In case you don’t know, BBQ is a pretty big deal in the south, especially in NC. NC is famous for its battle of the Qs and the state is literally divided over eastern style (vinegar based sauce) and western style (tomato based sauce). My house is an eastern style house but my parents have slowly been converted to western style – My dad is fully on the dark side but I think my mom still has her senses. We keep the peace pretty well but I am still a little surprised the state hasn’t broken out in a BBQ civil war over the issue. But the one thing everyone can agree on is that the meat is pork! NC is hog country after all!

When I see a pork butt (or shoulder to you non-southern folks) on sale at the grocery store, I have to get it! Unfortunately I don’t have a pit (or smoker) so I have to use the next best thing to cook my Q and that’s a crock-pot! The key to cooking good BBQ is low and slow! But the most important thing is the sauce! I typically grab a bottle or two of eastern style sauce whenever we go to our favorite BBQ joint to eat but if you can’t readily get your hands on some from a good BBQ joint, check your grocery store. If you are one of those unfortunate souls who live outside of Eastern NC, you can either buy some from the internet like this kind here or you can make your own (see below).

Crock-Pot Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ

Ingredients

– 1 pork butt/shoulder (approximately 5 lbs boneless)
– 1 bottle of eastern carolina bbq sauce or homemade sauce
– a dash or two of liquid smoke, if desired

Homemade Eastern-Style BBQ Sauce:
– 3 cups of apple cider vinegar
– 1/4 cup of brown sugar
– 1/4 cup of hot sauce (Texas Pete preferred)
– 1 heaping tablespoon of salt
– 3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
– 3 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
– several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
– black pepper to taste

Directions

In a crock pot on low, place the pork butt fat side up. Pour a bottle of sauce or 1 batch of homemade sauce over the pork butt and cook on low for 8-10 hours until the meat is tender and falls apart. Remove any bones and fat. Shred the remaining meat.

Serve on a bun with some coleslaw or on a plate with collards and fried okra!

Enjoy! – And don’t forget the hushpuppies!

Much Love,
M