North Carolina Pulled Pork

Pork:

• one 5-pound bone-in pork shoulder
• 6 cups molasses
• 2 cups kosher salt
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 20 cloves garlic
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch thyme
• 3 – 4 bay leaves

Mop Sauce:

• 2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups hickory chips or chunks, soaked in cold water

Simple Cabbage Slaw:

• 1/2 head white cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red white cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, grated, juice squeezed out
• 1-1/2 cups good quality mayonnaise
• Combine cabbages, onion and mayo and season with kosher salt & pepper

North Carolina Style BBQ Sauce:

• 3 cups cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 ounce Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 7 drops Tabasco

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Marinate pork by mixing salt brown sugar, molasses, garlic and vinegar together.
2. Rub pork all over with marinade. Marinate for 12-36 hours.
3. To make the BBQ Sauce, mix all ingredients in a pot and boil slowly for 15 minutes then allow to cool and thicken.
4. Set pork in deep roasting pan or dutch oven. Add water, onions, thyme, and bay leaves to come half way up the sides of the pork.
5. Roast at 400 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours to develop a nice crust. Turn down heat to 250°, cover pork and braise for 6-10 hours. Check water level every hour or two, add more if necessary. When pork is done you will be able to pull bone from the center of the roast out without any tension and meat will be falling apart.
6. Take roast out of oven and let cool enough to handle. Take out of liquid and pull apart by hand, discarding fat. Toss with liberal amount of sauce.
7. Serve pork on a soft white bun stacked with Simple Cabbage Slaw.