When presented with the opportunity to nosh on some North Carolina BBQ standing at the foot of a food truck, I almost passed it up.
It wasn’t until he said, “this is good.” “This is really good,” that I chose to partake.
It may seem strange, but this man was a magician, and a bit of a manipulator, with his words. And I love him for that.
I’m so glad I savored those burnt ends of beef brisket and allowed the pulled pork to simply melt in my mouth.
And, I’m so glad I was able to nearly replicate that sensation right here at home, even down to the simple service of parchment paper and a pile of pickled slaw.
North Carolina BBQ Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
2 lbs. pork shoulder
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
sea salt and pepper
Add the pork shoulder to the slow cooker, along with the rest of the ingredients. Turn on low and allow to cook for 8-10 hours.
Once the pork is done cooking, shred between two forks. Adjust the salt and pepper seasoning to taste.
As someone who grew up in NC and of course prefer Eastern style, which is what is presented here, I would offer up the following suggestions to try the next time you make this…one of my favorite restaurants in Durham, NC, called Bullocks, adds some heat and sweet to the sauce (traditional NC pulled pork is done in a ground pit, slow roasted for 24 hours…now that is my kind of heaven and why I could never be a vegetarian.) While I personally do not cook the pork in the vinegar sauce, I do use crushed red pepper in addition to salt and pepper on the Boston B.U.T.T or shoulder and a little Cayenne. For my sauce, which I add at the end of cooking after I have shred the pork and pulled the fat out, I take a stick of butter, half a cup of dark brown sugar, a good portion of Apple Cider Vinegar (I don’t measure, so I would say a cup and half at least for a full shoulder), more crushed red pepper, and more Cayenne. I bring all of that to a boil and let it reduce. I taste and adjust the sweet, heat, sour levels to my satisfaction. Then, I add to shredded pork, pulling some of the pork to place under a broiler to recreate the fire pit results that I find lacking when this is done in a slow cooker (my sear capability in my slow cookers now have helped with that as well.) I always serve with a sweet slaw, Texas Pete hot sauce, and Texas Pete Peppered Vinegar. One of my all time favorite comfort foods. Now, if you want western style NC BBQ, then you need to replace the vinegar with mustard…Cheers. Kat
I remember your bbq pork from a few months ago! It was amazing and so delicious. I like the sweet heat concept and feel so honored you’ve shared your recipe and suggestions. I can’t wait to give it a try! Thank you 🙂