Skip to Content

Recipe: North Carolina Style Pulled Pork

North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon mild paprika
* 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 pounds pork butt roast
* 2 cups cider vinegar
* 1 1/3 cups water
* 5/8 cup ketchup
* 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 5 teaspoons salt
* 4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 2 pounds hickory wood chips, soaked

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, mix mild paprika, light brown sugar, hot paprika, celery salt, garlic salt, dry mustard, ground black pepper, onion powder, and salt. Rub spice mixture into the roast on all sides. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
    2. Prepare a grill for indirect heat.
    3. Sprinkle a handful of soaked wood over coals, or place in the smoker box of a gas grill. Place pork butt roast on the grate over a drip pan. Cover grill, and cook pork at least 6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). Check hourly, adding fresh coals and hickory chips as necessary to maintain heat and smoke.
    4. Remove pork from heat and place on a cutting board. Allow the meat to cool approximately 15 minutes, then shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks. This requires patience.
    5. In a medium bowl, whisk together cider vinegar, water, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and white pepper. Continue whisking until brown sugar and salt have dissolved. Place shredded pork and vinegar sauce in a large roasting pan, and stir to coat pork. Serve immediately, or cover and keep warm on the grill for up to one hour until serving.

 

We appreciate your subscription to Mommy’s Memorandum

About Julee Morrison

Julee Morrison is an author and writer with over 35 years of experience in parenting and family recipes. She’s the author of four cookbooks: The Instant Pot College Cookbook, The How-To Cookbook for Teens, The Complete Cookbook for Teens, and The Complete College Cookbook.Available on Amazon,

Her work has appeared in The LA Times, Disney’s Family Fun Magazine, Bon Appétit, Weight Watchers Magazine, All You, Scholastic Parent & Child, and more.

Her article "My Toddler Stood on Elvis' Grave and Scaled Over Boulders to Get to a Dinosaur" appeared on AP News, and her parenting piece “The Sly Way I Cured My Child's Lying Habit” was featured on PopSugar.

Outside of writing, Julee enjoys baking, reading, collecting crystals, and spending time with her family. You can find more of her work at Mommy’s Memorandum.