Pork butt hash


 
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My gal is from Columbia, SC and apparently pork hash is pretty big down there. I want to make her some from some butts I'm gonna do tomorrow night and need a recipe. I think the stuff is nasty and a waste of good meat, but she loves it and I want to keep her interest in the smoker thing.
 
Just wanted to update this since it seems there are lots of hashes. I was advised that south carolina mustard based hash is what i am looking for. i can't find any recipes, just references that this style exists.
 
I found this. Not sure if there's one there that your looking for.
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Try clicking me.
 
There are so many methods to making hash SC-style or otherwise. The (very) few 'mustard-based' ones I've had are similar to others except that mustard-based Q sauce is added and cooked down with the meats (often pulled or chopped Q'd pork and chicken), the onions and potatoes. I recall one mustard-based with no tomatoes and another with tomatoes. (I've had a non-mustard-based one that included turnip greens that would've been great with a mustard Q sauce mixed in.)

Wish I could help you more.
 
I visited middle (and southern?) South Carolina a coupla years back and ate at a place called 'Maurice's'. Had a plate of what I suppose could be called hash. Twas a pile of finely shredded pork in a (mustard?) gravy of sorts. I probably ordered 'pulled pork', but was not ready for what I was served. It's probably one of those things that one must develop a taste for. As far as the sauce for the pork is concerned, I don't remember it having a sharp vinegar taste.

On Maurices website, there is a recipe page that lists a number of different (but similar) meat preparations using his mustard based sauce...you might look at the common ingredients in all those recipes and come up with your own sort of sauce based on those recipes. As stated above, I don't recall the sauce having a harsh/vinegary taste, so remember that when putting together your sauce.

I did walk away with a bottle or two of 'Maurice's' mustard based sauce - girl behind the counter told me her favorite one was the hickory flavored.

Another company that bottles SC mustard based sauce is 'Sticky Fingers' - might want to find Sticky Fingers website to find a retail location near you.


URL=http://www.mauricesbbq.com/recipes.htm]Maurice's recipe page[/URL]
 
Yep, Peter, Maurices is where her family always ate and where the hash came from. I'll come right out and call it gross - it was so finely chopped it wasn't recognizable as coming from decent BBQ pork. Anyway, I can probably figure out a sauce but was more curious about how the finely chopped pork was achieved. It has been a few years since I had some but it seemed like it went through a food processor and not just chopped and chopped and chopped. I personally like minced pork but this was chooped farmore than that. Also wondering if anything else was chaopped up with it like onion or ham or peppers.

[edit] oh cool Bryan - I missed your comment at first!
 
I don't know what Maurice's does but several places I've been to run their cooked meat through a meat grinder--same kind you'd use for ground meat.
 
I bet you could probably shred some pulled pork to get it down to a certain size, then toss it in a CROCK POT and let it go at least four more hours on low to achieve the 'fine' shred of the pork hash. (I hate using the term 'fine' shred, and am tempted to call the 'hash' "MUSH".)

The consistency of the '*hash*' could be that the stuff is probably ladled out of a large stainless steel double boiler (steam table?) type setup and is constantly 'cooked down' which causes the pork to break down as much as it does.

I stated above that I don't remember a harsh/vinegary/mustard flavor to the sauce..in fact I barely remember the sauce at all, but if I had to start somewhere with taking a stab at replicating the sauce/gravy, I would probably warm a can of beans, strain the baked bean sauce, then use two or three parts baked bean sauce to one part mustard sauce conjured up from the Maurices site.

Regarding the 'dish' I was served....the sight of it alone was enough to squelch any hunger pains I may have had at the time. She must be one special girl for you to be trying to make this for her. :)
 
Peter,

She's OK I guess
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Your sauce recipe and hash method sound spot on. I might throw in a tab onion or something else as seen in the recipes Bryan linked me to. Not too much, but that hash (MUSH) did seem to have a little something else in it.

I have 2 butts on the smoker right now and they will be ready when I wake up tomorrow.
 
Please dont waste the butts on hash!!
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All who mention Maurices, it seems to be rather popular here, some people swear by it, others outright hate it. Im impartial, as i dont think they have great Q, but decent sauce. I know a sad thing that happened several years ago was many stores stopped carrying his sauce due to his political stance with the confederate flag. I'll check with my folks this afternoon for a recipe, as they use to be big hash eaters.
 
No, not too late. I pulled 2 butts apart this morning so I can set some aside for a hash experiment. It will be around for a few days.
 
I wrote this a few years ago



Barbecue Hash....by Jim Morgan



This is a dish served mainly in South Carolina and Georgia, although it can be found in North Carolina and other southern states. It is somewhat akin to Brunswick Stew, which is served more often in North Carolina. There is also a legend about making hash only during the full moon...I'll tell you more about that later.

