North Carolina Pulled Pork
source: How to Grill by Steven Raichlen
1 Boston butt (bone-in pork shoulder
roast; 5 to 7 pounds)
Barbecue Rub: 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sweet paprika 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons black pepper 1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon hickory-smoked salt or Vinegar Sauce for Serving:
more coarse salt 2 cups cider vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder 3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons onion powder 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon Tabasco or other
hot sauce
For The Mop Sauce: 1 to 2 teaspoons hot re pepper
1 cup cider vinegar flakes, or more to taste
to 2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced 1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt 4 teaspoons coarse salt
1. Sprinkle the pork shoulder on all sides with the rub, patting it onto the meat with your fingers. Let stand in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 – 24 hours. The longer you cure it, the richer the flavor will be.
2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and pre-heat to medium-low. Place a large drip pan in the center.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the mop sauce with 1/2 cup water in a nonreactive bowl and stir until the salt and brown sugar dissolve. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss 1 cup pre-soaked wood chips on the coals. Place the pork, fat-side up, in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the pork until very tender, 4 to 6 hours (about 195°F on a instant-read meat thermometer). If using charcoal, add 12 fresh coals and 1/2 cup wood chips per side every hour. After 1 hour, baste the pork with the mop sauce; repeat every hour.
4. Transfer the cooked pork to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, transfer the pork to a cutting board and wearing rubber gloves, pull off the skin and fat. Rest one hand on the meat; use the other to pull out and discard the bones. With your fingers tear the meat into thin, tender shreds, about 2 inches long, working along the grain. If pulling seems too time consuming, you can finely chop the pork with a cleaver. Finely chop the crisp skin and add to the pulled pork or discard. Discard the fat.
5. Combine all ingredients of the vinegar sauce in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk until the salt and brown sugar dissolve. Transfer the shredded pork to a roasting pan and stir in 1 to 1-1/2 cups of the vinegar sauce, enough to keep the pork warm. Serve on hamburger buns and add coleslaw if you like.