CAROLINA STYLE PULLED PORK

Carolina Style Pulled Pork image

I found this recipe on another website, made a couple of tweaks, and now it is one of our family favorites. This is a great alternative to the standard sweet BBQ pulled pork recipe. It makes a tangy and moist sandwich without a heavy sweet sauce. Perfect recipe for fall tail-gating.

Provided by Nichole McGhee

Categories Pork

Time 9h

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

7-9 lb pork shoulder butt
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 c liquid smoke
1 pkg shredded cabage, coleslaw style (optional)
VINEGAR SAUCE
2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp ground white pepper
1/2-1 Tbsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Set roaster to 325. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the roaster in about 1/2" of water. Add liquid smoke to water. Do not trim any excess fat from the pork. Brush pork with a thin coat of olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Set pork shoulder on cooking rack above the water with the fat-back facing up. The fat will naturally baste the meat during the long cooking time so there is no need to turn the meat. Cover and cook for 4-5 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork reads 190-200 degrees F. Meat should be fall-apart tender. Pull or chop meat, remove any burnt pieces of fat. You can also cook the pork on the grill using hickory wood chips soaked in water and indirect heat cooking method.
2. While meat is cooking prepare the vinegar sauce. Mix all ingredients for the sauce together in a non-reactive bowl and refrigerate until meat is done. (minimum of 30 minutes) If you are making the coleslaw make a second batch of the vinegar sauce. Toss the cabbage with sauce until well mixed and not quite wet (you may have sauce left over). Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
3. While the meat is still warm, mix in enough of the vinegar sauce to moisten and flavor the meat. *This is really to taste. I use all of the sauce, but recommend adding 1 cup to the meat, then put the rest in a bowl & set out with the buns so individuals can add more if they like.
4. Serve with coleslaw on side or sandwich style with a scoop of the slaw on top of the meat. Enjoy!