Carolina Smoked 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.

CAROLINA SMOKED PORK

Steps:

• Preheat smoker to 250 F. Place pork butt in the center of the cooking grate, fat-side down. Cover and smoke 8 hours, undisturbed. Check smoker temperature hourly; add charcoal and use vents as needed to maintain a temperature of 250 F through the duration of cooking.
• Make Carolina BBQ Sauce: In a mixing bowl combine sugar, black pepper, chili powder, crushed red pepper, and hot sauce to make a paste. Add the Sweet BBQ Pit Sauce, followed by vinegar; stir well to combine. The final consistency should be quite fluid, rather than thick. Makes about 2 cups of Carolina BBQ Sauce. (Store in a covered container at room temperature for several months.)
• Check for doneness by placing a digital thermometer into the center of the pork, avoiding contact with the bone. Temperature should register 170 F. Use heat-proof gloves to remove pork to a large cutting board on a flat work surface. Chop the pork: As you chop, the pork will cool, so plan on doing this as the last step before serving. The meat should be tender and falling apart. Pull the bone out of the meat: it should come away smoothly, with no meat clinging to it. Discard bone. Pick through the meat and set aside any bits that you don't want to include in the final dish, such as the barky exterior or excess fat. (You may opt to include everything: Pitmaster Jones says the final mix is up to you!)
• Using one cleaver, begin to chop the meat, using your free hand to carefully steady the pork butt. When the meat is in large chunks, use both cleavers at the same time to finish chopping. Use the cleavers to toss the meat on the board as you go; repeat the chopping-tossing process until the meat is bite-size and well mixed. Drizzle a small amount of Carolina BBQ Sauce on top of the meat; continue chopping and stirring to combine. Add more sauce to taste: the goal is to lightly complement the smoky flavor of the pork without overwhelming it. Makes about 7 lbs chopped pork. (Sam Jones's serving suggestion: Cool leftover pork in the fridge, then serve as a sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise.)

SMOKED RIBS WITH CAROLINA-STYLE BBQ SAUCE

Steps:

• For the rub:
• Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Brush both sides of the racks with oil and rub with the spice mixture. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
• In a large pot over low heat, add all the mop ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
• Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 45 minutes before smoking to allow them to come to room temperature. Add the mix of hickory and applewood chips to the smoker according to package instructions. Heat a smoker to 220 degrees F. Put the apple cider in a small heatproof pan in the smoker.
• Put the ribs directly on the smoker rack. Smoke for 6 hours, brushing the ribs with the mop every hour for the first 5 hours. During the last hour, brush the ribs with the North Carolina Barbecue Sauce every 10 minutes. Remove the ribs to a serving platter and serve.
• For the BBQ Sauce:
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the ketchup and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator, stored in a tightly sealed container.

SMOKED PORK CAROLINA STYLE

Steps:

• For the sauce: combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved; let cool.
• Prepare your water smoker about 30 minutes before smoking the pork.
• Pour 2 cups of the sauce into the waterpan, then fill with water to one inch from the top of the pan; place it in the smoker.
• Place pork on rack above water and brush liberally with sauce (you should have 2 cups left after filling the water pan); put the cover on the smoker and smoke 5-6 hours, basting with sauce and turning the pork from side to side to color evenly every 30 minutes.
• Keep fire burning hot enough to hold smoker temperature at about 225-250°.
• When thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 140 degrees, baste the pork with sauce and place into a shallow roasting pan.
• Continue roasting in your conventional oven at 325° until meat almost falls apart, about 1 1/2-2 hours.
• Cool the meat slightly and shred it, pour any leftover sauce over the pork (I sometimes pour the pan juices over as well, after defatting them a bit); serve on buns.