Pulled Pork Barbecue with Hot Pepper Vinegar Sauce

I love barbecue! I found this recipe for pulled pork in Weber's Big Book of Grilling. I cooked it in the crockpot because it's not barbecue weather here in Iowa yet. It's extremely easy to make and tastes great! This recipe, when served with the Hot Pepper Vinegar sauce, is considered "Carolina-style barbecue." Carolina-style barbecue uses a vinegar-based barbecue sauce, as opposed to the tomato-based sauces most commonly used elsewhere. Erin prefers the vinegar-based Carolina-style. To me, it's not true "barbecue" if there isn't smothered in a thick, tomato-based sauce, but I also like the kick that the Carolina-style adds. So, when making my sandwhich, I usually try to get the best of both worlds and put them both on!

The best meat to use for pulled pork is a pork shoulder roast (interestingly, it is also sometimes called a "Boston butt.") A 4-5 lb. roast serves about 10 people.

The Rub:

• 1 T. paprika
• 1 T. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 boneless pork shoulder roast ("Boston butt"), 4-5 lbs.

The Hot Pepper Vinegar Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Hamburger buns or other rolls.

I usually start the night before by making the rub (mix all the rub ingredients together) and rubbing it all over the pork roast (although it would be just fine to do this about 30 minutes prior to cooking). Put the roast into a crockpot and begin cooking on low ~6-8 hours before you want to eat.

There is no need to put water or anything else in with the roast, but I like to put about 1/2 a cup of the vinegar sauce in with it to add a little more flavor. As it cooks, you will notice that fat and it's own nature juices make a sauce that the meat cooks in.

To make the vinegar sauce, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

When the meat is done (~6-8 hours on low setting; doneness can be verified when a meat thermometer inserted into the roast reads at least 185-190 degrees), it is time to pull the pork! I usually remove the meat and place on a pan or cutting board. I scrape off as fat as I can, and then I use a fork and my hand to shred the pork. It comes apart very easily and I think it is fun to do! I put the shredded meat back into the pot so that it can soak up the juices and oils that came out during cooking, but it would be fine to dump out the juices and serve the meet more dry.

Serve the meet on the rolls and top with the vinegar sauce and/or other favorite barbecue sauces.