Guest Blogger: Liz's NC-Style BBQ

I'm so excited for my first ever guest blogger!  My friend Liz is cookin' up some yummy NC-style BBQ.  Enjoy!

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Greetings, aboders! It’s your friendly guest-blogger, Liz, here.

As some of you know, I hail from Eastern North Carolina, well-known for our vinegar-based, slow-cooked pork barbeque. For us, “BBQ” is a noun – never a verb!

I’m not gonna lie – if you’re not a fan of vinegar-based ‘cue, this recipe is not for you. And beware: your house is going to smell like vinegar while it’s cooking. But if you can get past that and you enjoy the B’s, Wilber’s, and Parker’s of the world, this will be right up your alley.

What you’ll need:

1 5lb pork shoulder/Boston butt

Salt

Black pepper

1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar

2 T brown sugar*

2 tsp cayenne pepper*

2 tsp crushed red pepper*

*All can be adjusted to your preferred heat/sweet.

What you do:

Start with a pork shoulder or Boston butt (they’re the same thing); about 5 lbs should be enough for 10 servings, or you can modify accordingly. I could only find 8-9 lb butts at the store, so I just asked the butcher to cut a smaller piece for me.

To help it cook evenly, my dad suggested cutting the meat into 3-4 pieces, and I’d definitely recommend doing that. Put your pork pieces into your crock pot and season with salt & pepper. Pour the vinegar over the pork – it won’t quite cover it, but that’s ok.

Set your crock pot on low, cover, and walk away. Seriously. Go see a movie or something. You’ve got 10-12 hours!

At around the 10 hour mark, check on your pork. If it’s bubbling and falling apart, it’s ready.

Place your pork on a cutting board and start pickin’, removing as much fat as you can. You can use a knife and folk, but I think the process is easier with your hands.

Save about 2 cups of the liquid from the crock pot (strained) and discard the rest. In the crock pot, mix your cayenne pepper, red pepper, and brown sugar into your liquid, along with your picked pork. Let the mixture warm back up for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot, either on soft buns (with cole slaw) or plated (green beans, mashed or boiled potatoes, and slaw are all good side dishes for ‘cue).

BBQ is a great way to feed a big group, but it’s also delicious reheated. And it freezes beautifully if you end up with a ton of leftovers.

Enjoy!