Ah last Sunday was smoked pork day at my house. I tended to the smoker for five hours while my son sprayed the cat with the water hose. Don’t worry, he loves it. My son that is. Maybe everyday Sunday should be smoked pork day.

OK, please hold the hate mail and flaming! No not about the cat, the recipe title. I really don’t want to get caught up in the great BBQ debate. Some say that pulled pork is more of a Tennessee thing, some say a Carolina thing but the sauce I use on these pork sandwiches is greatly influenced by the spicy, vinegary sauces originating from North Carolina. Hey all I really know is that this recipe rocks. The added zing and heat from the slaw is also a fantastic (and necessary, don’t skip) final touch.

I do use a rub here but don’t use a mop. Feel free to use a vinegar based mopping sauce during the smoking process. The reason I don’t is it adds more and more cooking time each time you open the smoker. Plus the final sauce really does the trick. Also, you will need a smoker for this one, in my humble opinion. There are recipes out there for oven roasted pulled pork and I think even a few crock pot ones as well but those are for your grandmother. I can’t even imagine pulling a roasted butt. What?

INGREDIENTS:

For the pork

• 5 – 7 lb pork butt (don’t buy boneless since we are going to shred the meat anyway)
• 1/3 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 2 cup hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

For the sauce

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the slaw

• 4 – 6 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Creole mustard (Zatarain’s)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes
• kosher salt to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Wash and pat dry the pork butt. In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients to make the rub. Place pork in a shallow dish and rub the seasoning all over the meat and into any crevices. Allow pork to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This is a good time to soak your wood chips.

2. Preheat smoker to 220°F and load wood chips into smoker box. Place the pork in the smoker and cook for about 5 hours, maintaining heat and adding more wood chips if desired. Use a thermometer to and remove the pork from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 160°F.  When done allow pork to cool completely, then pull apart buy hand.

3. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until the sugar dissolves.

4. Mix the dressing ingredients together and then add to the cabbage and toss. Allow to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to meld the flavors.

5. Uhm you probably got this step all figured out but just in case. Slap some pulled pork on a hamburger bun, spoon over a bit of the sauce then top with the slaw. Add a sliced pickle if you desire.

Serves everyone in the neighborhood

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