North Carolina Style Smoked Boston Butt 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.

SLOW-SMOKED PULLED PORK (BOSTON BUTT)

Steps:

• Mix brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, seasoned salt, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl to make dry rub.
• Coat roast with spicy brown mustard. Sprinkle dry rub all over roast and work it into all the folds and creases.
• Combine pickle juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Preheat 5 pounds charcoal in a smoker according to manufacturer's instructions until white and flaming. Distribute 7 to 8 large wood chunks over the coals. Place a drip pan on top; pour in beer and enough water to fill the pan most of the way. Close smoker; bring liquid in the drip pan to a boil. Place roast on top and close smoker.
• Smoke roast, turning every hour, until browned, about 2 hours. Baste roast with pickle juice and olive mixture. Continue smoking, turning and basting every hour, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 175 degrees F (80 degrees C), 2 to 3 hours more.
• Remove roast from smoker and wrap with aluminum foil. Let rest, about 30 minutes.
• Uncover roast and cut into chunks. Shred chunks into small strands; transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze strands with both hands repeatedly, mixing after each squeeze.

SMOKED BOSTON BUTT WITH CAROLINA VINEGAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Smoked Boston Butt:.
• Soak mesquite wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat smoker to 225 - 250 degrees. Sprinkle soaked wood chips over coals.
• In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper. Spread mixture over all sides of roast. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Place roast in smoker. Cook, covered with smoker lid, until meat is very tender, 11-12 hours. Remove from smoker, and let stand for 30 minutes. Shred roast, discarding fat and bone. Serve with Carolina Vinegar Sauce or your favorite barbecue sauce.
• Carolina Vinegar Sauce.
• In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper, salt, black pepper, hot sauce, and smoked paprika. Cover, and refrigerate for up to five days.

NORTH CAROLINA PULLED PORK

Steps:

• 1. If using the rub, combine the mild paprika, brown sugar, hot paprika, celery salt, garlic salt, dry mustard, pepper, onion powder, and salt in a bowl and toss with your fingers to mix. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves if desired, rub the spice mixture onto the pork shoulder on all sides, then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, preferably 8.
• If not using the rub, generously season the pork all over with coarse (kosher or sea) salt and freshly ground black pepper; you can start cooking immediately.
• 2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and place a drip pan in the center.
• If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; when smoke appears, reduce the heat to medium.
• If using a charcoal grill, preheat the grill to medium-low and adjust the vents to obtain a temperature of 300°F.
• 3. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss 1 cup of the wood chips on the coals. Place the pork shoulder, fat side up, on the hot grate over the drip pan. Cover the grill and smoke cook the pork shoulder until fall-off-the-bone tender and the internal temperature on an instant-read meat thermometer reaches 195°F, 4 to 6 hours (the cooking time will depend on the size of the pork roast and the heat of the grill). If using charcoal, you'll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals to each side every hour and toss more wood chips on the fresh coals; add about 1/2 cup per side every time you replenish the coals. With gas, all you need to do is be sure that you start with a full tank of gas. If the pork begins to brown too much, drape a piece of aluminum foil loosely over it or lower the heat.
• 4. Transfer the pork roast to a cutting board, loosely tent it with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• 5. Wearing heavy-duty rubber gloves if desired, pull off and discard any skin from the meat, then pull the pork into pieces, discarding any bones or fat. Using your fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of pork into shreds 1 to 2 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. This requires time and patience, but a human touch is needed to achieve the perfect texture. If patience isn't one of your virtues, you can finely chop the pork with a cleaver (many respected North Carolina barbecue joints serve chopped 'cue). Transfer the shredded pork to a nonreactive roasting pan. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the vinegar sauce, enough to keep the pork moist, then cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it on the grill for up to 30 minutes to keep warm.
• 6. To serve, mound the pulled pork on the hamburger buns and top with coleslaw. Let each person add more vinegar sauce to taste.