The Perfect Carolina Pulled Pork

Shorebird migrated to the south for her college years and picked up a deep and abiding love for Carolina-style bbq. Goat heartily approves of this style. Here’s how it’s done.

The trick to all good bbq is low and slow. I got up in the morning and browned a 3-lb pork shoulder and then put it in the slow-cooker on a bed of onions and in some chicken broth at about 9 a.m. Then I went about my day and didn’t touch the slow-cooker until after 6 p.m. By then the pork was falling-to-pieces, which is exactly what you want.

I put the pork on a cutting board and shredded it with a fork. Meanwhile I tossed out the watery-onion mix left behind at the bottom of the crock pot and replaced it with the Carolina bbq sauce and re-added the pork.

Let the pulled pork cook on low in the bbq sauce while preparing the sides – Bush’s baked beans and avocado cole slaw (check out that recipe here) — and by about 6:30 we were eating. We made sandwiches with Arnold Sandwich Thins but it would be great on any type of bread. You could easily do it without the sandwich too. Wow that’s tender pork.

Ingredients for the pork

• 3-lb pork shoulder
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth (or stock or whatever)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Carolina bbq sauce

• 1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon crushed red peppers

 Instructions

1. Put the chopped onions, garlic and broth into the crock pot and turn it on low.
2. Pat dry the pork and brown it in the oil until all sides are brown.
3. Put it in the crock pot on low for at least 8 hours. Go about your day. (Goat mom aka pygmy goat says you could do this in 6 hours on high heat, but I’m not sure.)
4. Once eight hours have passed, mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and give it a good stir
5. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, put it on a cutting board, and shred with a fork.
6. Empty the contents of the crock pot (if you like onions, you could strain them out and have them as a yummy side)
7. Add the pork and the bbq sauce to the crock pot and stir slowly. (Use a wood spoon so you don’t scratch your crock pot!)
8. I kept it on low for another 30 minutes or so while I made the sides (like this amazing avocado cole slaw), and it really let the pork absorb that amazing sauce.

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