Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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If you like BBQ pork, this is the real thing. Although it’s an all-day process, there’s not much actual work involved – it’s more like a social event. Don’t forget to invite friends with beer!

Adapted from Thrill of the Grill, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

Serves 8-12

Recommended Equipment

Charcoal chimney
Charcoal
Newspaper
2 cups wood chips, hickory or cherry
Charcoal grill, with control vents
Disposable foil pan, bread-loaf sized
Grill grate that opens to access coals
Vegetable oil

Paper Towel
Tongs
Polder remote meat thermometer
BBQ mop brush
Comfortable outdoor chairs, with drink holders
Friends who show up around noon and bring beer

Ingredients: Dry Rub    

1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white or Turbinado sugar
(Sugar in the Raw)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
4-5 pound boneless pork butt

Ingredients: Sauce 

1½  cup white vinegar
1½  cup cider vinegar
1½  tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes    

1½  tablespoons white or Turbinado sugar
(Sugar in the Raw)
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Ingredients: Sandwiches    

Cheap white fluffy buns
Kraft American singles (optional)    

Instructions:

First thing in the morning

  1. In a bowl, thoroughly mix together all of the dry rub ingredients (except the pork).
  2. Cut the pork into 4-5 equally-sized pieces, and place into a large bowl.
  3. Pour the dry rub over the pork pieces. Rub the pieces lightly on all sides with the rub, making sure that all surfaces of the pork are covered. Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature.
  4. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, or a bowl. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper, to taste.

Around 11:00 AM

  1. Put charcoal in the chimney, about 1/3 full. Crumple newspaper in the bottom section, and light.
  2. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil on the stove. Put the wood chips in a large bowl, and add cold water to cover. Put ¼ cup of vegetable oil into a small bowl; crumple up a paper towel and put it into the oil.
  3. When charcoal is nearly all gray, pour out into grill and pile up entirely on one side. Add another 6-8 pieces of charcoal on top of the pile.
  4. Place the loaf pan right up against the charcoal pile, and fill with the boiling water.
  5. Place the grate on the grill, with the access flap open and directly over the charcoal. Oil the opposite side of the grate, with the oiled paper towel, using tongs. Put the cover on the grill, and adjust all grill vents to one-quarter to one-third open. Leave covered for 10 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, insert the meat thermometer probe into the center of the largest piece of meat. Plug probe into thermometer display, and set alarm on, to 195°F.
  7. Open grill. Working quickly, place the meat on the oiled side, as far away from the coals as possible, with the thermometer display outside the grill. Sprinkle a few soaked wood chips over the coals. Close grill.

For the next 5 or 6 hours

  1. Hopefully, your friends are here by now, with the beer. Open a beer, and drink it with them, sitting in comfortable chairs with drink holders.
  2. About 30-45 minutes later, your beer should be empty. Uncover the grill. Poke the coals with tongs, to shake off the ash and consolidate coals. Sprinkle more soaked chips over the coals, and add a few more pieces of charcoal to maintain the size of the pile. Turn the pork, and mop lightly with the sauce, using the mop brush. Re-cover the grill.
  3. Open another beer, and repeat. Around halfway, you might want to boil some more water and refill the foil pan if it looks low.

When the pork temperature has reached 195°F - 200°F

  1. Remove pork from grill, and pull out thermometer probe.
  2. In a large serving bowl, shred pork by pulling apart with tongs and a fork.

My husband says: Although this is a large recipe, it’s worth it to make the entire amount, since you’re already firing up the grill for a whole afternoon. It makes great leftovers, and also freezes well.

We’re trying here to keep the internal grill temperature at around 250°F, which is an inexact science. The temperature of the meat will rise quite rapidly at first – don’t freak out - it should slow down by the time it gets to 140° or so. Some adjustment of the grill vents may be necessary. If you get to within an hour of dinner time and it still doesn’t look close to 195°, that’s fixable too. Turn the oven to 250°F. Take the pork off the grill, and wrap it in the foil, crimping the edges to seal the meat inside, with the thermometer wire sticking out. Put the foil pack in the oven with the thermometer display outside on the counter. Eventually you’ll get there, and the product – already well smoked – will be just as good.