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Pulled Pork Sandwich - North Carolina Style Recipe

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This recipe for Pulled Pork Sandwich - North Carolina Style is from The Serco Employee Cookbook 2020, one of the cookbooks created at FamilyCookbookProject.com. We'll help you start your own personal cookbook! It's easy and fun. Click here to start your own cookbook!


Category:
Category:

Ingredients:  
Ingredients:  
1 Boston Butt (bone-in pork shoulder roast, ~7 lbs)

4 or 5 tbsp of basic barbecue rub made of:
- ¼ cup of brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ¼ cup of sweet or hot paprika (I like hot)
- 4 tbsp course salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 tsp of cayenne powder

Mop sauce made of:
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp course salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp hot red pepper flakes

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce made of:
- 2 cups of cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tsp course salt
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 to 2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
- 1 to 2 tsp black pepper

Coleslaw
10 to 12 hamburger buns

Medium bag of Hickory and/or Cherry wood chunks for smoking

Directions:
Directions:
The night before you begin, prepare your pork shoulder:
1. If the pork shoulder has skin on, trim off the skin. I like to leave a little fat on it, but not much.

2. After mixing the ingredients for the Basic Barbecue Rub, sprinkle the pork shoulder with the rub; patting it into the meat with your hands (use disposable cooking gloves). Cover and put the pork shoulder in the refrigerator overnight.

3. Make your mop sauce ahead by combining all ingredients and put it in the refrigerator in a nonreactive jar/container.

4. Make your North Carolina Vinegar Sauce ahead by combining all ingredients in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk until the salt and brown sugar dissolve. Transfer to a nonreactive jar/container and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The day of cooking, take the pork shoulder out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature. In the meantime, prepare your grill for indirect heating. The grill should maintain a temperature of 210ºF to 225ºF. I can do that with one burner on low to start, and maintaining with a Diamond King™ smoker box filled with the hickory and cherry wood chunks smoldering.

1. When ready to cook, place your prepared pork shoulder fat side up in the center of the grill for indirect heat (not over the burner). Cover the grill and cook the pork until an instant read thermometer reads 195ºF. It will take 6 to 8 hours.

2. After 1 hour of cooking, baste the pork with the mop sauce you prepared and repeat about every hour. Replenish your wood chunks for smoking when you baste your pork to prevent opening the grill more often.

3. When the pork reaches a temperature of 165ºF, sometimes the cooking will stall. If that happens, wrap the pork in aluminum foil and place back on the grill. Once the pork temperature reaches 195ºF with an instant read thermometer, the pork should be tender.

4. When the pork is done cooking (195ºF), transfer it to a cutting board. Cover the pork loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. While the pork is resting, begin to warm up the North Carolina Vinegar Sauce.

5. Using rubber gloves, pull the pork into pieces or use two forks to shred the pork. You can also chop it if you prefer.

6. Transfer the pulled pork into a roasting pan and stir in 1 to 1½ cups of the North Carolina Vinegar Sauce, enough to keep it moist. Cover with aluminum foil and keep it warm.

To serve, mound the pork on hamburger bungs and top with coleslaw. Serve any remaining vinegar sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Number Of Servings:
Number Of Servings:
10 to 12
Preparation Time:
Preparation Time:
1 hour the night before; 6 to 8 hours of cooking time
Personal Notes:
Personal Notes:
Not all of us have a professional smoker, but we still like the flavor of wood-smoked pulled pork sandwiches. This calls for Innovation!

Although I live in New England, I love North Carolina style pulled pork sandwiches that are smoked. To get that smoked flavor, I use a smoker box that is placed on my grill beside the pork shoulder. I use hickory wood chunks for that deep smoked flavor, and cherry wood chunks for a good color and a bit of sweetness. Once my grill is up to temperature (~225 degrees F), I can actually shut the gas burner off as long as I replenish the wood chunks when I baste the pork.

Pulled pork sandwiches are always a hit with friends and family. I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

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