Carolina Pulled Pork
from Mike Stines, Ph.B.( Doctorate in Barbecue Philosophy), http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/stinesphb.asp

FMM: The recipes on this page are for the Lexington style of pulled pork, named after Lexington, North Carolina, home to many barbecue restaurants and a large barbecue festival, the Lexington Barbecue Festival. The Lexington style is just the pork shoulder (or its smaller first cousin, a Boston butt), pulled and then chopped up, along with some of the crisp, fatty cracklings from the pig's exterior, with a sauce based on tomato as well as vinegar. It’s often topped with slaw and served on a bun.

Pulled pork is not a difficult recipe to prepare but it is time-consuming. A dry rub seasons the pork before it is cooked and a vinegary mop is daubed onto the meat to add more flavor as it smokes. Once cooked, the meat is pulled into shreds, sauced, piled on hamburger buns and topped with a mustard cole slaw for the quintessential Carolina barbecue. Pork shoulder, a cut of meat that weighs 14 to 18 pounds, includes both the Boston butt (the upper part of the front leg with the blade bone) and the picnic ham (the actual foreleg). The following recipe calls for a Boston butt, a smaller cut of meat, weighing just over 8 pounds.

To make the dry rub: Mix all the ingredients in small bowl to blend. Using a spice grinder, pulse mixture in batches until smooth. (Makes 1/2 cup, enough for one butt and the mop.)

Place the pork on a work surface, remove the skin and trim the fat cap to an even 1/4-inch thickness. (Reserve the fat cap to place under the pork while smoking.) Place the pork on a large baking sheet and paint it with mustard. Sprinkle the dry rub evenly all over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. (Can be prepared one day ahead and held in the refrigerator.) Bring the meat to room temperature before smoking.

To make the mop: Mix the ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. (Don't apply a cold mop to warm meat.)

Prepare a Weber Smoky Mountain cooker by half filling the fire ring with lump charcoal and starting a charcoal chimney full of charcoal. When the coals have fully ignited, add to the fire ring. Add the 2 chunks of hickory wood and 1/2 cup drained apple wood chips; stabilize the temperature at 225 degrees F.

Fill the water pan with warm water. Place the butt on grate. Cover and smoke the pork for 3 hours. Mop the pork and continuing cooking, mopping every hour, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. (Total cooking time will vary depending on the heat of the smoker and the size of the butt. At 225 degrees F., plan on about 2 hours per pound; at 215 degrees F., about 2 1/2 hours per pound; and at 235 degrees F., about 1 1/2 hours per pound.) Add more charcoal as needed to maintain a 225 degrees F. temperature and more drained apple wood chips to maintain smoke level.

When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F., transfer the pork to a clean baking sheet. Tent with aluminum foil and let stand for about 30 minutes (the internal temperature will continue to rise to about 195 degrees F., the optimal temperature for pulled pork).

When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces. (The pork may be cooked one day ahead, shredded, and covered with foil or food film. Refrigerate.) Place the shredded pork into a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook until warmed (this will help remove any residual fat from the pulled pork). Add the Western South Carolina Sauce (see following recipe) and cook until warmed through.

Divide the pork into 4- to 6-ounce portions on the buns. Top with cole slaw and cover with bun tops.

Yield: About 8 servings
Heat Scale: Mild to Medium

Pulled Pork Recipe #2
from Jeff Phillips, http://www.smoking-meat.com/

Makes about 8 servings.

"This is a pulled pork recipe I have been wanting to get on the website for some time now.. I being a Carolina native am a little partial to southern barbecue.. we put slaw on our smoked pulled pork sandwich and if you have not tried it.. well I am about to tell you how!"

Smoking the Pork Shoulder

8 lb Pork Butt or Picnic
Spicy Rub (recipe below)
Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)

Rub the pork butt generously with spicy rub. Wrap tight in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Remove pork from refrigerator and smoke pork butt for 10-12 hours at 225 degrees or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 200 degrees. Shred pork by hand and place into bowl. Cover with smoky BBQ sauce. Toss and serve or put in 170 degree oven to keep warm.

Making the Sandwiches

Hamburger buns

Pull the pork butt into small chunks/strips and place a good heaping on bottom bun. Next put about a tablespoon of the smoky barbecue sauce on the meat. Heap some of the awesome cole slaw you made on top of that, place the top bun on and chow down.