Heat
• Soak hickory or other flavor wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Place chips directly on gray-ashed charcoal if using a charcoal grill or in the smoker box if using a gas grill.
• Lightly oil the pork and season with salt and pepper. Place meat in the center of the cooking grate and cook slowly over low heat for 4 to 5 hours or until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 180°F-190°F. The meat should be very tender and falling apart. You'll know it's done when the bone pulls out clean as a whistle and the meat has shrunk in size.
• Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes. While it is still hot, pull meat from skin and fat. Discard all but the best meat. Shred or pull the meat apart with two forks. As you work, mix pork with enough sauce to moisten.
• Serve on white hamburger buns and top with North Carolina Coleslaw that has been dressed with the same sauce. Serve additional sauce on the side, if desired.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°. Mix together the salt, pepper and paprika; sprinkle all over the pork and rub in. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a 24-inch-long sheet of heavy-duty foil and double-wrap the pork. Place the pork, skin side up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; roast until tender, about 4 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and carefully unwrap the top of the pork, revealing the skin. Increase the heat to 450° and roast for 20 minutes more. Transfer the roast to a large bowl, along with any juices. Using two forks, shred the pork. Add the vinegars, sugar and hot sauce; toss. Serve on the hamburger buns, topped with coleslaw, if using.

NORTH CAROLINA STYLE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 300. Mix together the salt, pepper and paprika; sprinkle all over the pork and rub in. 2. In a large skillet or Duch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a 24-inch sheet of heavy-duty foil and double-wrap the pork. 3. Place the pork, skin side up, in a 9-by-13 inch baking dish; roast until tender, about 4 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and carefully unwrap the top of the pork, revealing the skin. Increase the heat to 450 and roast for 20 minutes more. 4. Transfer the roast to a large bowl, along with any juices. Using two forks, shred the pork. Add the vinegars, sugar and hot sauces; toss. Serve on the hamburger buns topped with coleslaw, if using.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Place hickory chips in center of smoker or roasting pan and top with drip tray and rack. Massage pork all over with a lot of salt and pepper. Place on rack, skin-side up. Cover with two long pieces of heavy-duty foil that have been folded together tightly at long seams. Crimp foil around edges of smoker, leaving enough space between pork and foil so smoke can circulate. Turn heat to medium and smoke for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size and your taste. Shut off heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
• While pork is smoking, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk together sauce ingredients in a large bowl, season to taste and refrigerate.
• Remove foil from smoker and transfer rack and pork to a sheet pan. Place in oven. Cook for 40 minutes per pound (about 4 to 5 hours), until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the roast registers 190 degrees. Remove pork and rest until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. While still warm, pull meat away from bones. Discard skin, fat and bones, and reserve crispy browned bits of fat and crust. Working quickly on a large cutting board, shred chunks of meat, pulling it with forks or fingers into long strands. Add reserved crispy bits and chop meat roughly. Transfer to a serving bowl, season with 1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce, and mix well.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Preheat grill to 325 degrees, building fire on opposite sides of grill if using charcoal, or on one side or opposite sides if using gas. Season pork with rub.
• If using charcoal, every hour for first 4 hours add fresh coals and toss 1/2 cup wood chips on each mound of coals. If using gas, place wood chips in smoker box, and preheat until you see smoke (depending on model of gas grill, use all 4 cups at once or 1 cup every hour for first 4 hours).
• Place pork, fat side up, on grill over drip pan, away from fire. Barbecue until nicely browned and cooked through, for 4 to 6 hours, or until internal temperature is 195 degrees, so that the meat will shred properly.
• Meanwhile, combine ingredients for vinegar sauce in a bowl with 3/4 cup water, and whisk to mix. Add additional salt or sugar to taste, if desired.
• Transfer cooked pork to cutting board, cover with foil, and let it rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Pull meat into pieces, and discard any skin, bones or fat. With fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of pork into shreds about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. (Or finely chop the meat with a cleaver.) Transfer to metal or foil pan, and stir in 1 cup vinegar sauce, or enough to keep meat moist and flavorful. Cover with foil, and place on grill to keep warm until serving. Serve on hamburger buns with cole slaw and remaining sauce on side.

ELIZABETH KARMEL'S NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• 1. If using the rub, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss with your fingers to mix. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves if desired, rub this mixture into the pork shoulder on all sides, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but preferably 8.2. Set the grill up for indirect grilling, placing a drip pan in the center. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high when smoke appears, lower the heat to medium-low. If using a charcoal grill, preheat to medium-low and adjust the vents to obtain a temperature of 325°F.3. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss 1 cup wood chips on the coals. Place the pork shoulder, fat side up, on the hot grate over the drip pan. Cover the grill and smoke-cook the pork shoulder until fall-off-the-bone tender and the internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer reaches 195°F, 4 to 6 hours. (The cooking time will depend on the size of the piece of meat and heat of the grill.) If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side every hour, and toss more wood chips on the fresh coals, adding about 1 cup chips (1/2 cup per side) every time you replenish the coals. With gas, all you need to do is be sure that you start with a full tank of gas.4. Transfer the cooked pork roast to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. After the resting period, wearing heavy-duty rubber gloves if desired, pull off and discard any skin from the meat, then pull the pork into pieces, discarding any bones or fat. Using your fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of pork into shreds 1 to 2 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. This requires time and patience, but a human touch is needed to achieve the perfect texture. If patience isn't one of your virtues, you can finely chop the pork with a cleaver. (Many respected North Carolina barbecue joints serve chopped 'cue.) Transfer the shredded pork to a nonreactive roasting pan. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the vinegar sauce, enough to keep the pork moist, then cover the pan with foil and place on the grill for up to 30 minutes to keep warm.5. To serve, mound the pulled pork on the hamburger buns, and top with coleslaw. Let each person add vinegar sauce to taste.Serves 10 to 12Note: If not using the rub, generously season the pork all over with coarse (kosher or sea) salt and freshly ground black pepper you can start cooking immediately.Vinegar SauceThis peppery, piquant vinegar sauce is the preferred condiment of eastern North Carolina. In the western part of the state, the sauce becomes more tomatoey, while in southern parts of the Carolinas, mustard sauce reigns supreme.2 cups cider vinegar1 1/3 cups water1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, or more to taste5 teaspoons salt, or more to taste4 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepperCombine the vinegar, water, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, hot pepper flakes, and peppers in a nonreactive medium-size bowl and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Taste for seasoning, adding sugar or salt as necessary the sauce should be piquant but not quite sour.Makes about 4 cups