Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork

Description:

Barbecue in North Carolina has a long history, dating back to the original Spanish settlers who introduced pigs to the southeastern part of the United States. While other parts of the country, such as Texas, may think of other types of meat first when they hear barbecue, Carolina barbecue is pork-focused. There are two distinct styles of Carolina BBQ - eastern and western. Eastern style is involves cooking the whole hog and serving it with a simple vinegar based sauce. Western style BBQ involves cooking just the pork shoulder and serving it with a tomato based sauce.

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs pork shoulder (2.7 kg)

• 2 tbsp yellow mustard (13 g)

• 2 tbsp brown sugar (13 g)

• 2 tbsp paprika (13 g)

• 2 tbsp chili powder (13 g)

• 2 tbsp cumin (13 g)

• 2 tbsp garlic powder (13 g)

• 2 tbsp onion powder (13 g)

• 2 tbsp salt (13 g)

• 2 tbsp black pepper (13 g)

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (120 ml)

• 1/2 cup beer (120 ml)

• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce (5 ml)

BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (240 ml)

• 1/2 cup water (120 ml)

• 1/4 cup brown sugar (45 g)

• 1 tsp chili flakes (6 g)

• 1/4 cup ketchup* (30 g)

• Salt & pepper

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper. Rub the pork shoulder evenly with the mustard, using more if necessary to evenly coat. Evenly rub in the spice mixture over the pork, then allow to rest for at least an hour, up to 24 in the refrigerator.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Heat your oven or a smoker to 225 degrees. If using your oven, place the pork on top of a baking tray with an iron rack. Cook the pork until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees, about 4 hours. Place pork in a baking tray, then shred the meat using two forks. Serve along with the BBQ sauce - you can either mix the sauce in with the pulled pork or serve it in a dish on the side.

Notes:

• To make eastern style BBQ sauce, omit the ketchup from the recipe - this type of sauce is watery by design and can be used more like a dressing for the meat.

• A smoker would work best for this recipe, but a standard oven works well. If you make this in a home oven, replace the paprika in this spice rub with smoked paprika.

• A traditional way to eat this pulled pork is as a sandwich with coleslaw, between two hamburger buns.