Holy smoke

A true BBQ fanatic offers up his recipe
for Eastern North Carolina-style pulled pork

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

In my younger days, I travelled quite a bit and finally hit the Southern U.S., where I found my favourite food to both prepare and eat—BBQ. Since then, I’m proud to say, I’ve spent many hours on frigid January days tending to a fire while continually basting a gorgeous beef brisket or a rack of pork ribs.

Before we go any further, let’s get one thing perfectly clear. Pictures of Pops pressing patties through the grill with a spatula over direct heat is not true BBQ, that would be grilling—big difference. Now I love the quick sear and sound of a Del Monico hitting a hot grill as much as the next guy, but I’m still baffled at how many people consider this true barbecuing.

RUB IT UP: Pork shoulder

Real BBQ starts with a large cut of inexpensive meat covered in a dry rub, cooked over a long period with wood, whose smoke adds a unique flavour to the meat. Because the main choice of meats used in BBQing will usually taste like leather when grilled, its marbling of fat adds a ton of flavour that helps break down the tissue while tenderizing the meat when it’s cooked at a low temperature for a long period.

A good starting point for any budding backyard barbie boss who wants to try their hand at real BBQ is the Eastern North Carolina-style pulled pork. Here’s how you do it:

Pick a fresh six- to nine-pound slab of pork shoulder (which should cook down to yield three to four pounds) that’s well marbled with fat and let it return to room temperature. If your butcher has not removed the cap of fat located on top of the shoulder, score it with a knife. Combine two cups of granulated sugar (brown sugar will burn), two teaspoons of chili powder, 1/2 cup of sea salt, one teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 cup of sweet paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne and two teaspoons of cracked pepper and rub this all over the meat, making sure to get it in all crevices.

Next, grab a package of hickory wood available at most big box hardware stores and soak half of the package in water for an hour. Drain and combine two parts wet to one part dry and wrap it in three separate pieces of aluminium foil, fold tightly into three pouches then perforate the foil with a fork.

Add a drip pan half filled with water under the grill on one side of the barbeque to catch drippings and to keep the pork shoulder moist. Feel free to add rosemary, onion, red wine vinegar and garlic to infuse into the meat. Prepare your coal or gas barbecue and heat only one side, as you’ll be cooking with indirect heat. Place your hickory pouch on the heat and, once the cool side of the grill has reached 225 degrees, place the meat on it, over the drip pan. Close the lid and let it cook for four hours while making sure to maintain a steady 225 degrees.

Replace smoke packages as soon as you don’t see smoke for the first four hours; after the four hours are up, don’t use any more smoke as it adds an overwhelming and bitter taste to the meat.

Prepare a sauce with one tablespoon of black pepper, two tablespoons of dark molasses, one cup of water, two tablespoons of sea salt, one teaspoon of ground cayenne, 1/2 cup of Jim Beam, one and a half cups cider vinegar, four chipotle peppers (from the can) and one tablespoon of crushed pepper flakes and whisk the ingredients together. Baste the meat with the sauce after four hours of cooking every 20 minutes. At 225 degrees, you will be looking at 70 minutes of cooking time per pound depending on weather conditions.

Once the meat hits an internal temperature of 185 degrees, set it on a counter until it’s cool to touch. Don’t be afraid of the blackened exterior, this will add to the flavour of the meat and if you cut into it, you should be greeted with a small red ring, or “smoke ring” that will be hiding just under the exterior.

Boil the remaining basting sauce and set aside while the pork shoulder cools. Once cool, take two forks and shred away the meat making sure to discard all fat deposits that have not been cooked out. Combine 3/4 of sauce in with the meat and serve on cheap buns that should sop up the sauce. For added crunch and utter Eastern North Carolina authenticity add a dollop of coleslaw on top.