Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Smoked Pulled Pork with Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce and Cole Slaw

In my previous post I kinda raved about our success in making smoked beef brisket using our new CharBroil electric smoker, but our first use of the CharBroil smoker was actually in making this Carolina-style pulled pork. For this recipe, smoking a spice-rubbed bone-in pork butt low and slow at 225F for about 10-12 hours was the way to go. And, of course, a North Carolina-style vinegar sauce and cole slaw were also requisite. After perusing a ton of recipes for the rub, vinegar sauce, and cole slaw in my cookbooks and online, these are my versions. Also, per the suggestion of a number of online posters, Gil decided to inject the pork with a bottle of Angry Orchard hard cider before smoking to keep it moist. Another suggestion from CharBroil's website for keeping the meat moist is to brine it for 8-12 hours before smoking. We'll try that next time and I'll report the results then. 



INGREDIENTS:
7-8 lb. pork butt or shoulder (bone-in)
1 bottle of Angry Orchard or other brand of hard cider
4 cups hickory or cherry wood chips

Hawaiian buns, brioche buns, your fav hamburger buns, or my fav Oro Wheat Crustini Sandwich buns

Rub:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce:
2 cups cider vinegar
3 tbsp. ketchup
4 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. Crystal or Tabasco hot sauce
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. honey

Cole Slaw:
2 cups of pre-shredded cole slaw mix
4 tbsp. mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
4 tbsp. of the Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar

1. Combine the ingredients for the spice rub together in a small bowl or container and set aside.

2. Combine the ingredients together for the Vinegar Sauce in a bowl or container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Toss all the cole slaw ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Soak the wood chips in water for 15-30 minutes. 

5. Put the wood chips in the metal wood chip container, cover, and slide into it's slot in the lower right hand corner of the CharBroil smoker (or follow directions on placement if you have a different brand of electric smoker). 

6. Fill the metal water container with water up to the fill line and place into the lower left hand corner of the CharBroil smoker (or follow directions on placement if you have a different brand of electric smoker). 

7. Insert the meat thermometer inside of the smoker (upper left in the CharBroil); Preheat the smoker to 225F (this may take up to 45 minutes).

4. Trim any excess fat but leaving some of the fat cap on the pork butt. Inject the hard apple cider throughout the pork butt. Blot the pork butt dry with paper towels.

5. Rub the entire pork butt generously with the spice rub; place a large drip pan on the lower rack of the smoker and then place the pork butt onto the upper rack. Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the pork butt; close the smoker and set internal temperature for 190F. 

6. Pork should be done in 10-12 hours (goal is to get to an internal temp of 190F - the smoker will let you know when that happens by beeping and/or alerting you via smart phone app). 

7. Remove the pork (use silicone oven gloves to do this if you have them) from the smoker, cover with foil, and let rest for one hour. 

8. Use meat claws or your gloved hands to pull the pork apart and shred. Place the shredded meat onto a large cutting board and chop coarsely with a cleaver. 

9. Place the chopped meat into a large baking dish/casserole; ladle on about 1/3 to 1/2 of the vinegar sauce, tasting as you go, until the pork is just seasoned through (don't over dress). Pour the remaining vinegar sauce into a squeeze bottle and set aside. 

TO MAKE THE SANDWICH:
1. Lightly toast the buns. If desired, spread a small amount of light mayonnaise on the bottom and top parts of the bun.

2. Place a heaping helping of the pulled pork onto the bottom piece of the bun and top with a generous amount of cole slaw.

3. Serve with extra vinegar sauce on the side (in a small dipping dish or squeeze bottle).

4. Dig in.


Spice rub: celery seed, ground cumin, dried mustard, black pepper, garlic powder, onion, powder, light brown sugar, cayenne pepper, ground coriander.

Hickory or cherry wood chips are best for this recipe. Mesquite would be too strong.

Fill the smoker's water container up to the fill line. If the water completely evaporates during the smoking period, just add some extra water to the drip pan below the meat. It's easier to access so you don't have to keep the smoker open too long for the refill.

Even though you don't need to soak the wood chips in water for the electric smoker, we like to do it anyways (15-30 minutes soak time).

A nice 7.5 lb. bone-in pork butt.

Gil trimming off some of the excess fat.


Injecting the Angry Orchard hard cider into the pork butt.


Damn! Why does this remind me of being at the dentist's?


Wood chip box.

Placing the wood chip box into the smoker.

Wood chip box to the bottom right, water container to the left.

Blot the pork butt dry with paper towels.

Rub the pork butt on all sides generously with the spice rub. 

Place a large roasting pan on the lower rack for use as a drip pan. Place the pork on the upper rack and insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Close the smoker and smoke 10-12 hours until the internal temperature reaches 190F.

For the vinegar sauce: salt, pepper, light brown sugar, ketchup, cider vinegar, Crystal hot sauce, red pepper flakes.

I use honey as a sweetener for the vinegar sauce.

Pre-shredded cole slaw mix.

For the cole slaw: dried mustard, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar sauce, black pepper.

Combine the cole slaw mix with the seasoning ingredients, stir well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 


Take the pork out after it reaches 190F internal temperature. 

Cover with foil and let rest 1 hour.

Shred the meat and discard the bone.

Place the shredded meat onto a chopping board.

Chop with a cleaver.

Ladle in about half of the vinegar sauce, tasting as you go. Don't over-sauce! Reserve the rest of the vinegar sauce for later use (I pour it into a squeeze bottle).

Toast some buns. If desired, spread a small amount of mayo on the buns. 

Top with a generous helping of the pulled pork and some cole slaw. Serve with extra vinegar sauce on the side.

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