USA: North Carolina - Pulled Pork

 

Traditionally slow grilled or barbecued until fork tender, North Carolina pulled pork always includes a vinegar sauce. I'm making our pulled pork in the slow cooker and using a cider vinegar based sauce.

Ingredients:

750g pork shoulder joint

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 onions

For the sauce:

1 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried pepper flakes

1 tablespoon mustard

Slice the onions and place on the bottom of the slow cooker for the pork to sit on.

Put the brown sugar, paprika, salt & pepper in a bowl and mix them.

Rub this all over the pork joint using it all up and covering every side of the meat. Place it on top of the onions.

Make up the sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a jug. 

Pour this into the slow cooker over the onions, it should be about an inch deep so if it isn't add a little boiling water to it. Place the lid on top and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.

After the allotted time the pork should be easy to shred with forks. JD shredded ours with his shredding claws. Put it back into the slow cooker and mix with the onions and sauce. Replace the lid and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes more.

We ate ours in some crusty bread buns.

I wasn't sure about this recipe! It was VERY vinegary and even though it still tasted good it was almost too sour for me. JD enjoyed it and had some in a bread bun too and also with some roast potatoes we had for the meal. The sauce could've used some thickening as it was dripping down my arms as I ate my sandwich. I don't mind messy food but I don't want vinegar on my elbows, haha! Overall I enjoyed the pork but I think I prefer mine with a milder, thicker sauce.