(For more porcine pleasure, check out CL Sarasota's Summer of Pig coverage.)
Six years ago, when I started making North Carolina-style barbecue pulled pork, I would do so on a Weber grill in my backyard. It is a day-long, hot, sooty, high-maintenance endeavor that had my eyes stinging from smoke and perspiration — not a task for the faint of heart. Why bother? Because the results are transcendent. If you enjoy barbecue, one taste of North Carolina-style barbecue pulled pork, cooked as described below, will seduce you. You will be anxious to repeat the experience, accepting the long and laborious preparation as the price to pay for such pleasure. To what do I attribute my passion for this pursuit? One explanation: although I am a white Jewish woman of a certain age, in another life I must have been an accomplished African-American male barbecue pitmaster in North Carolina.
Some cooks tell me they make barbecued pork in their slow cookers (Crock Pots). They allege the result is palatable — even delicious — usually without acknowledging that 1) any smoke flavor will necessarily come from a bottle, and 2) by virtue of the water vapor generated inside a slow cooker, this method obviates the flavorful, crisp coating ("bark" ) that characterizes true barbecue. Such maintenance-free slow cooking produces what some wish to call barbecue. It is, in fact slow-cooked pork mixed with barbecue sauce — a far cry from the real thing. Authentic barbecue cannot be made in an electric pot on the kitchen counter.
Cooking Carolina-style pork barbecue takes some planning, a grill and a commitment to remain close to it for the day. Allow for 12-14 hours' cooking time (the "slow" part of "low and slow"). You should start the fire in your grill before 6:00 AM if you want to be assured of sitting down to dinner by 8:00-8:30 PM. (I warned you: this is not for the faint of heart.)
Recipe after the break:
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2009.