The variations of recipes are about as numerous as the cooks. In other words, travel a hundred miles, and get a hundred different recipes. It's hard to nail down a precise recipe that is used as a standard. For this article, hash is a thin, reddish brown stew that is served over rice or grits. It is sometimes eaten as a sandwich, kind of a South Carolina sloppy joe. It is made of a couple of meats and vegetables, which can include pork, chicken, onions, potatos, tomatos, corn, sometimes carrots, and I saw a Georgia recipe one time that included beef.

The history of hash goes back a long way, and the old timers will tell you it has to be made overnight in a giant black kettle or wash tub.

The basic process in making hash starts with browning the meat and onions and letting them break down some if they aren't already cooked. I would imagine that this dish originated from left over smoked pork and chicken,
so that's what I use to make it.

After the meat is browned, water (and often tomatos) is generally added and the meat stews for over an hour. Diced potatos are added, and it all cooks for another hour or so. Everything should be broken up or "loose". If not, stir, mix, or even blend the combination to a pudding like texture. Some hash's are stringy, but if you use a stick blender, it will be a different texture. The flavor is still good though.

BBQ rubs and sauces have been added. Other spices I've run across in hash recipes include Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, oregano, hot sauce, mustard, vinegar and of course, salt and pepper.

Of course, there are many arguments about who makes "real hash." In some parts of South Carolina they even make a mustard based hash. Here's the recipe I use, and it's closest to the ones I remember having when growning up.


South Carolina BBQ Hash

2 pounds of shredded or chopped pork butt bbq
2 pounds of chicken meat, shredded or chopped, any type
2 pounds of onions
1 28 oz can of tomatos
5 white potatos, peeled and diced into chunks
3 tbsp salt
3 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup cider vinegar


Since I use cooked meat, you don't have to brown the meats. In a skillet, cook the onions until just translucent. Add all the other ingrediants, and then cover with water. Simmer for about an hour, or until the potatos start to break up. If it's too chunky or the potatos are tender, use a whisk and stir vigorously, and let it cook a little more. You may have to add more water.

Serve over hot rice. This can be eaten as a side dish or a main course.
Hash is one of those dishes that even better the next day. However, hash is also one of those dishes that will sour in the fridge. Make sure it has cooled down before putting it in the fridge. You can speed up the process by stirring and seperating the hash into small containers.

Oh, and the legend of making hash by the light of the silvery moon...well
many folks in South Carolina don't do much at all unless the moon is full or near it. That includes gathering crops. It's said that if you gather your crops under a full moon, you'll get more. Same with hash...under the full moon, your hash pot may overflow if you're not careful! But cook under a dark moon, and that pot will surely be near empty by the time it's ready.

Hey, don't ask me, ask the bbq gods.

Jim Morgan
 
This is the recipe my mother gave me--

Here it is:

3 lb. stew beef
1 1/2 lb. pork
1 T. salt

Cook above in lots of water for 2 -3 hours. Break apart. Leave only enough broth to cover the meat. Then add:

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 T. worchester sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 pound butter
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
1 tsp. Accent (optional)

Cook for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice or on buns. DELICIOUS!!!


--This recipe is taking into account that the meat has not been precooked. So i'm not positive how to translate it into having meat thats precooked (I'm a new smoker). Also if you dont want to add the beef, using pork in place of the beef should be fine. Now Waddy, my suspicion is to get a more mustard base, Maurices just throws in some of their mustard base sauce. I know theres a recipe on this site for mustard base sauce and im sure this would suffice. Hope this is somewhat helpful, and not just more confusing!

Paul J.
 
Paul, You read my mind about the mustard aspect. I think I'll cook down some "leftover"? pork, maybe throw in some onions and a little of this and a little of that and find a mustard sauce. It really is turning my stomach to think of wasting good pork to do this, especially given the time/effort/expense I went through to smoke it and baste it all night! I might cook another one in the crock pot and give it a shot.

Thanks all!
 
I was at Trader Joes today and they were passing out samples of what I think was labeled 'Shredded Pork' - came in a small white plastic tub. Kinda reminded me of the Maurice's stuff, but it was thicker and probably milder than Maurices. You could probably easily add to the sauce to get it where you needed to taste wise and consistency wise. The size of the pork threads was dang near near Maurices.
 
I made my own version of the hash as follows:

- used finely chopped pulled pork that was on it's last day of shelf life;
- equal parts mustard, cider vinegar, brown sugar and maybe one tsp of cayanne for a little kick

spooned it over rice South Carolina style. Was really good. Not pure hash. Maybe next time.
 

 

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